HELP!! High Pressure Hose on Power Steering

[jrandallc]

I tried to change the power steering high pressure hose on my '95 Rodeo today, and it kicked my butt. I could not figure out how to loosen the lower connection. After an hour or so of frustration, I had to give up because it got dark. This is where I'm at. I figured out I can access the bottom connection easier by removing the front passenger tire. My 19mm open-ended wrench seemed to be too small, though. That was the largest that I had, so I'm heading to the store to get a set with a larger open-ended wrench. But a larger measure wrench equals a longer handle, and that makes it harder to manuever in the small spaces. There seems to be a long opening going from the bottom connection toward the cab that would be good for a long wrench, but it's still tight quarters.

Could someone please give some specific instructions on the best way to get the bottom connection off and back on? What size wrench do I need for the bottom? I'm going to tackle this again on Thursday evening, so any help by then would be greatly appreciated.

[Ramblin Fever]

Unfortunately, not many of us here own the 2.6L 4-cylinder engine; hopefully someone can chime in and assist. I'm at a loss with that engine, sorry.

[trooperbc]

the nut you are probably trying to remove is probably not a 'nut' at all, and **isn't removable**. if i'm following what you are trying to do, you need to approach it differently. i did this on my 1992 trooper, but i think this is the same. it's hard to describe...

i think i remember a pretty good write-up with photos over at
www.planetisuzoo.com

i'll go look and post back if i find it

mainly now -- stop tearing that thing up!


//bc

[trooperbc]

try this. although it was written for '92-'96 troopers i suspect it will help you
PS Hose Replacement - 2003, Jul 15
How to replace the Pressure hose on a '92-'96 Isuzu Trooper
http://www.planetisuzoo.com/articles...se_Replacement

let us know if that helps. my guess is your frustration level will at least go down. . .


//bc

[jrandallc]

OK, I've got the power steering hose replaced and all seems well. Here's an account of my trial. Maybe it will help someone else out in the future. I ended up going through the wheel well. Seemed easier than disassembling things top-side. First, I disconnected the hose from the pump. Then I pulled the wheel off and pulled back the mud flap. This gives pretty good access to the bottom of the hose.

There are three "nuts" that are involved here. I put "nuts" in quote because only one is really a nut, but the other two look like a nut. The top "nut" is the one above the threads on the hose. The middle one is the true nut which secures the hose to the mounting plate, and the bottom "nut" is where the threads on the hose thread into the tube that continues the high pressure line. Still with me?

First I loosened the middle nut. According to my crescent wrench, it looks to be 22mm. With this loose (but not off), I coud pull the hose up and reveal more of the "nut" just above the threads. Then I started loosening the hose's nut with a 19mm open-ended wrench. I had to use the crescent wrench to hold the bottom "nut" in place, which is attached to the tube. This was tedious because when I would turn the hose, the tube on the other end of the hose would turn and catch up top. I realized later that I should have just loosened the bottom nut instead of turning the hose. I thought this was fixed to the tube and wasn't supposed to turn but once it was all apart, I had a better perspective.

With the old hose off, I cursed it several times and then started putting the new hose on. I put the threads throught the mounting plate, then hand-threaded the washer and nut onto the hose to hold it in place. I didn't tighten it all the way, but threaded it about 3/4 way up to expose enough thread to connect to the bottom. Getting the bottom thread to connect to the hose was a bit tedious, but that was probably just my clumsy fingers. Once everything was together, I started tightening it. I tightened the middle nut, then fully tightened the lower piece. According to my crescent, this was about 24mm.

I've done this job on a '93 Cherokee, and it was a snap. On my '95 Rodeo 4cyl, it's one of those jobs where you've got to know the details. Hopefully this information will help someone out, and I'm sure it has exposed my amateur level of experience.

Here's a quck run-down of this procedure from my experience. I'm sure it's not the best way, but it worked for me.
1. Disconnect hose from pump
2. Remove front passenger wheel and pull back mud flap
3. Loosen middle nut which secures hose to mounting plate. I used a crescent wrench, but it is probably 22mm.
4. Loosen bottom nut, which is a female thread connected to tube.
5. Pull out old hose and finish removing mounting nut and washer.
6. Put new hose through hole on mounting plate
7. Thread washer and nut about 3/4 way up
8. Thread connection on tube onto the thread on the hose.
9. Tighten mounting nut and bottom connection
10. Attach top end of hose to pump