Power Steering Hose Removal.

[Tacuvito]

Ok, I have a 95 Sl with manual transmission and AC. 144K miles. I am trying to replace the power steering pump. I had no problem removing the three bolts that hold the pump to the engine, and the low pressure hose that goes connected to the steering gear. My problem is the pressure line. I can't get this hose loose. My question is, To undue the pressure line from the steering gear, I need to turn it clockwise?? I need to know this before I finsh running the shoulders of the tip that goes to the steering gear. All and any help will be greatly appreciated.



thank you.

[Tacuvito]

oops, I meant to say the pressure line and the return line. The return line I had no problem disconnecting. The pressure line is the one that I could not disconnect from the steering gear. I am trying to replace all this system. The pump, reservoir and hoses.

[sierrap615]

you need to use a line wrench(16 or 18MM?) also call a flare nut wrench, it has six sides but is still open. same as any other nut left-loose/right-tight but remember it is upside down so it opposite. myself i had to reach the nut by going thru the pulley

[Tacuvito]

ok, I have taken the hose off, but I am not done yet. However I am still proud of the victory of this first battle. Here is how I was able to do it.

Instead of following the advise of the Haines book and attack this part from under the car, I did it from the top. With the help of my "compadre" we removed the duct work from the air box to the throttle body. We allso took out the battery and disconnected the clutch cable. By doing this we made some space to maneuver. With a hack saw we cut the hose from the tip. Leaving the tip of the hose connected to the steering gear. With the help of a mallet we hammered an 18mm socket to the badly worn tip. We then connected a braker bar to the socket and it took the both of us to turn the tip. I guess who ever installed the last hose did not use any antilocking material.

Hope no-one has to go through all this trouble, but if you are in this same pickle, this can help some one if they ever have a stubborn power steering hose and have no idea how to work in such a tight space. I will post again once I have finished the work.

[Tacuvito]

Ok, I fought the pump, and I won!! here is a little tip for any one out there trying to tackle this project, and save some time. My car has a pressure fitting that is also used in vehicles that have variable steering. I didn't know what it was, and there is a passage in the Haines book about this, but it is not very specific(plus, I work better with pictures but no luck for this project.). I had to take a trip to the Saturn dealership and one of their mechanics ( I refuse to call them technicians!) told me what this piece was used for. Now I know and so do you, if ever in doubt.

Another thing to remember, there is a clearance issue with the pressure fitting tip and the bottom mounting bolt. to fix this I needed to turn the tip just slightly under the pump pulley and this fixed my problem. I used two huge nails that I stole from my dad, and used them as guided as I was screwing the mounting bolts. It really made the job much easier.

Lastly one more thing. Once I replaced the pump topped it with new fluid, put belt back on and turned on the car, the pump started to make a horrible noise. It is normal! the pump is just getting "broken in" to its duties. after 10 minutes the noise went away and has not made that noise again. The steering is smooth. Hope this helps someone in the future.