Power Steering Rack Removal: How do I get the pressure lines off??

[nobb]

As the title says, for those who have removed their power steering racks, how did you manage to get the high pressure hoses off? There's no room to fit a wrench in there. The connector seems to be on pretty tight, so a crowsfeet wrench is probably best to reduce the chance of stripping threads.

The low pressure line appears to have just a clamped on tubing, which should be easy to remove. But the high pressure inlet line is hard line only.

Tips, tricks anyone??

 

[JayRolla]

As the title says, for those who have removed their power steering racks, how did you manage to get the high pressure hoses off? There's no room to fit a wrench in there. The connector seems to be on pretty tight, so a crowsfeet wrench is probably best to reduce the chance of stripping threads.

The low pressure line appears to have just a clamped on tubing, which should be easy to remove. But the high pressure inlet line is hard line only.

Tips, tricks anyone??

This was the hardest thing I have done on my truck. Removing them was a PITA. You need to buy the correct size metric brake line wrench. I used a standard size brake line wrench and it stripped the hell out of the high pressure line. I ended up cutting the hoses and removing the rack, then paid $50 for a replacement high pressure line from a member on these forums as the high pressure line cost $475 oem and around $150 reman.

I was able to get the wrench in there to install the line but it was a hard angle. GOOD LUCK!

 

[nobb]

I do have the special "crows feet" wrench that I use on brake lines for this. I believe the power steering lines are 17mm. There just isnt any room for it!

I have a very very tiny leak that I wanted to take care of..but if this is too hard I might just wait a year or two when I drop the transmission to replace the clutch as that should hopefully give me more room.

 

[cdrewferd]

Yes, they are a pain in the butt. 17mm brake line wrench. The return, furthest in from tire, is the biggest pain. You might be better to try and break it loose with a regular 17mm if it isn't too tight.

What I did was remove all other bolts and nuts holding the rack on. This will give you room to pull the rack out a bit to get to the lines. The inside is still a giant pain though.

 

[Diverse4runner]

I used heat and a wrench with a breaker bar. It was a huge PITA. I broke two line wrenches on the b****

 

[rockyMTNvagabond]

Help!!

A little help please

I am in the process of replacing my steering rack and LBJs. I have read all of the material i can find. The first line on the front of the steering rack came off no problem The only thing that is holding me back is the second line in from the tire. I am not sure if this is the high pressure line or low pressure? I cannot get it to budge. It has been soaking in PB Blaster for 2 days.

I have tried heating it up with a torch. How hot should i be getting it? Do i focus the heat on the line connection or the female connection on the rack or both? It seem like my crows foot wrench is starting to bend. As far as i can tell it is not damaging the connection nut but i am afraid to strip it out.

If cannot get it loose how hard is it to replace the entire line? What should i ask for when I call the dealership?

I knew this was going to be hard but damn that sucker is on there.

pic below

 

[Grenvilleter]

I heated mine up about 5 x with a oxy-act. torch and got the line to loosen and that was taking out my donor rack.
When it was time to install, buddy twisted off the hp line on my DD trying to remove it.

Glad I took the time with the torch on the donor one first so had a spare.
They are incredibly tight !

 

[rockyMTNvagabond]

I am using a propane hand torch. Do you think i even have a shot. I have time and patience. I have not been getting it that hot but i can step it it up. Just keep heating and PB Blaster :noidea:

 

[fordota]

I would try getting the rack as hot as you can with the hand torch. You definitely don't want to strip the nut or twist the line. Also if you can find some local to you, AreoKroil is the best penetrating oil I've used. It smells awful and will make your garage stink for a couple days but it works very well.

 

[nobb]

It would make sense to get the rack hotter then the nut itself because you want the metal expanding away from the nut. You can also try to thermal shock the connection a few times using ice.

Keep us updated how you make out. I had a difficult time with my rack too.

 

[rockyMTNvagabond]

Thanks for help everyone. I will keep at it tonight and see what happens. Going to just take my time with the torch and keep my fingers crossed. I'll post and update once i come to some sort of conclusion. Did not think about thermal shock. Maybe i can head the female side and than dump ice water on the male side.

 

[Grenvilleter]

Heat the nut and then melt an ice cube on the line. It was about a year ago I did mine and seems to me, the problem was the line sticking to the fitting.

