Power steering cross feed rack lines/fittings?

So the other day my 2nd gen was leaking PS fluid, after some investigation I found a leak in one of the cross feed lines (the lines that run across the PS rack, not the high pressure feed line or return) due to rust. Because the rack works great I'd hate to have to replace the whole rack (that's what the dealer told me my only option was because the lines aren't sold separate from the rack). So I'm wondering if anyone else has had this issue and if they have any advice? Attached is the picture of the bad line and pictures of the fittings used to attach the line.

 

Local Hydraulic shop might be able to match the fittings

Haunt local yards or ask on forums for what you need .

Keep it clean hydraulics and dirt are not a good mix.

 

Yeah I found a flaring kit that I can make those flare ends with. I also found some adapters that convert it to braided line but with a 1000 psi max I'm afraid the pressure of the fluid would burst it. Not sure if the cross feed line sees the same pressure the pump output makes but 1000 psi rated line would be way too weak.

 

Rust be dammed! Thats bad and ugly!

 

Well it doesn't look pretty but it doesn't leak anymore! After I let fluid cycle through the system for a few minutes to get all the air out, the rack quieted down and felt like normal again. I ended up using a chuck of copper-nickel 5/16 brake line and flared the ends using a mechanic friend's fancy hydraulic flaring tool. After a few days of calling around I also got some fittings that were the same thread pattern as the old ones just slightly longer! (I apologize for not having pictures). The worst part was getting the line bent properly given the little space I had to work in under there, along with threading the fittings in without cross-threading. After a couple prayers and some cussing they ended up going in and held fluid! Saved over $350 replacing just the line rather than the whole rack.

 

Glad it is working for now!!

Where does that poor Truck live ??

Your going to have some work ahead of you.

 

It was a New England truck and now its a Michigan truck! And yeah for sure. Luckily the frame recall was done a year before I bought it (two years ago) so it's pretty clean besides high road grime areas. Obviously the PS rack is not protected well.

 

I currently have the same issue. Do you recall any information on the flaring tool that was used or what the thread type/size ?

 

The flare is a type of o-ring flare, I was lucky enough to know a guy that had a master flaring toolkit who had experience with hydraulics. As for the fitting size I believe it was an M12 x 1.25mm brake line fitting. Honestly if I had to do it again I would cut off the line at the fitting (keeping the flare from the old line), clean it up and weld a standard hydraulic line fitting to it. That way you don't have to deal with finding a way to flare some brake line and fight it in that tight space. The flexibility of hydraulic line would make it exponentially easier to install which honestly was the worst part of my fix. It probably took me at least an hour to get the fitting to thread in the backside of the rack due to how tight of a space you're working in. It's a janky fix but it works and is a hell of a lot better than buying a new rack for the price.

 

Looks like your other PS lines are about to completely rust through

 

I has taken me about a total of 2 hours just to remove the existing line that was rusted through, the fittings were seized in pretty bad; thank god for propane and profanity. My truck is an 07' and I'm up in Ontario, the amount of rust these trucks are susceptible to really puts a damper on the reliability they are known for. I'll look into those fittings you mentioned and call a few shops. I'll probably keep my progress posted on here as well seeing as this thread seems to be the only one that is centered around this particular issue. Maybe the next guy will have an easier time.

Thanks a lot for your help so far eh.