power steering leak, pics included
 

went to get an oil change, they tell me that I got a leak and need to replace a hose. Went to rockauto and there are a few different ones, not sure which one this is.

this is the hose that is leaking since it has caked up crap all around it
http://i55.tinypic.com/308k00p.jpg



there is also some caked up fluid on 2 more hoses, not sure if it's the dripping from the top one or if they're leaking also. I would replace all 3 probably. The pics below show the hose up close and zoomed out so the location in the engine bay is more clear


http://i55.tinypic.com/2zh19ue.jpg


http://i54.tinypic.com/1zv72ah.jpg

On your very last picture do you see that hose near the top? It has a foam cover with a yellow E on it. Peel that foam back and see if there is oil underneath.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...rn/1zv72ah.jpg

Cut the foam off..... it looks pretty dry to me.....Looks more like your supply hose is the culprit!

lucky guy cheap fix

can I run my finger underneath, if that hose is leaking it should be wet, correct?
also what is that hose connecting?
is that the name of the hose "the supply" hose, from the name I figure it goes between reservoir and pump?




Thanks for the answers.

Be careful not to crack the reservoir when removing the clamp and hose.

Yes that's the hose between reservoir and pump!!!!
http://www.courtesyparts.com/kb_search_result.php?keywords=[49717M]+\(a33b&cPath=1956_1957_2061_2069

i have a leak under that foam. i can see a tiny slit right about where that arrow is. do i replace that entire hose? if so, what exactly is it called?

Yes, you do.

Also, don't peel the foam off. If the hose is leaking, the foam cover will become soft and saturated with power steering fluid, and will swell up.

That's the power steering high pressure line. Easy to get off. An absolute biatch to reinstall.

yea there not fun to do

is there any way to repair it where it is? or am i shelling out over $150 for a new hose assy?

I have the same leak as the OP, is this something I can change on my own or would I need a shop? as i understand it the power steering system is at a very high pressure

If it's the high pressure line...no you cannot fix it.

I think I bought the whole Assembly from Dave Burnett for like $112 shipped.

The hardest part was getting the clamp on behind the intake runners, if I had to do it again, I wouldn't even mess with that part. LOL.

$150 is kind of steep. Shop around. I think I got mine for like...just shy of $115.

Also, the PS is not under pressure if the car isn't running. Swapping it out will net you no more risks than some PS fluid on the ground, and maybe a few busted knuckles.

That is, unless you try to do this while the car is on. In which case, you'll be rewarded with a nice, hot spray of PS fluid all over everything. :nervous:

thats a lot of money for me right now eithor way, so i think i am going to "try" a patch of some kind. the "slit" in my hose is about 1-1.1 mm long, and looks like it is on a tiny bubble. maybe a little piece of silicon and a hose clamp and tighten it really good. its worth a shot, not looking for perm solution, but just something to tide me over. i will let everyone know if it actually works and give pics of before and after.

Clean it up and check those valve covers as well! Those p/s low pressure hoses might be leaking as well....replace them if ther'ye soft!

Not gonna work out for you. When the car is turned on it's under a lot of pressure and power steering fluid is not thick. I would speculate that the amount you would need to tighten the "patch" would cause damage to the hose in other places. If you completely split the hose you are gonna have a lot more trouble than if you just leave it while you have a new one on order.


If you want to know how big that hole really is, have somebody turn the steering wheel with the car turned on while you look at it. Then you will have a better idea. Watch your eyes, the oil will squirt a couple feet depending on your individual hose leak.

i forgot to get before pics, but i will get an after pic up soon. the hole that can be seen is roughly 2mm, seems like it starts on the inside on the other side of the hose and wraps around but through the hose itself. with the car on, i get a drop or 2 that forms at the "hole" no squirting and even a heavy drip.

without the patch on
http://www.blkdrgn.info/personal/nopatch.jpg

with silicon patch
http://www.blkdrgn.info/personal/patch.jpg

Damn, does that actually seal it or just slow down the fluid?

so far, i havent noticed any drop in fluid levels, but its only been a day since i adjusted it and topped it off to the hot max line. i had to tighten it yesterday as it loosened a tad after running hot for a bit. i will update again tomorrow if anything changes.

for anyone wondering, the second hose clampp is on just tight enough to hold back the foam so i can monitor it. and the purple silicon is what my sister in law uses to make silicon molds for her art stuff. its about 1/4 in thick, i will probably change it to something else, but this was just a quick test to see if patching is a viable solution.

Looks like a purple bubble gum to me... haha. Hopefully it works!

bad news... i guess the line got too hot and shifted the silicon piece, it shifted and then split.. the little slit is now about 6 times bigger and a new slit opened up tonight a few inches over. its very tiny but shoots a BIG stream when the wheels are turned. topped off my res around 6pm, and it was dead empty at 8:30 when i started the car after shopping.

tried wrapping the spots with electrical tape ( all i had out on the road) and clamping it down with the hose clamps. didnt work.. thats also when i noticed the second hole.

wrapped the entire area, from the metal on the left side of the pics to a good 4 inches down the hose using almost the whole roll of tape. clamped just the ends to keep them from unwrapping. seems to be holding for now. i am trying to find a new preasure line. autozone carries a duralast line, but it it unknown if it is the right one til i go look at it tomorrow. $120 if its the right one.

this car is giving me so many friggin problems.

sid enote, new valve cover came in today, so maybe that will fix some of my other issues. not gonna help with my PS problem tho. anyone have any ideas on a quick fix type of solution for this? it only needs to last for about a week longer. then i can buy a new preasure line without worrying if my kids have enough diapers and milk.