When buddy twisted off the line on my DD, it was the line that broke. I don't think it was the fitting on the rack that was sticking but rather , the line within the fitting causing the problem.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Once you get the rack hot enough, take a candle, light it and drip the wax around the threads. Then go at it. But if it has been on there for some time, oxy/ace may be the only way to get it hot enough.

 

[rockyMTNvagabond]

Been at it for a few hours still cannot seem to get it loose. Tried all suggestions heat followed by ice, just heat, shock with a hammer etc. I even rigged my floor jack up to hold pressure on the wrench while i heated up the outside around the fitting. The only thing that i have not tried is heat on the nut and ice on just the line from the last post from Grenvilleter seems like that may make sense considering that the lines have broken off on other peoples rigs. I am gonna try again in the morning.

I do not care about the existing rack. Do you think if i took a dremel or angle grinder and cut grooves or notches around the fitting being careful not to cut to deep so I do not damage the threads that it would help release pressure on the fitting and in effect help release the fitting?

I went ahead and reserved a new line just in case. Advanced Auto has one for $145 Powercraft Brand. My local dealer wants $475 for a OEM pressure line. I generally try to use OEM but i don't have time to wait for delivery and that just seems like an outrageous price. Hopefully i do not have to go this route but they said they refund my card if i do not need it.

Just in case if anybody thinks using the advanced auto line is a bad idea please let me know. I would hate to have to work on any of this in the near future. This has been a serious pain in the A$$ so far.

Thanks again for the feedback. I am kinda in over my head. I thought i had done enough research ahead of time but these type of issues just come up. It seems like every time i try to do some thing i have one nut bolt or something that hinders the whole project.

 

[Grenvilleter]

I don't think anything short of an oxy/ace will do the job.

As mentioned, I got the nut cherry about 5x before it broke loose and I was able to remove it.
I didn't use the ice but nothing can stand that sort of pressure for ever. You might want to get something that makes more heat.

You can get little ones oxy/propane that are not quite as hot but miles hotter than a straight propane torch but the bottles are expensive and don't last long.

Still, cheaper than a new line.

 

[masson74]

Yes, they are a pain in the butt. 17mm brake line wrench. The return, furthest in from tire, is the biggest pain. You might be better to try and break it loose with a regular 17mm if it isn't too tight.

What I did was remove all other bolts and nuts holding the rack on. This will give you room to pull the rack out a bit to get to the lines. The inside is still a giant pain though.

What he said. I just did this.

 

[Brveagle]

Do you have the old rack loose? When i pulled my rack off, the only way i could get the lines loose was to pull the rack down a little further which allowed me to double up on my line wrench.

 

[judoant]

Save your self the head ache and cut it off and but a new one from o'reilly. Some say the line will rust at the pump but I have had no issue and the line was like $100.

 

[rockyMTNvagabond]

Save your self the head ache and cut it off and but a new one from o'reilly. Some say the line will rust at the pump but I have had no issue and the line was like $100.

Looks like I am going to have to go this route. This high pressure connection on the rack might as well be welded in. I am working on replacing the entire hose. Any tips on getting the connection off of the power steering pump?

 

[mrwreaver628]

So I just did this last weekend and I did the following items.

1) degreased the area a couple of days ahead.

2) used penetrate

3) Removed the CV axle (I was taking apart the knuckle anyway but thinking about it, removing brake caliper, axle nut, disconnecting the 4 LBJ bolts and popping out the CV axle would be worth the extra time to have the room to get in there).

4) Loosen the rack to get some play.

5) Have appropriate sized wrenches as mentioned above (I used both the brake line wrench and standard open end of combo wrench)

6) I think that I actually used the open end of the combo wrench to get them broken loose. It is a little slow going since you might only be getting 1/8 turn per application of the wrench but be patient.

7) The return line was easy because you can move a clamp and actually spin that whole line.

8) Once I got the return line out of the way I cleaned and penetrated the pressure line fitting area again.

9) Repeat #6

Be ready to capture the fluid mess that will be coming.

Then reverse the process to reassemble.

I may have been lucky but I like to think that the extra effort is what allowed me to get these lines out without stripping anything. Also having the CV axle out of the way to get your hand in there was AWESOME!!!