Since I spent the first 12 years of my adult working life as an auto mechanic, keeping the family cars safe and running smoothly is one of my jobs. So, when my girlfriend's car developed a nasty leak, I felt it was my responsibility to save her some money and take care of it myself.
When I was working as a mechanic I always preferred the term automotive technician (even though it was a mouthful) because the car business has always had a shady and dishonest pallor about it. From car salesmen to grease monkeys, the automotive field has always had it’s share of stories about these folks trying to rip people off. I was proud to always conduct myself as an honest person who wanted to repair people’s cars to the best of my ability and to do it correctly.
Power Steering Pressure Line
Auto Incontinence
It was a long time ago that I put down my wrenches and picked up a computer keyboard as my primary means of earning a living, but I still have all of my tools and a decent garage to work in when the need arises. One of those times presented itself this past week when my girlfriend’s 2002 Saab 9-3 developed a leak in the power steering system. She drives almost 100 miles round trip to work each day and sometimes that’s all it would take to empty the power steering fluid from the car.
The puddle of fluid that accumulated under the car was positioned just under the radiator which suggested to me that there was possibly an oil cooler for the system that might be leaking. Researching this condition on the Internet revealed that these cars route the high pressure line from the pump on the front passenger side of the engine, down and across the front of the car under the radiator, and then back along the driver’s side of the engine compartment to the steering rack.
Positioning the line under the radiator exposes it to the rush of relatively cool air flowing through the radiator which also helps cool the power steering fluid. Unfortunately, it also exposes it to all of the water, dirt, leaves and, in the Northeast, road salt that is flung under the car during normal driving. These conditions cause corrosion of the metal tubing which eventually results in a leak.
Challenges
So, after ordering a new replacement pressure line, I started work removing the old one. This proved to be the most involved work I had ever done on this particular car. I needed to remove the headlights, turn signal lights, grill and front bumper. I then needed to remove the intercooler for the turbocharger which is positioned right above the power steering line and was blocking access to removing the line. One band clamp for the intercooler was completely rusted tight so I needed to use a Dremel tool to carefully cut the band, releasing the clamp.
The next challenge was loosening the fitting on the driver’s side of the pressure line, where it connects to a second pressure line which runs to the steering rack. This fitting was also very rusted and in a difficult location to get any leverage with wrenches. I decided to cut the tubing just below the fitting since that part was being replaced, and I was able to gently reposition the line up to the top of the radiator support where I had much better access.
Even though I now that had much better leverage, the fitting would not budge and I was afraid the wrenches would strip the corners off the fitting which would make this challenge much more difficult. I decided to break out my old friend, the flame wrench. Applying a careful amount of heat to the joint finally allowed the connection to loosen and I was able to disconnect it. But, would the rubber O-ring that seals the joint survive the heat? Upon close inspection of the cooled and cleaned fitting, the O-ring looked undamaged.
Success!
With the hard parts of the project now behind me, the relatively straightforward task of reassembly was completed without unexpected events. Before reassembling the front bumper and lighting, I filled the power steering reservoir and started the engine. I turned the steering wheel back and forth several times to work the air out of the system and then checked the fittings for leaks. I was very happy to find there were none! Checking for leaks now would allow access to the fittings in case I needed to snug them a little tighter. They are not accessible after the front end is reassembled.
This job was quite involved in the amount of parts that needed to be removed to gain access to the pressure line, but it was not too difficult, except for the fact that I needed to do it in the middle of a New England heat wave of mid-nineties temperatures and high humidity. When working on cars, don’t be afraid to remove parts that are in the way instead of resorting to other more risky or dangerous tactics.