Power Steering Fluid Leak

[lacroupade]

Typical - all my tools are in bloody Wales and the power steering pipework has sprung a leak and is pi55ing fluid out....well not quite that bad but its a very noticeable leak.

Having cleaned it all off and driven a couple of miles, it looks to be coming from behind one of those notorious retaining clips so I guess I need to cut the section out.

But got a couple of questions:

1. Whats with this ridiculous loop of pipework....? It drops down from the reservoir then runs down and across the front of the car underneath the rad, into a 4" u-bend of rubber pipe, then back on itself to the other side of the car again and into what I assume is the PS pump. Does it serve any useful purpose, or was it just there for some missing r/h drive thingy, so can I just cut both lengths short and join them closer to the reservoir somewhere?

2. I am assuming that its just a case of refitting (or replacing) the section of rubber pipe a bit nearer the reservoir....anyone know different?

3. Anyone know the i/d of the rubber pipe? looks to be about 6mm but got nowt to measure it with! :doh

Looks like its down to the motor factors tomorrow for a length of rubber pipe, couple of jubilee clips, oh and a junior hacksaw!!! :thumbs

 

[DEE]

Typical - all my tools are in bloody Wales and the power steering pipework has sprung a leak and is pi55ing fluid out....well not quite that bad but its a very noticeable leak.

Having cleaned it all off and driven a couple of miles, it looks to be coming from behind one of those notorious retaining clips so I guess I need to cut the section out.

But got a couple of questions:

1. Whats with this ridiculous loop of pipework....? It drops down from the reservoir then runs down and across the front of the car underneath the rad, into a 4" u-bend of rubber pipe, then back on itself to the other side of the car again and into what I assume is the PS pump. Does it serve any useful purpose, or was it just there for some missing r/h drive thingy, so can I just cut both lengths short and join them closer to the reservoir somewhere?

2. I am assuming that its just a case of refitting (or replacing) the section of rubber pipe a bit nearer the reservoir....anyone know different?

3. Anyone know the i/d of the rubber pipe? looks to be about 6mm but got nowt to measure it with! :doh

Looks like its down to the motor factors tomorrow for a length of rubber pipe, couple of jubilee clips, oh and a junior hacksaw!!! :thumbs

Must be somthing going about. Put a post on here last week. Got the same prop. Found where mine is cominng from its just under the rad under a silly little clamp. So its rad out on saturday. cut the piece out and put one of the there little plumer fittings in there. As if i dont have enough to do:doh

 

[lacroupade]

Must be somthing going about. Put a post on here last week. Got the same prop. Found where mine is cominng from its just under the rad under a silly little clamp. So its rad out on saturday. cut the piece out and put one of the there little plumer fittings in there. As if i dont have enough to do:doh

aha I knew there was an answer like that......8mm aren't they or something like that? But if I knew the pipe loop was superfluous I'd cut the lot out and do away with both those stupid clamps....join them much nearer to the reservoir, I don't fancy dropping the rad just for that.

 

[cncfabs]

aha I knew there was an answer like that......8mm aren't they or something like that? But if I knew the pipe loop was superfluous I'd cut the lot out and do away with both those stupid clamps....join them much nearer to the reservoir, I don't fancy dropping the rad just for that.

The pipe loop is for cooling the oil

 

[lacroupade]

The pipe loop is for cooling the oil

cheers m'dear, better leave it virgo intacto then and just cut and join the leaking section with a bit of hydraulic hose.....:thumbs

 

[rayf3262]

1. Whats with this ridiculous loop of pipework....? It drops down from the reservoir then runs down and across the front of the car underneath the rad, into a 4" u-bend of rubber pipe, then back on itself to the other side of the car again and into what I assume is the PS pump. Does it serve any useful purpose, or was it just there for some missing r/h drive thingy, so can I just cut both lengths short and join them closer to the reservoir somewhere?



I would guess it's a low cost steering fluid cooler..
R

 

[lacroupade]

I would guess it's a low cost steering fluid cooler..
R

you're not kidding! :doh

 

[DEE]

1. Whats with this ridiculous loop of pipework....? It drops down from the reservoir then runs down and across the front of the car underneath the rad, into a 4" u-bend of rubber pipe, then back on itself to the other side of the car again and into what I assume is the PS pump. Does it serve any useful purpose, or was it just there for some missing r/h drive thingy, so can I just cut both lengths short and join them closer to the reservoir somewhere?



I would guess it's a low cost steering fluid cooler..
R[/QU

The ridiculous loop of pipe work is there so that it can start to leak at some stage and give us another job for the weekend:doh O life dont you just love it ,

 

[lacroupade]

Well heres the update. Job done and £11 expended.

That was £6 on a bottle of PS fluid from Halfrauds and £5 at my local hydraulic place where in return I was given a metre of 8mm and a metre of 10mm fuel pipe (cos I wasn't sure which size it was - turned out to be 10mm) plus eight jubilee clips...can't knock that can you!

The hydraulic man assured me fuel pipe was perfect for the job as it isn't a high pressure system (or it wouldn't be using jubilee clips!) and of course, unlike water pipe, it won't soften up with hydraulic oil in it.

