Steering problems....

[elwesso]

LOL! Squee just wants to see the smoke screen behind Chad's Q.. Doesnt care about any damage done or the safety of other vehicles, just the smoke screen!

(eml smke vid thks)

[Chad91Q45]

Squee, if I continue to lose any fluid, yes, i will replace the hose(s) this weekend. But if it stabalizes and I dont lose any more... I dont really see the need. Do you disagree with me on that?

[maxnix]

No mention of condition of fluid.

Big hint, leave the turkey basters for Thanksgiving. Get a true flush by finding a Sun machine and hooking up the hoses after they are reapired (soon, hopefully).

[psychic_mechanic]

A low PS fluid level will cause the HICAS light to come on.

It sounds like there is a leak somewhere that you may have sealed with the stop leak gunk. I'd keep a real close eye on the level and the way it drives from now on. A PS flush is probably a good idea too.

[squeefoo]

Yes I disagree. Don't rely on the stop leak, all it does is swell the various rubbers.....for a time. The molecule chains in the fresh fluid are less likely to "fit" into the "leaks" in the system, which is now 13 - 14 years old. The fluid is broken down now -the molecules have been "chopped" allowing loose oxygen to attach to the ends and then dirt to those OX molecules in turn. = Oxydized fluid = dark fluid. That hose which was leaking first really needs to be fixed, if your friend can do it for $10.00 or even $20.00, go to Walmart and put in some generic DEX III (it's cheap and functionally equivalent); not PS fluid (too thick), that hose might suddenly fail (I personally hate having stuff go bad after a patch job since it is now that time plus whatever I wasted doing it half-*** in the first place), might as well fix it right - right away. But it's your car and your time, (not trying to sound like a jerk here but IS true), I'm just trying to help.

[squeefoo]

Big hint, leave the turkey basters for Thanksgiving.

Or artificial insemination.

[elwesso]

I am interested in hearing how this turns out as well... the Q i went and looked at today had the same sort of issue, except the PS doesnt really work that well.. Pump groans but fluid is full.....

[Chad91Q45]

I will go ahead and pull the hoses and replace them this weekend. What you said made a lot of sense. Even though it is possible that it was air, it is certainly not worth the risk.

I will also pull off the resevoir (since that is on top) and check the seals on that.

So not a big project by any means, but an important one!

[squeefoo]

When you have the hoses done mark the orientation (of the fitting to the hose) so they are "clocked" properly to each other there's a little give but not a lot! Cool ! Peace of mind is soon to yours (at least car wise ) Drop a magnet in (the little basket) just to be sure.

[Chad91Q45]

alright. Will do. I will post an update on friday or saturday.

[squeefoo]

Good luck. Thanks for letting me help.

[Chad91Q45]

Ok, going to be doing the repair today (hopefully) but I have a few last questions.

1) Do I only need to replace the hose coming directly off the resevoir, or are there other places that have hoses I may need to replace. Without having taken the res and hose out, I am having a hard time following the flow of the fluid.

2) Assuming there are more hoses I may need to replace, should I indiscriminantly replace them all, or is there a fast and safe way to test them (like stop one end and run air through the other or something along those lines)

3) I am assuming the HICAS has fluid going back to the rear wheels or am I completely wrong on this? If it does, are there any hoses under the car I may need to mess with?

Thanks a bunch and I will leave an update either tonight or tomorrow.

[elwesso]

1. I woudl only replace the hoses that are leaking (duh)... The main ones I think that fail are the high pressure hoses... The low pressure hoses (the ones to and from the res) are the cheaper ones and might be your problem. You should be able to determine the hose thats leaking when under the car (read: eye full of ATF)

2. Id replace all the ones that look suspect. If you start replacing high pressure hoses that will rack up the dollars very quickly.....

3. Im not sure but I will check... if it goes under the car im sure they are metal lines and not rubber hoses, until they get to the rear of the car.....

[Chad91Q45]

Well, I just got done working on it (i think) and it was really rather simple.

I took off the air filter box, and looking down, the clamp on the large hose was down about 3 inches where it bends, and the top of the hose was slid down just a hair so it wasnt flush on the exit point of the resevoir. So apparently, someone had worked on it before, and hadnt tightened the clamp so it slid down and the hose slowly worked to where there was a hairline opening when it would flex for whatever reason, and tiny amounts would flow down the large hose and then drop on the header causing smoke.

So i took the hose off, got it replaced for a whopping $12, emptied the PS fluid, put it all back together, got a new screw clamp, tightened it up, put everything back together, filled resevoir and let it run for 1 1/2 hours. At first a bit of a smell, but I expected that from the bits of fluid that I was spilling around a little from disconnecting and refilling the fluid.

At end of 1 1/2 hours, no smell, no smoke, no problems. Just about easiest fix I have ever done on any vehicle.

[maxnix]

Great! Did you use ATF (preferably M1)? There is a particular specification for the power steering fluid type.

[Jesda]

So this resolved the odd shaking problem too?

-Jesda

[Chad91Q45]

I used ATF fluid but not M1 (local schucks didnt have it)

Not sure on teh shaking problem. I just left it running but didnt actually drive and the shaking only occured at highway speeds. I will see if it solved that part later tonight.