I just completed replacing the high pressure hose from the output of the power steering pump.

Some observations and suggestions:

Plan on the car being out of service for 4 hours. You would think this job would take an hour but there is always a few time consuming steps.

I put the front of car on jack stands and removed right front wheel.

top hose bracket assembly
On the bracket at the top of the hose there is a sensor and a connection to a tube. Loosen both of these as a test to see if they will come off. I did not have a line/flare wrench but I did use 2 open end wrenches on tube (has flare nut) and was able to loosen. 14mm wrench for flare nut and 17mm for bracket. The sensor was more difficult. I put some 'Liquid Wrench' on it and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I put a an extension on the open end wrench and was able to remove. For the tube and the sensor I used 2 wrenches so as to not torque the bracket.

mid hose bracket
The nut on the hose clamp mid way down the hose is somewhat hard to get too but a universal joint on racket worked for me. Careful not to drop the screw, as it is has only about 3/8 inch of threads.

lower hose attach to power steering pump
I put a bowl under the power steering banjo bolt to catch fluid. I did not know the all the fluid in the reservoir would drain when this bolt is removed. If one drains the reservoir is it will reduce the amount of fluid drained. To loosen the banjo nut I used a 24 mm impact wrench socket on multiple extensions and attached an impact wrench under the car. A couple of blips on the wrench and the bolt was loose. Removed with fingers after loosening. Watch for the 2 copper washers. My hose came with 2 new ones, but I would have reused the old as the were in good shape.

I pulled the hose out from the top after it finished draining.

assembly - banjo bolt
I then went back under the car to practice threading the banjo bolt since I had read so many comments on this forum about the difficulty with the bolt. After several trials I could do it easily.

Putting on the new hose:
I dropped the new hose in from the top and first threaded the banjo bolt with the 2 new copper washers on each side of the hose fitting. Having total freedom of movement of hose made the alignment of banjo bolt easy. It threaded easily with fingers until it was snug. I left loose for time being.
Next up was the mid hose clamp. This turned out to be a real time burner. The problem is the old hose has a naked metal center joint that mates with a rubber bushing inside the 2 piece clamp. The new hose has the joint but it is covered by the continuous heat shield. I ended up aligning the joint, feeling where it was with the clamp. I did not reuse the rubber bushing. I used vise grips to hold the clamp and ice pic to align the small bolt holes. This is after many failed attempts to thread the bolt on the clamp. You may have to push the hose down a little to insure the metal joint is in the middle of the clamp.

mid hose bracket
Next was the bracket at the top of the hose. This was the easy part. I recommend you finger thread the tube first before attaching the bracket to the chassis. Leaving the flare nut a little loose allows the tube/bracket to move as you attach bracket to chassis. The sensor uses an o-ring for sealing. Just make sure it is clean before re-installing. I used to the old o-ring.

Tightened all nuts and bolts. Banjo nut has torque of 37 to 50 ft-lbs from factory manual. I used upper end of torque using torque wrench.

Bleeding. Fill the reservoir about 3/4 full. I did both the dead and live bleeds. Air bubbles did appear in reservoir. Refilled reservoir.

Put wheel on, lowered car. Went for a spin. I noticed some pump noise. I went to a an empty parking lot and while idling along at about 5 mph I turned wheels left and right lock to lock more than 20 times. The pump noise was gone. I suppose I did not do a good enough job of bleeding earlier. The level in the reservoir barely moved so the trapped air must have been a small volume.

The car was out today running errands and upon return the reservoir is the same level and all connections are dry. Whew!

parts
The hose was a 'Edelmann 92037 Power Steering Pressure Hose' purchased on Ebay from Cowboy Auto Parts. (I purchased based on price, return policy, seller rating and free shipping. I had never heard of them before.) Hose came with 2 new copper washers. Price about $75.

This job at a local garage is quoted at about $450.

If you have specific questions I am will try to answer.

--Red

 

Changed mine this weekend. About 1.5 hours total (thanks to all the tips). Ordered the hose from Tri-Cities Nissan in TN - OEM hose + copper washers shipped to my door = $165 (plus a free hat). All the SoCal Nissan dealers I checked with wanted MSRP $206.

Used a large eye dropper to suck out all the fluid from the reservoir and just cracked the connection at the banjo fitting and drained into a large zip lock bag. Getting the hose out as others stated was the easy part - banjo bolt is a bit of a ***** to get back in.

 

Hi all,

I just finally did mine a little after a year after the leak started. It wasn't so bad till recently. And I have been riding my motorcycle so been putting this off but figured its about time before the weather changes.

