PS hose / lines replacement

[ckeen74]

Hi all,

In addition to trying to replace the flexible brake lines (hard to get from what I'm seeing), I've also heard the power steering hose on these cars can split and cause a fire. I did a quick search here and read on an older thread that the PS hose was originally a hard steel line.

What's the real story, and is this one of those things that should be replaced at regular intervals like, say, a timing belt or brake lines? Needless to say, neither fire nor brake failure are attractive options!

Thanks!

[Jim Keller]

Need for Speed in the UK for your flexible brake lines, they sell them in complete sets only and are stainless braided. http://www.needforspeed.co.uk/ they also have various levels of brake pads and rotors for our Betas depending on how much you want to spend in the stopping department

The power steering hoses are a combination of metal and rubber. The onhe from the reservoir to pump is a clamped rubber line, the one from the pump to rack and back are pre-bent metal ends with very high pressure rubber hoses between the ends. I am not aware of anyone currently offering replcement lines for the PS system, so if Beta Boyz doesn't have them in repro yet and the normal vendors are empty handed on NOS hoses, you can go to a local hydraulic shop and have them made up. Even our one hourse town has a hydraulic shop that custom makes high pressure hoses to order, so your town should have one too, although we are a farming community with lots of large farming equipment so the call for custom lines here may be higher than you find in a large city were most people think food comes from the grocery store manufactured in a warehouse somewhere! LOL

[ckeen74]

Is the whole catching-fire thing true, or would I just lose my power steering? Obviously, the fire scenario would make this a more urgent fix. :eek:

[davidb]

ckeen: Check E-Bay, original WAY-ASSAUTO, stock rear
struts for sale. Be nice to have new fronts & rears. As for
P.S. fire fear: only near the rack dumping on the exhaust
"downpipe". A hose breach there per se. A failure near the
reseviour or P.S. pump proper will create quite a mess but
far removed from anything flammable. Unless it's not your
day. Anything is possible w/these cars. Horror stories re:
batteries, too tall "+" terminals, arching to the hood, fire,
etc. Halloween is approaching afterall. Lancia gremlins await.

[ckeen74]

Thanks for the tip on the struts, David, I've been seeing those come up on a surprisingly regular basis. At the moment mine are fine, though, so I'm focusing on replacing the bits that are more at risk on a long-term stored car. I guess I'll check the PS hose and see how cracked (or not) it is.

[davidb]

Since Chris started this. Anybody know of a source for a P.S.
hose: from bottom of reseviour to pump, top pipe. Tight bends
& contours on that sucker. Fer me '82 LBZ. Thanks all.

[len_newstrum]

Since Chris started this. Anybody know of a source for a P.S.
hose: from bottom of reseviour to pump, top pipe. Tight bends
& contours on that sucker. Fer me '82 LBZ. Thanks all. I'm not sure about the LBZ's, but on the '78 Coupes that is an unpressurized line. Any flexible hose that won't be eaten up by hot hydraulic fluid and a couple of hose clamps should work. Talk to a hydraulics repair shop or hydraulic systems parts house: they should have it as roll stock and can cut a few feet off for you.

[davidb]

Thanks Len. That hose, w/hose clamps, agreed: not pressurized.
That hose makes a quick ell turn outa the bottom of the P.S. fluid
reseviour then a slow 45 over to the P.S. metal pump pipe. I
can't feature buying a length of hydraulic fluid rubber hose, off a
spool, making that pre-formed ell w/o kinking. Guess I'll have to
just remove the hose & do the "Got one of these?" @ NAPA, etc.
I hate that anywhere because as we all know their 1ST question is
for what kinda car. I'll never get over that "finger nails on a chalk-
board" question. Forget the car, just try to match the hose. AHHHH!

[Jim Keller]

I would have to check with Dennis for sure on model, but he installed the lower PS line from I think a Sedan on the 81 Coupe, wasn't a perfect replacement but with some careful bending of the tube ends, it looked original and routed in or near the original location.

[len_newstrum]

Just something to think about: can you use a couple of "ell" tube fittings and hose clamps to make the sharp bends? How important is "pretty" to you?

[Jim Keller]

Pretty high pressure form clamps, but that said, there is that 6 inch rubber hose section in the middle of the firewall connecting the two pipes that is factory clamped, it is also a comon leak point BTW, so I would think elbows with clamps would work if exact factory wasn't important. I wouldn't do it that way, but that's just me I guess, I have been told I am anal about stuff like that <smile>

[len_newstrum]

Pretty high pressure form clamps, but that said, there is that 6 inch rubber hose section in the middle of the firewall connecting the two pipes that is factory clamped, it is also a comon leak point BTW, so I would think elbows with clamps would work if exact factory wasn't important. I wouldn't do it that way, but that's just me I guess, I have been told I am anal about stuff like that <smile>Jim, he's talking about the unpressurized line from the bottom of the reservoir to the pump. Assuming that the reservoir is about 1 foot above the pump, the pressure at the pump is about 0.5 psi! I can blow harder than that without puffing out my cheeks. The clamps would just be there to keep the hose from vibrating off the brass tube!

The same is true for the line above the PS rack: it is the return line to the reservoir and unpressurized. BTW: both of mine are "weeping" a little bit through the braided hoses, but not under the clamps. They are both the original 30 year old hoses and are getting rotten! It is time to change them just to keep the engine compartment clean.