Power Steering Leak/Lines?

Howdy y'all.

I've got an '04 4x4 3.4L V6. I've had a power steering leak for the past month and I have only just now had the time to be able to get around to some repairs. I have to refill it every 1-3 days once it starts to whine.

I just took off my skid plates which are quite rusted (only had the truck for a year) which I plan to get replacements for at a local salvage yard sometime soon. Once I had done this I could see the leak was coming from the line in the attached photos. It seems pretty clear it is coming from just this one part and I believe it is just saturating the other line and part that it comes in contact with.

I am inexperienced with working on vehicles for the most part but I figure this should be an easy enough repair. However I am having trouble finding any walkthroughs and whatnot online or in the Haynes Repair Manual that I have for the vehicle. Are there any suggestions in how I should go about doing this?

More importantly, what part is this? I dont know how to identify the difference between the return hose and pressure hose.

Thanks for any help.

 

Other photos

 

Hello? Bump.

 

Hi,
I would dry off just where I thought the leak originates. In your case, one of the rack's lines. When it and the surrounding 2 inches are nice and dry I would start the engine, drive around the block, and then recheck where you cleaned so I could be sure that that's where the leak is.

Assuming it is one of the tubes, follow that tube as far as you can from underneath the truck and see if you can locate it by looking at the power steering pump. The illustration below shows you which pipe is which. (The one with the banjo fitting is the pressure hose.)

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If you determine the leak is coming from one of the pipes at the steering rack and is caused by stripped threads in the rack. then it's time for a new or rebuilt rack. If it appears that the threads on the pipe are stripped, then you're in for a new pipe/hose line.

 

I discovered that it was the pressure feed tube. However now I am having a lot of trouble replacing it. I cant find any good literature on fixing this at all. All i ever find are people trying to replace steering racks and whatnot with lifts. But nothing on these bloody lines. I figured I might as well replace both lines while I am at it as they both seem to be in pretty bad shape. This job is really tough and I cant find any good help. I am about to have to just tow it in to the shop. Every time I go to do even a simple repair on this truck, its a challenge thanks to all the rust. I really want to tear my hair out.

Is there a trick to undoing that banjo fitting? It wont budge no matter what I try to do. Now I am trying to undo the line that is in the photos. Nothing seemed stripped, just corroded. I want to believe the steering rack is fine as it seems to be just the lines. I was able to disconnect the leaking end of the lines, however I am having trouble getting the other end undone. Again, too much rust. And not only that, the angles/positions for these are very difficult.

Where did you find that photo? I really just need some guidance and something to read/go by more than anything else. I am shocked at how little I can find. Between lack of any guidance, everything being rusted to shit, and being in bad angles, I am really at my wits end. Maybe I just have too short of a temper, or too little of experience, or both.

 

Op Where do you live Help could be close at hand ??

Line Wrenches /Flare Nut wrenches are pretty much a must to remove the lines on the rack

A Good penetrating spray of your choice will help

Rusty hardware 6 point sockets and wrenches to keep from rounding things off

 

Sometime it's just best to prepare yourself for a more expensive repair job then you think. Especially with all that rust, i wouldn't be surprised if something else breaks or the threads on the rack is any good.

 

I live in central Ohio, I have been using flare nut wrenches and I’ve been spraying it with PB a blaster since Thursday.

I know nobody likes expensive repairs. But I’m a broke college student with barely anything to my name :’) but I need my truck to get around and if I can’t figure this thing out then I’ll just have to take it in.

I’ve got a shop that’s about a mile from my house. Would I just be able to kill the power to the pump so she doesn’t go bad and drive there without power steering?

 

These are for 2003 model, but likely same or almost identical.

 

By the way, for part numbers, go to this website, at the top enter the VIN from your truck, and then scroll down to "Steering Gear and Link" section. You can get part numbers specific to your truck.

https://tinyurl.com/yycblwgk

 

Ok I've done this 15 times on my 02 so you are in luck. Go to the auto part store. In the back they will have high pressure lines with fittings. None of the fittings will work so you will have to cut your fittings off your old line and put them on your new line. Which means you will have to rent the flange kit and make a double flange on the side of the new line you cut. Thats the hardest part, getting the flange perfect so it won't leak. The auto parts store flange kit sucks so you may have to get your own. cheap fix though.

 

If you still can't get it, I've patched it from the outside too and it will hold up for a while that way also

 

Thank you for those diagrams. Right now I am having a hard time trying to get the turn pressure tubes off, right where they meet where the return and pressure feed lines meet (so the part that isnt in the steering rack). It also looks like I may need to buy those separately as they are not included in the parts I got from rock auto... Is that a more universal part that I might be able to buy from a store?

I am also having trouble getting to/unscrewing the ends of the pressure feed and return lines, right where they would meet the turn pressure tubes by the front driver side tire. My truck got that corrosion resistance frame treatment and I think a bunch of that crap is gunked up over there... The last issue I am having is with that banjo bolt that goes into the housing. Is there some sort of trick to getting that sucker off? Do i have to take off a belt and pulley just to unscrew the darn thing?

 

I feel for ya, it's not an easy job and there isn't much discussion on the web or this forum. I started the process of replacing my power steering lines because of rusty lines (thankfully not leaking yet), and I got frustrated pretty quickly. I did a bunch of searching on this forum, and so I still have a set of lines waiting to be installed.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are two sets of hard lines. One that go from the pump down towards the frame and then end behind the driver's side upper control arm. That assembly looks like this, and it's the one I intend to replace on my truck:



Then there are a second pair of lines that sit on the backside of the rack (the ones you are looking at). I wouldn't mess with the connections near the pump unless you have to. The backside hoses can be seen in the diagram on the partsouq website.




As someone who has fought a lot of rust on my truck the past six months, my suggestion is to get the Bernzomatic propane torch and an infrared thermometer. Spray it with your favorite penetrating oil, heat the line fitting, and try again with your flare wrench. A few cycles of heat / cool should help. You also might have an easier time with it by removing your sway bar temporarily.

 

Hey it should just be that turn pressure tube thats leaking at the connection. Don't mess with any of the other lines. If its stuck, pb blast, wait 20 min, tap it and spray again and let sit 20 min. Then use vise grips if needed.