I had a $550 quote to get this done :-( crazy! Ended up doing it with $130 part and about 3 hours of my own labor half that time trying to figure out what the hell I was doing or what tools to use.

I have an I35 and the rubber hose developed a slit right on top of where it is crimped into the upper bracket.

I have not read all the pages of this thread but read quit a bit of the first few pages. If only I read the last page before I changed those rather then after :-P. redrock5432 pretty much described what I did word for word. So please read his post just a few posts above this one for a decent step by step explanation.

I used a duralast hose from auto zone for $130 just because I wanted to have it in hand rather then putting it off any longer.

The few things I didn't know about was the tools I needed.

• ratcheting wrench 3/4" or 1/2" according to your sockets
• 14mm flare nut wrench for the flare nut attaching the steel hose to the high pressure hose bracket.
• 27mm deep socket for the sensor bolt (I used impact wrench socket on my ratchet)
• 19mm open end wrench to hold bracket in place while taking sensor off (this is optional since I didn't care about bending the bracket on the bad hose)
• 24mm socket for the banjo bolt
• 10mm socket worked best for me to remove the bolt/screw mid way down the hose attached to the clamp (I tried every thing else!)
• 19mm socket for wheel lug nuts (or lug nut wrench whatever it takes to take passenger side front wheel off)
• Jack
• Jack Stands
• Oil pan

I am pretty sure after a lot of trial and error those were the tools that were actually useful.

Places I had difficulty were the sensor bolt which just apply enough force with ratchet wrench and 27mm deep socket finally got loose.

The clamp half way down the hose which was 10mm bolt and threaded on the other side (i though the other side was a nut and I kept trying to turn it this took a lot of my time till I really looked at it by taking off the old hose insulation and moving it that thing was nasty!) so turn the bolt not the nut look a like threaded side!

Finding the banjo was a pain but if you keep looking with a light from under the car you will find it! once you do take it out from the passenger side wheel wheel its easiest to get to with a 24mm socket to loosen and finger rest.

Putting the banjo back on is best done from under the car while the top of hose is not mounted in! I did it all by feel now that I knew where it was and finger tightened it. Once it was threaded on loose I mounted bracket on top and fastened the flare and sensor nuts before tightening banjo bolt with 24mm socket from the passenger side wheel area.

Then I did the dead and live bleed techniques mentioned in one of the first posts of this thread.

All seem to have worked like a charm took it for a test drive. Don't hear much of a noise unless I am looking for it (now that I know what power steering pump sounds like I can pin point the sound when trying.)

Good luck everyone!

 

Is one key difference between the aftermarket hose and OEM hoses the fact that the OEM one comes with a sensor, and there's one step removed from the beginning?

 

That, and, no one who uses the OEM hose has any whining noises.

 

I did this job on my 2k2 yesterday, and actually found it quite easy. I was prepared for a time consuming job based on my readings here, but it was not very difficult at all. Even the banjo bolt....although it was tight, it broke free, and went back into place with no issues.

I installed a PS hose from GATES. I can confirm that it does indeed make noise on a cold startup, but it goes away once warmed up (mostly). I bled the system twice, but it's still there during slow maneuvers. I'll drive it around for another couple hundred km, and see how it goes. If it still whines, I'm ordering an OEM part from Courtesy Nissan. It's an old car with 322,000km on it, so I suppose I can't complain.

 

I have been replacing this part this afternoon. Oddly I had no trouble removing the banjo nut, and only small amount of trouble getting it lined back up. My biggest problem has been with the 14mm flange nut on the top connection. I think I have stripped the nut that is around the metal tubing that connects to the top of the high pressure hose with the pressure switch. Does anyone know the name/price of this part or how to fix it?

 

i hope only the outside of the nut is stripped and not the actual threads of this nut because i dont think it can be changed since it comes in from behind the metal tubing and lord knows how far that goes.

 

I think the threads are. I know I botched the hex part but not really worried about that part. I just can't get the threads to take hold

 

I've only had mine for about 1 1/2 years but it is on 192k not sure if this has been done in the past

 

Ok, so apparently no one in my area carries anything to fix that blasted tube nut. Had to order the whole tube from dealer. On the upside it was only a $30 part. Guess the real fun will be to see how hard it is to get on

 

Recently got this done on my '02 with 146k. Paid $375 out the door. Leak came out of nowhere and needed to be done ASAP. Good info on this thread. Thanks everyone.

 

Ended up taking it to a local mechanic to fix the tubing, he said it was a pain to get off.
Lesson for anyone else make sure the metal tubing does not get messed up.

