As your car starts to age and you see all the parts are wearing out, you’ll face a lot of malfunction inside your car. It could happen if the power steering fluid levels are low.
The solution? Well, replacing the power steering pressure hose might help.
Now, it might seem a hard job for you. But it’s not a tough process as it looks. At least, not with my tips around. Well, guess what? I’m going to tell you how to replace power steering pressure hose easily.
So, fasten your seatbelts as your car will be good as new so that you can take it for a spin.
How to Replace Power Steering Pressure Hose Step by Step
Step 1. Firstly, raise your car and make it rest on the jack stands. You need to make sure you put all the jack stands on all the four corners.
Step 2. To get some extra space and make your repairing work easier, get rid of the wheels that are located near the joining point of the steering-rack assembly.
Step 3. Now, it’s time for you to drain the power steering fluid reservoir. Do you see the return hoses and the supply? You need to disconnect them.
Basically, fragile nipples come with plastic reservoir tanks. After you’ve loosened the hose clamps, it’s time for you to pull the hose out.
Make sure you give a twisting motion very gently as you pull the hose out. If you put extra force, you might end up breaking the hose.
You can also pry it out by using a right-angled pick.
Don’t be surprised if the fluids drip out from the tank and the hoses. It’s quite normal. So, you need to put a wide basin under the area so that you can catch the fluid.
Step 4. You’ll need to lose the joint fitting nuts that are located on both the ends of the hose. Yes, they could be very tight, but now that you have the extra room as you’ve removed the tire, it will be easy for you to do the job.
For unyielding grip, you can use flare nut wrenches as they are very handy.
To keep the clamp in its place, longer hoses usually have them in the middle bolted to an anchor point.
When it comes to another hose, they’ll have support clamps near the fitting angle. It will help in reinforce or prop up the coupling.
To remove the hose, you’ll have to unscrew them. Make sure you keep notes inside your head that how the hose is bolted on and routed.
Step 5. It’s time for you to compare your new hose to the old one. You have to find an exact match, though. Especially when it’s about the size and type of the angle of the fittings and hydraulic threads.
You may need to lubricate the new O-rings lightly by using the power-steering fluid.
Step 6. Here comes an important step. You have to align the fittings in such a way that they stay with no excessive torsion or changes in angle.
Make sure the threaded connections are not too tight. The O-rings will make sure that there is enough seal.
Keep in mind that for a tighter seal, you’ll need higher pressure.
Step 7. Now, it’s time to install the new hose. After re-installing the reservoir tank, you’ll need to fill it up with the type of power-steer fluid that is recommended for you to use.
You can also use an automatic transmission fluid (ATF) as an alternative. Recapping the tank is the next step you should go for.
Make sure you’ve tightened all the threaded fitting. Don’t forget the hose clamp, screw and bolt as you’ll need to tighten them as well.
Start your car after you’ve removed all the tools in the engine compartment.
Let it stay idle. However, you can turn the steering wheel lock to lock, and you can do this several times if you think that everything is in good order.
Don’t panic if you hear any groaning or wailing noises as they will gradually fade away.
Step 8. After everything’s done, you’ll have to make sure the engine is turned off. Now, it’s time for you to check the reservoir tank.
Make sure you top it up to the maximum level. You’ll hear a lot of noise, so you’ll have to restart and then turn the wheel, and you’ll need to repeat it a few times. Keep repeating until the noises are gone and the reservoir is refilled.
Make sure you don’t overfill the reservoir and don’t forget to give a final check for leaks.
Finally, you can mount your tires again back to its previous position and tighten the lug nuts. Remove the jack stands as it’s time to take your car to spin.