:bonk:

Sorry to hear it didn't work though, that sounds like a b****, I was hoping it would hold out for you.

Quick fix? Take off the power steering belt and go without, if your hose is as bad as it sounds you don't want to damage anything else.

I agree but if you don't wanna remove anything try some JB weld quick or regular allow time to dry and see if that slows it down for a few days(worth a shot)*shrugs*

There's some kind of serious design flaw in these high-pressure lines.

Better to just cut your losses and get a new hose. If one, small split has turned into two, I can only imagine things getting worse in the days to come.

i have the entire effected area heavily wrapped in electrical tape, in many layers, with the ends held down with hose clamps. i lost a whopping 1/8 inch ( measured on the res) of fluid in the last 2 days.

good news is that i can hold out til friday when i can buy a new one.

new pressure line installed.. PITA installing, breeze removing the old one. no leaks from any of the connections.

new problem. the sensor that is on the far left side of my pic with the purple patch is now broken. i could not for the life of me get the damn thing off. in trying to do so, it just simple snapped off. i put a 12mm 1.50 threaded bolt in its spot on the already installed new hose. problem is that now my baby whines every time i turn the wheel. is that caused by not having the sensor there? or is there maybe still some air trapped in the system?

edit to my problem. its the power steering pressure switch that broke, its not a sensor. so i think i better get myself a new one.

if that doesnt fix the whine and your reservoir is at the proper level it could be the new hose, if its an aftermarket one. I have read threads on here of guys complaining about that whine and it ended up being the aftermarket hose.

im thinking it might also be because i do not currently have the pressure switch installed. ordered one from rock auto, because the old one broke while attempting to remove it from the old hose. i think i might try to bleed out the lines again, just to be sure it isn't some air in there somewhere.

will update again after the new switch comes in.

So, did you replace the high pressure line? This is something that is a must and cannot be "patched". It is a serious pain to reinstall. You have to do almost everything by feel from underneath the car. The hard part is the belt adjustment tensioner on the pump. Take your time and do it right the first time and everything will work out fine.

Okay...I must have skipped a couple posts....I see you got the line installed. It sounds like you have some air in the system. Pump shouldn't be whining. Turn the wheel lock to lock at idle a few times and see if that helps get the bubbles out.

Damn I am going through the same problem now my power steering pressure switch was a big PITA to remove so I ended up breaking it as well. Tomorrow or Tues. I'm getting a new one from my mechanic, right now i have a damn bolt in that hole. I heard the whining comes from the aftermarket hoses and the fact that there maybe still air in the power steering system, I too get the whine from time to time.

The general consensus as to the cause of the whinging in the aftermarket is not air in the line but a slightly narrower internal diameter which may slightly impede the flow of fluid.

Certainly enough people have used the aftermarket and bled the system per the same instructions everyone uses that if it was air in the line at least a few aftermarkets might have worked properly.

i just did this job 2 days ago, how are you guys trying to remove the sensor???

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...hose-pics.html

just remove your powersterring trust me its not that bad

??????????:eek:

squeal
 

I used the powercraft from advance and generic ps fluid. Squeal is horrible. Unless im highway cruising, i cant get it too stop. Initally for first 3 days post the repair i was golden and heard the slight hum that folks have been mentioning for these aftermarket hoses. But the squealing came back since that time I've been trying to bleed turning the wheel etc but the noise i cant stop. The fluid level is fine. Any better suggestions?

^sounds like you got power steering fluid on the belt and it ate up the rubber. Get a new belt and tension it good and you should be fine.

O.P.- I admire your efforts to make do with the issue. When it comes to maintenance items, prolonging the inevitable only creates more issues. I'm glad you got her fixed. I purchased my car a year ago where the previous owner tried super glue and clamps on the upper end of the hose. Before I got it home it blew off when I locked the steering over turning it around. Power steering fluid was everywhere not to mention having no power steering. I was HOT! They covered half the cost of a new hose and I swapped it. But the fluid ate up the bushings in the lower control arm. So now the front has all new suspension components. Yesterday I noticed the passenger axle let the grease out right under that pwr steering hose. So I will have to repair that soon. Anyways, these hoses cause big issues.

fixed
 

So apparently it was complete coincidence. Tension-er pulley got loose because I changed the high pressure steering line a week earlier???? Belt was great, slipped back on, and tightened everything back up . Thank god it was easy, but I sure was assuming related. And back to quite as a mouse with the Advanced Brand hose and generic Fluid, which works for me, especially considering the age of the car.

Just replaced the high pressure hose my self on my 2000 Maxima with 157k miles on it. "TWICE" within two weeks. :mad:Do yourself a favor and don't use the Edelman cheap replacement hose. It's terrible. The whining noise from that hose was soo annoying, that after a week, I went and bought the OEM hose and took off the Edelman. I think their are other aftermarket hoses other then Edelman but they all look like the same cheap foreign stamped out garbage. I highly recommend to just spend the money on the OEM hose. No noise now what so ever. Not gonna lie though, the job is a little bit of a pain in the ***, but can be done with basic knowledge and basic hand tools. Getting the banjo bolt back in takes some patience, and full disclosure, I didn't attach the back bracket at the back of the motor. I just zip tied it back towards the firewall. Will be fine like that. Also, the flare nut at the top, did not untighten, or tighten very smoothly. Almost felt cross threaded, but it wasn't. Doesn't leak at all, and is perfectly quiet. Would also like to thank this site for giving me the info so I was able to do this job myself.