 

i was at 210k when mine went out.

 

I think our Maxima was just under 400,000 miles when we changed the hose. Maybe 390,000.

 

noticed an consistent abnormally loud whining, humming noise at start up. Now unlike what i read in this thread over and over in my case this noise when driving actually increases with rpm and not so much turning of the wheel. Turning the wheel doesn't necessarily change the whining as others have described.
Anyone have any idea if my humming / whining is the same issue mentioned here?

I noticed power steering fluid was extra low, so I topped it off with a little bit of the wrong fluid (actual PS fluid and not ATF) and it didn't fix the noise at all as mentioned here low fluid = noise. Hopefully just that small amount wont hurt for the time being. I am sure ATF is in there, just now its mixed with a tiny bit of PS fluid.

I also read in this thread if I have the humming and didn't replace / do anything yet my PS pump might be screwed?

Not sure which direction to go now.

Thanks for any help.

 

Used an oem hose. Longest part was the cleanup. Fluid had leaked down onto Cattman headers. Hole formed in lower section. Used just about a 1/3 quart of PS (high mileage) fluid and filled the rest with Amsoil synthetic ATF.

Whined only momentarily until fluid got sucked through. Then turned the wheel back/forth and held for moment. Topped off with ATF. Problem completely resolved. No more noise. Smooth like butter.

Prophecy: Maybe if you take a video/recording.

 

Great job. How many miles on your car? And when you turned the wheels back and forth to bleed the system, did you have to do it with the reservoir cap off?

 

Prophecy99,
If you suspect the PS pump, find an empty parking lot, drive/idle slowly and turn the wheel lock to lock several (>10) times to purge any air. I had a similar problem until I did this.

As a lower probability, are you sure the whining is from the power steering pump? I realize you just worked on the power steering but you may want to double check.

One way to do this is to take a long rod and hold against power steering pump and against your ear. you will be able to hear the sounds 'inside' the pump via the rod over the ambient noise. This is with engine running. You will probably have to be under car to do this test. (safety-> use jack stands)

 

I have about 185k miles, but can't be sure it wasn't replaced prior to my buying at 112k miles. But, car was clean....why I bought her, so it could be the original. I mean, the cam sensor recall hadn't even been done on the car when I bought it.

I did turn the wheels with the cap off. Not sure you have to. But, I approached it like doing brakes....want that lid off. No other reason but to be able to add some more ATF if needed.

 

it was the alternator, went tonight 48 hours after first sign of humming. sorry to have jacked this great thread! but having a humming and low PS lead me here.

learned a lot about power steering though!

 

OK ive given up for the night, too cold to figure out whats goin on. I shouldve waited till the morning :\

Anyways, question

1) How do I get the center support off the hose ? Is it a clamp or unscrwed, from the top I can see a gold nut on the right hand side but its hard to get to and underneath I can see a silver one with no way to get to it that I can see.

2) It took forever (with help) to get that fitting off on the top that attaches to the (looks like) copper pipe thing. I cant get the sensor off of that connection. I disconnected it but the one end is on the original hose. Its a few miles to the O'Reilly that id rather not have to make in the morning for a new sensor just to replace that end.

Thanks in advance!

 

originalhandy,
per your numbering:
1.) The center support bracket has a clamp around the hose. 1/2 the clamp is part of the bracket that attaches to the block (this bracket is on the drivers side of the clamp assembly). The loose part of the clamp has a tongue at one end that inserts into a slot in the bracket and the other end has a hole that a small bolt goes through to hold it to the bracket. The nut for the bolt is welded to the back of the bracket. I think the bolt head is 10 mm. You access the bolt from the passengers side of the car. It is very difficult to get your hand into the right position to loosen the bolt. If memory serves, I used a universal joint and an extension with a 1/4 inch drive. 3/8 may also work. Also be careful to not drop the bolt, it is no fun fishing for tiny bolts in the frame or other areas.

2.) removing the sensor was hard. the sensor uses an o-ring for sealing. the tightness of the connection is to merely keep the sensor attached. I found it hard to remove so I put some 'liquid wrench' the area where the sensor attaches. I left it for an hour or so. Also, I used 2 wrenches. If you have adequate access to the leaking hose and the sensor attached you could use an air impact wrench on the sensor. I find impact wrenches seem to knock connections loose with more control than shear force.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info not sure if I can see what you're saying but I ended up going to step two to start.

My Irish temper kicked in and I cut the hose. Still couldn't get it out so I went on a 4 mile walk to a random tyre shop that got it off. I owe him a beer ...

