ok this is on my neighbors truck that i'm helping with. so i changed the power steering pressure line and now i have intermittent power steering. it looks like i have air in it but i have done the bleed so many times i'm wearing out the system. the system worked fine before i change the line.

anyway is it necessary to change out the seals in the rack where the lines go when removing them and replacing the lines? it sure felt like they had some resistance so i did not take out the olds seals and they did not come out with the old lines nor did i get one with the new lines.

i see the new seals are blocked and when lines are installed the lines break that seal. the new lines did not come with those seals so i reused the old seals. but now i can't get the power steering to be solid, it comes and goes.

i did a flush with the engine off and put fresh fluid in the tank and ran the old out into a pan. but i never could get the air out it had air in the clear line for 4 quarts of oil it seems to me 1 qt should have removed the air. and i took my time turning the wheel. i read on the subaru forum that they have issues with the spring clams getting lose and allowing air into the tank. so i will put screw clamp on tonight. but should i have changed out those seals in the rack? or might i be able to put some o'rings on the lines and just push them up against the old seals? i have some real thin o'rings that could work. the local jobber does not show the gm seals on there website

so what i may try first is it to take the gasket off the cap and see if that creates a leak in one of the return lines to prove if i do have air entering one of those connections. it can't be the new pressure line at the rack or i would see a leak but the seal on the return line at the rack could be allowing air if the tank cap gasket seals enough to cause a vacuum in the tank and then air to enter form one of the return line clamps or that seal at the rack.

so anyone have this happen to them or maybe the pump shaft seal just went bad at the same time? i don't think the rack is bad as if i bleed it then it works. thanks bp.

 

well update. not much to say as he just seems to be saying it is ok. with what was going on i still think he has an issue but he is not interested in checking it out further so for now i will call it fixed. and when he lets me know i will not help any more. so let's call this repaired.

i took my s10 p/s cap apart and poked a hand vacuum pump into it and mine held a vacuum for over an hour at 30" of vacuum so that is what i wanted to test his the same way but he said it is ok so we will never know. thanks for all the help. bp

 

Hopefully it stays fixed.

 

ok another update. on the trailblazer power steering issue! as expected the power steering return line ruptured, and someone told me after i repaired the pressure line that i should have changed that line also, but i did not as the buddy did not have the cash ready. so last night i repaired the return line in a bit of a hurry so he could use the truck after hours, by cutting out the bad section and sliding hi pressure hose over the old line and clamping it. i have not yet done this on a power steering return line so i have no idea if it will stay there. has anyone done this and have it hold up? thanks



yep i know it should be fixed with the proper parts but i have no control over that he has to get it, i will install it. thanks bp.

 

When I patched my high pressure PS line, I used Gates 86049 PS hose which has a maximum working pressure of 1500 psi and a burst strength of 6000 psi. The repair failed, not because of the hose bursting, but because the pressure forced the steel line out of the hose despite 6 hose clamps holding it in place. Thankfully, I had AAA and they towed me home. I forget what the high side working pressure is (I want to say 400 psi), but the low side is only a couple of psi.

Gates 86049 hose would be overkill for the return line, so get a good quality hose that is rated for transmission fluid and has a 50 psi working pressure and you should be fine.

 

thanks the reason it pulled off was no bell on the end. but on mine fix i could not get the flare tool on the line to put a small flare on it. i have done the partial flares before and had great luck with none pulling off. but i could not get it on this one that is why i asked of anyone has done like you did only on the low side. also i figured there was only 40 or psi on the low side but i read they have upwards to 300 psi at lock. and you just know that one day you will be in that spot where you lock the wheels for a tight spot to park and bam off goes the hose.

so i talked him into just fixing it the correct way with the correct part next weekend. that way he will not have to worry about ifit will break. and i will wrap a hose around them to keep the rub down and also fasten them to the inner fender. thanks for that insight. if i could have got a partial flare on the lines then i would not be worrying about it at all as they would not slip off. i have down that on hydraulic machine lines also with great success. neve had one fail but the compression fitting i have have fail lots of times they just blew off in a pressure spike. thanks bp.

 

Sounds good.

Good Luck!

 

thanks