So I took the two clips off that secure it to the crossmember......one side was fine, the other had an inch-long split in it that looked as if it was original and had some kind of shite in it to seal it....the pipe wasn't corroded; its some kind of alloy, harder than ally but a wee bit softer than mild steel.

So I ended up junking the last 5-6 inches of the loop and putting a slightly shorter rubber loop in its place. Hacksawed the pipework cos I didn't have my plumbing kit with me either - or a small pipecutter would have been much tidier - but cleaned off the burrs with a stanley blade and gently used cotton buds to clean out any remaining swarf, so alls good.

No more leak, half an hour job and £11 down the toilet versus probably £200 in the stealers to have the pipe replaced and the system refilled!!!!! Oh and I've still got 1.7 metres of very useful pipe and six jubilee clips :thumbs:lol

I don't know why I joined this site sometimes...:doh

 

[DEE]

Well heres the update. Job done and £11 expended.

That was £6 on a bottle of PS fluid from Halfrauds and £5 at my local hydraulic place where in return I was given a metre of 8mm and a metre of 10mm fuel pipe (cos I wasn't sure which size it was - turned out to be 10mm) plus eight jubilee clips...can't knock that can you!

The hydraulic man assured me fuel pipe was perfect for the job as it isn't a high pressure system (or it wouldn't be using jubilee clips!) and of course, unlike water pipe, it won't soften up with hydraulic oil in it.

So I took the two clips off that secure it to the crossmember......one side was fine, the other had an inch-long split in it that looked as if it was original and had some kind of shite in it to seal it....the pipe wasn't corroded; its some kind of alloy, harder than ally but a wee bit softer than mild steel.

So I ended up junking the last 5-6 inches of the loop and putting a slightly shorter rubber loop in its place. Hacksawed the pipework cos I didn't have my plumbing kit with me either - or a small pipecutter would have been much tidier - but cleaned off the burrs with a stanley blade and gently used cotton buds to clean out any remaining swarf, so alls good.

No more leak, half an hour job and £11 down the toilet versus probably £200 in the stealers to have the pipe replaced and the system refilled!!!!! Oh and I've still got 1.7 metres of very useful pipe and six jubilee clips :thumbs:lol

I don't know why I joined this site sometimes...:doh

Very good Did you take the rad out Plus mine will be here all day saturday if you would like another :lol

 

[lacroupade]

Very good Did you take the rad out Plus mine will be here all day saturday if you would like another :lol

absolutely no need to, or it would have been three times as long :lol all easily done from underneath....

 

[mikep]

power steering pipe leak.

Hi Lacroupade.
Had a similar leak last month due to corrosion from steel retaining strap.
Also queried with local garage owner/good engineer why so long a pipe doing nothing.He also says it is just to help keep fluid cool. Fixed with 10ml compression fitting from local plumber. He said rubber pipe would probably do but compression fitting seemed tidier!
Not a bad fix for a "tenner" ,labour and parts!
Mike P

 

[lacroupade]

Hi Lacroupade.
Had a similar leak last month due to corrosion from steel retaining strap.
Also queried with local garage owner/good engineer why so long a pipe doing nothing.He also says it is just to help keep fluid cool. Fixed with 10ml compression fitting from local plumber. He said rubber pipe would probably do but compression fitting seemed tidier!
Not a bad fix for a "tenner" ,labour and parts!
Mike P

I'm not so sure I buy that theory though.....if it were so, the end of the loop would just be a u-bend in the pipe, but they've gone to the trouble of replacing it with a section of rubber hose and jubilee clips (more expensive and messy from a manufacturing perspective), plus the ends are flared as if ready to take fixings if necessary so I wonder if it isnt to allow either for l/h drive or for some other fitment...?

The split in mine was a good inch long so I couldn't use a plumbing fixing sadly....:doh

 

[briggie]

I'm not so sure I buy that theory though.....if it were so, the end of the loop would just be a u-bend in the pipe, but they've gone to the trouble of replacing it with a section of rubber hose and jubilee clips (more expensive and messy from a manufacturing perspective), plus the ends are flared as if ready to take fixings if necessary so I wonder if it isnt to allow either for l/h drive or for some other fitment...?

The split in mine was a good inch long so I couldn't use a plumbing fixing sadly....:doh

also metal is a better dissipator of heat than rubber

 

[rayf3262]

I'm not so sure I buy that theory though.....if it were so, the end of the loop would just be a u-bend in the pipe, but they've gone to the trouble of replacing it with a section of rubber hose and jubilee clips (more expensive and messy from a manufacturing perspective), plus the ends are flared as if ready to take fixings if necessary so I wonder if it isnt to allow either for l/h drive or for some other fitment...?

The split in mine was a good inch long so I couldn't use a plumbing fixing sadly....:doh

Flared ends,... In hotter climes, they might fit a proper cooler or for the Northern European market they may remove the cooler! anuver 20 squid saved!

 

[lacroupade]

Flared ends,... In hotter climes, they might fit a proper cooler or for the Northern European market they may remove the cooler! anuver 20 squid saved!

persaktly!