It looks like I will have to replace the power steering suction hose (the large one that runs from the reservoir down to the pump) on the Maxima, and I have a, hopefully, simple question...

Will refilling the fluid be as simple as pouring it back into the reservoir until it fills back to the appropriate level? Or, is there some involved fill, bleed, fill, bleed, etc. procedure involved?

 

with the front wheels lifted off the ground, start filling the resevoir. as you fill it have someone go back and fourth, lock to lock, with the steering wheel. dont crank the car until you appear to be pretty close to full. then start the car and continue to do this until u dont see anymore bubbles. starting the car early creates more bubbles and adds a few hrs to this procedure

 

Many thanks!

Hours?
How long should this refill procedure take?

 

not long at all as long as the motor isnt started

 

Many thanks, again!

 

I just had to do this myself today. 2 weeks ago I had my steering rack and high pressure hose replaced. Today I replaced the suction hose because it decided to leak. I bought some universal hose from the autoparts store and wrapped it with heat shield wrap. Going that route was less than half the price. Good thing this was an easy job.

 

Thorzdad, Your car has 396,000 miles on it, holy crap.. Saw it in your sig.

 

Yeah. I need to update that. It's now at 399k and change.

 

So, how much fluid will I need to replace when I change the hose?

 

is there a thread on this specific hose replacement? All i see is threads about the high pressure hose.

 

Not that I've seen.
The replacement of this particular hose is pretty straight-forward, so long as you can get your car up on stands and work in a very tight space (the lower end of the hose where it connects to the pump.)

 

i doubt it....i have big hands lol. Since its leaking from the top of the hose near the reservoir, i think ill try a new clamp first. Its a very slow leak but i still have to top off every few weeks and its annoying.

 

My hose seemed to simply be seeping fluid all over. Like the material had become saturated through.

 

fortunately mine is not that bad. i just dont want to have to replace hoses if i dont have to

 

It will get to the point that it gushes all over the place. You will need to replace it eventually. It's not that hard to replace! Takes about 1.5 hours to do. Trust me that clamping it will just make the crack spread and worse, it could burst and then youll be faced with replacing the pump too or worse, a fire. Everyone has an opinion, I know, but you will need to replace this.