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Today was the best day of our delayed spring so the wife and I went for a drive. Heading home after our lunch break and I felt the power steering go out. Only 10 minutes from home so I figured I’d make it home. Another minute down the road and I went up in smoke.
I called my neighbor and he came out to take a look. When he got under the car he found that the power steering hose was damaged. We replaced the control valve, cylinder and hoses last fall. Fortunately my friend is a pack rat and still had the old hose AND brought it with him when he came out. He installed the old hose added some power steering fluid and I was off for home. While I wasn’t loosing fluid and smoking anymore the power steering was not working.
Is it possible the power steering pump was damaged when the fluid was gone and it was running dry?
There we’re actually 3 holes like this. I took another picture but not sure what happened to it. I don’t remember hitting anything or hearing anything kick up under the car. Could this be a hose failure?
I can't tell from the picture, but it looks like the hose is damaged where the metal tube is crimped on??
I would guess it got damaged when manufactured. Defective.
As per no power steering. You have to "burp" the system to get all the air out and keep adding fluid till it's full.
Fill the reservoir, start the car and turn the wheels lock to lock. Easy if you jack up the front end. Then as the fluid level drops, add more fluid.
That looks like a sharp object struck that. Very clean cut / gash. Something from the road? Maybe, but doubtful.
Because that hose has a long range of motion in a confined area. Plus the fact that these parts were installed not too long ago, I would suspect something is amiss with the installation.
Next time the front is up on jack stands, climb underneath. Have a helper turn the wheel lock-to-lock. Something is striking that hose.
One thing I have learnt, the hard way I may add. is when installing power steering hoses, Have the car on jackstands, not ramps so you can move the steering lock to lock while underneath the car making certain everything clears everything in all steering positions. Not forgetting that those wheels go up and down as well. And watch the high pressure line to the control valve. Not only can it get cut, but easy to get it to close to the exhaust.
And I blew up that photo best I could, looks cut to me.
Can you burn out a power steering pump by running it dry. Yes. I would try bleeding the system first. but yes it is possible to damage your pump running it dry.
a few years ago I blew a hose when a few miles from home. I immediately got out and cut the power steering belt with a jackknife a Vbelt is WAY cheaper than a power steering pump.
Thanks for the responses. We did burp it on the side of the road going lock to lock about half a dozen times.
When we replaced those lines it was on stands and we checked to make sure that nothing was hitting them.
The other holes look like this one. But I honestly don’t remember seeing anything in the road that could have caused this.
We’ll get up on jacks soon and start looking at everything. Hopefully the pump isn’t toast. Fortunately Topflight Automotive is one day UPS to my house.
Bad hose?