Appreciate the input. This is a "simple" job on paper but with fat hands and super tight stuff makes it hard. Hopefully I can release the bracket then work on putting the new one on with minimal effort!

 

Thanks I finally got the 10mm out, tight spot but once I stopped wanting to set the car on fire it was pretty easy.

Now off to Google to figure out how to put a banjo bolt on properly. I never heard of one till I read this thread. Not sure how to line up the holes properly.

 

only use ur hand to put the bolt in, thread it completely by hand till its tight then use a socket, you do NOT want to strip this hole.

 

Thats what I am trying to do. I can get it in a bit but that's about it. Im not sure why I cant get it in all the way. Its a pita for me.

 

originalhandy,
See this post by me. skip down to the banjo paragraphs.
install report
+1 DjHackStyle's comment.

 

Good idea to practice threading, ill give that a bash in a few minutes.

 

Practiced 3 times and then got it on teh 2nd attempt all together!

Now to get that PITA copper thing to line up to go in!

 

Done! Had to re thread coming off the coper line. I bought one of those Eldmann (sp) and there is no hum or buzz like others said they experienced.

 

Just did the pressure hose replacement with an aftermarket hose. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone, because there is no way I could have done it without this thread. Most I've ever done on a car before was changing the brake pads. Learned a lot thanks to all of you.

Recap: Everyone was right, the banjo bolt is a royal pain but I still got it on in ~40 minutes. My two cents: it's only difficult because the hose forces the bolt to point at an angle that isn't flush with the threads it screws into. You have to muscle the bolt into the right angle then push it in, then thread it. I actually got around this by doing the banjo first, putting the hose in place from above but not screwing in the top sensor part. This gave the hose a little more play. Then instead of trying to thread by hand, I used a 15/16" socket wrench with an extender to guide the banjo into place, which gave me a lot more leverage and control over where it was pointing. Everything else was a snap and the whole thing took less than 2 hours.

Anyway, thanks again. Great resource and you all saved me the ridiculous $700+ I got quoted from the mechanic.

 

So I'm replacing the high pressure hose. At the T junction there's the pressure switch the hose and the brass tube. I've already got the 10mm bolts out and I'm trying to get this brass tube lose but it won't even budge. Any help?

 

See this post under heading 'top bracket assembly' Link

 

I have a problem guys. Ive done all things except removing the connection to metal tube I used 14mm (the line nut). my hand got sore trying to unscrew it. Applied some WD-40 with no result. I feel like im gonna damage it eventually. Is there anything that I could do? Cheers

 

Any suggestion/ideas guys? Im wondering if torch it unti glow red, will there be any dangers!!

 

its because you still have a slow leak. If fluid is slowly getting out, that means air is getting in. depending on how old your car is and how much damage you did to power steering pump bearings. driving them with leaks can destroy the pump easily. running them dry tears the bearing or seals on the pump. idk about the Nissan maxima, but many other cars I have worked on, are very fragile pumps. if you can see the pump. look for any wetness behind the pulley, and if wet, most likely seal is bad causing air to get in which causes whining noise. you can get new seals and separate yourself or get cheap pump on rock auto. A1 cardone makes decent replacements for low cost. also check your rack seals where inner tie rods go in. behind the plastic sleeve is where the seals are. if wet there, then your rack seals are leaking and its a PITA and has to be replaced. don't recommend trying to replace the seals in the rack because its more advanced for an average DIY. Sorry so long but many people are short worded. giving all the possibilities in one response makes it easier for others to find. anymore questions feel free to ask.

 

Does anyone know if and where I can refurbish my old ps hose? I thought I read somewhere that I could take it to a shop and have it fixed. I replaced my house about 2 years ago with OEM and this one is leaking now. I saved the old hose specifically for this event, but I can't remember where to take it.

 

I just replaced my power steering hose. Had trouble aligning the holes at the banjo connection. That is because they don't have to line up. The fluid should travel thru the grove in the banjo and into the bolt to the power steering pump. Also, the middle bracket connection to the engine block was a 12mm bolt, I did not have a 12mm socket so used a regular 12mm wrench.

 

Just an update, my Edelmann is still alive and well after 4 years (can't believe it's been that long already) and probably another 50k miles. Yes, it's STILL whining but my ps pump is still fine and I haven't had to add a drop of ps fluid in those 4 years. My Maxima just turned 138k on Monday and continues to eat oil at a rate of over a quart/1k miles. Oh well, it's still getting 22mpg in the city and nothing ever breaks on it!