MAJOR power steering fluid leak!

[12beemer34]

First post guys & gals!

'95 Eddie Bauer...had a slow power steering drip (one or two drips overnight) for the last 2-3 months...no big deal. Then today we had a sudden heat wave (32 Celsius / 89 Fahrenheit...43C / 109F with the humidity) and something near the PS cooler let go. It's just pouring out when the engine is idling now. The lines appear to be original because their a bit rusty.

Question: What's involved to replace the lines? Anybody know of any kits with the lines pre-bent etc.?

Also, can I just do away with the PS cooler? It's about ready to give up too. Can I just bypass it with a piece of tubing?

Thanks,

Sasha

 

[96eb96]

First post guys & gals!

'95 Eddie Bauer...had a slow power steering drip (one or two drips overnight) for the last 2-3 months...no big deal. Then today we had a sudden heat wave (32 Celsius / 89 Fahrenheit...43C / 109F with the humidity) and something near the PS cooler let go. It's just pouring out when the engine is idling now. The lines appear to be original because their a bit rusty.

Question: What's involved to replace the lines? Anybody know of any kits with the lines pre-bent etc.?

Also, can I just do away with the PS cooler? It's about ready to give up too. Can I just bypass it with a piece of tubing?

Thanks,

Sasha

Welcome friends up north!

You need a flare wrench and patience to get to the lines. I had luck cutting off the tube and using a socket on some of them. All lines can be serviced, you can find them at dealers or parts stores. Do not remove the PS cooler.

Is your leak from the thin steel tubes on the rack? They are definately a dealer item and you can replace them. Under $10. I had a leak from there, it started with a few drops and ended up like you describe. Thought the rack had to be replaced but its fine now.

 

[dynamite196]

more than likely the pressure line burst, might not be a bad idea to replace both rubber lines for the peace of mind

 

[12beemer34]

Thanks for the help guys. It turned out to be the line that came out the bottom of the cooler. While I was trying to cut the line it simply fell out of the cooler...I think the rust was holding it in place! So, since the cooler was toast I bought some power steering high pressure hose and clamps and bypassed the cooler completely...so far so good. I may put an aftermarket cooler in it's place in the future, but for now I just need to get the truck back on the road.

While I was under there I noticed there was a fair bit of dripping coming from the transmission cooler lines that run just in front of the steering cooler...so I cut out and replaced a large section of the leaking line as well. I had enough hose (I bought 5') and clamps to replace the other trans cooler line as well, but I miss-cut a length of hose. So for now the metal line remains until I get more hose...as my father always said: "Three times cut off and it's still too short??!!"

Again, thanks for the help.

Cheers,

Sasha

 

[atlranger]

F the cooler.

Don't bother replacing the PS cooler, mine on the 2000 Explorer took a rock and cracked, bypassed it with a bent metal pipe It has been fine for 3 years now and I live in Atlanta!

 

[jmcr]

Don't bother replacing the PS cooler, mine on the 2000 Explorer took a rock and cracked, bypassed it with a bent metal pipe It has been fine for 3 years now and I live in Atlanta!

How's that fix held up since you posted?

The PS cooler on my '98 EB is also leaking. If I can get away with taking it out of the loop entirely and just splicing the two hoses together with a barb that would save a headache.

If the PS fluid gets too hot it kills the pump? What are the actual risks to removing the PS cooler?

 

[jmcr]

If its not a good idea to remove the cooler and just splice the line together, will either of these work?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Power-Steering-Oil-Cooler/_/N-j9tmjZ8oyp9

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__19230069-P_4709_R

Supposedly they should be fine as long as they have a 3/8 inlet diameter, but would one generic be better than the other, AZ's vs AAP's?