Joined: Mon Oct 10 2005, 10:45PM
Location: Lansing MI
Posts: 513
I had thought it was leaking fluid where the return hose comes out of the steering box, but upon taking a closer look, it seems to be coming out lower, possibly between the return hose fitting and the rest of the steering box?
Is it safe to remove that fitting, or will springs and such come flying out?
Has anyone experienced anything like this, are there gaskets that are easily replaced?
Joined: Sat Dec 10 2005, 04:28PM
Location: United States
Posts: 4954
Dan
I am not quite sure where the leak is but I can tell you
The return line nipple is threaded. The housing it is on is held on with 2- 1/4 bolts. There are two o-rings on that housing that are prown to leaking, especially after 40 years.
It is safe to remove that sub-assembly. It wouldn't hurt to change those o-rings. When you replace the piece, it has to be centered. if it is out of center it will kick the wheels one way or another when you start the car. Under that assembly is the "kick valve" whech pushes the boot pressure one way or the other for left and right. By the way, keep your hands away from the steering wheel when you test it. It will hurt!
Simply jack up the wheels after you install the assembly and tighten it. You'll know what I mean when I say feel it into center before hand. Start tha car and see if the wheels turn left or right on their own. If they do, even creep alittle, you'll need to readjust it. You could do it running, but it could get messy.
That's about the only place, other than the hose itself, where ti could leak on the top.
Also, BTE, the high pressure line flare fitting does have an o-ring on it also. Can't hurt
Joined: Mon Oct 10 2005, 10:45PM
Location: Lansing MI
Posts: 513
Good to know about the o-rings. Thanks.
I'm not sure (and still haven't had a chance to dig the books out) but it looks like there is a housing on the top of the steering box that the pressure line goes into, that is held on by two vertical bolts. Then the return hose nipple is held onto the front of that by two horizontal bolts.
Joined: Fri Oct 07 2005, 12:03PM
Location: Central Ky.
Posts: 1575
The housing on top is the one Steve is referring to that has the valve in it. The High-pressure side.
The low-pressure side ( the one you were referring to ) has no valve so you don't have to worry about that.
Might just check the bolts & see if they're loose first. If not then the O-ring could be the culprit like Steve said. Return hose could be bad too. If needed make sure to get "Return hose" not 3/8 fuel line like I've seen before. It's a thick-walled hose in 11/32 size just for P/S systems.
Last box of Return hose I got was enough to do 3 cars from NAPA.
Joined: Wed Jun 06 2007, 04:17PM
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 211
I think I had a similar leak (from your description of the location). When I took the top thing off, there were no gaskets nor O rings in there at all, which would be a clear reason for there being a leak. I bought a couple O rings, (and a new hose for good measure) and reinstalled it all, but it still leaked just as bad. In the end, I made up a gasket from some NAPA make-your-own-gasket stuff and reinstalled it all. That was about 8 months ago, and I've not had a leak since, and it's worked perfectly. Maybe mine had somehow become out of shape and the gasket levelled it all out?
Anyway, if it is the same housing part on top of the pump, there was nothing that pinged out when I took it off!
Joined: Mon Oct 10 2005, 10:45PM
Location: Lansing MI
Posts: 513
Thanks for all the tips. It took two sessions, but I think I've got this one fixed.
Took all the O-rings to the hardware store and got replacements. The small ones were perfect, but the replacements for the two larger ones seemed a tiny bit thicker.
With the new rings in, the leak from the return hose housing seemed a little better, but now had fluid coming out under the valve housing.
Put the original large O-ring back under the valve housing, and that leak went away.
By the time I got the valve body centered again, the exhaust was too hot to mess with the return fitting any more that day.
Checking it later, it seemed that the inside bolt might be a little loose, so I tightened it until the head snapped off.
Removed the whole assembly again, and removed the return hose fitting. Fortunately the broken bolt stub came out very easily. (not much rust on the steering box, that's been leaking for 5 years. ) Put the original large O-ring back onto that one as well, and put a little of the blue gasket in a tube stuff (permatex?) around the edge of the return fitting.
Joined: Sat Dec 10 2005, 04:28PM
Location: United States
Posts: 4954
I'm tryin to envision what you did as a solution. . . The thicker O-rings should have been fine as long as they had the room to swell in the groove. As I recall, the grooves were pretty big on them, but it's been a while.
Joined: Mon Oct 10 2005, 10:45PM
Location: Lansing MI
Posts: 513
I'm not really sure, but I suspect that the thicker large O-rings were keeping the metal parts from tightening enough to seal the thinner small O-rings.