Trying to pull the rack out and got as far as the ps lines today. The top line into the steering box loosened without too much pressure, but the bottom fitting is stuck.

I moved the ps pump out of the way for room to get more purchase on the line wrench, but it feels like it’s going to round off the fitting if I give it too much testosterone.

My gut is saying don’t use heat, but I’m running out of options. These lines are available aftermarket, but cutting the line off doesn’t sit well.

Any experience, remedies, or thoughts?

 

Soak it in PB Blaster or equivalent and let it sit overnight. Clean hex of nut tomorrow and try again.

 

Are you using a flare nut wrench? Better grip

 

Yup 👍

 

Will do! Think a heat gun would be safe to warm thing up a bit?

 

I do not think a little heat will hurt anything. Quick check of the Oracle (Google) says that PS gets up to 280°F when racing so I think your okay up to that range. Keep in mind the aluminum housing will expand faster than the steel fitting/nut, which is what you want. Concentrate the heat on the aluminum, within reason, obviously.
Good luck!!!
Worst case.
I'm not sure if you can get a mini tubing cutter in there to sacrifice the line? Cut off the line and get a 6 point socket (deep if needed) on the nut.
You'll get it

 

Heat was my very first thought and YES, heat the area AROUND the fitting to about 250 Deg. Might try a little mechanical agitation on the flare nut also. Just a few well placed taps.
You may want to source some spare O rings as the one on that tubing fitting may not survive. They are very small and can get damaged.

 

I had the same issue with my 01 which I bought a couple of years ago. Not sure what the guy did before me, but the fitting was so stuck that I had to take the rack out. A bit of heat and a cheater bar and it finally broke free. No damage to the rack at all...In addition, I had to cut the line to get the rack out. I had a new line waiting

 

No luck so far. There’s very little access room, even with the power steering pump pulled out of the way. I tried penetrant, heat (225°) as much as I could manage and still not burn the car down, lol, and agitating it with a hammer.

Plan B. I’m going to cut the line off, get the rack out, and deal with that fitting once it’s on the floor. Thanks to Chris at C&S Corvette for sourcing a replacement line!

 

Good day in the shop. Used some 36” pruning shears to cut the line to the PS cooling fitting. Cut like a hot knife through butter. With the rack on the floor I was able to get a socket on the stuck pump fitting and it came out fine (with the aid of a 24” breaker bar ).

No damage to the threads. Whew!

Appreciate the ideas and support. It helped to check off the standard methods to get that fitting loose, so when they didn’t pan out I didn’t fret cutting the line off. Twenty minutes later, the rack was on the ground. 👍

 

Just curious as to what heat source you used? Propane, or acetylene? Reason being I have used a propane torch in the past (when acetylene tank was empty!) and have found they dont get nearly as hot as acetylene. I'm talking plain old acetylene with no O2. I'm glad you got it done...

 

I used a basic propane torch. I have one of those laser surface temperature readers, and it registered 225° ish…. You know how there’s wires and rubber parts all around that area, so I was a little paranoid about the heating process. Main thing is there’s very little area to get leverage, or get a good angle for heating.

Fortunately It gave up to the breaker bar pretty quick once I had it out. I’m just grateful that the threads were OK.

 

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm having the same issue as the original poster. I am removing the steering rack to preemptively replace the harmonic balancer. I have the top power steering line off but the bottom one will not budge. I have the proper 18mm flare nut wrench and even with that it is trying to round. I've tapped the bolt, I've applied some slight heat through a few different heat/cool cycles, and I've soaked it with WD40. I'm not feeling very confident it is going to come off without me destroying the nut.

To complicate things a bit more, mine is a Z06. If I have to cut the line to get the rack out, is there an available part that I can replace? The top line goes to the power steering cooler. I see it is partially metal, which goes into a rubber line. I'm not sure if this is a high-pressure line or not. But...I'm trying not to allow frustration to get the best of me and make the issue worse.

I ordered an 18mm crows foot flare wrench that will be here Tuesday. I'm not sure that it will give me any other advantage, but that's where I'm at.

So, my two questions are....what else can I do to help coax this fitting to break loose? Also...can someone help me out with a vendor or part number I can order if all else fails and I have to cut the line. Thanks!!!

 

WD-40 has never worked for me as a penetrating oil. Mouse Milk, Kroil Oil , PB Blaster are considered penetrating oils. Clean off the hex of any oils to help in the offending hex from rounding off. Make sure you can get a hose before you cut it. I had used Gates hoses when i did mine (Z51 w/cooler) in early 2023. Rock auto does not list the two gates PN's any longer. Looks like Edelman is still making them. Summit has both hoses in stock. I'd replace all of the rubber lines once you get that far. The clamped hose is just cut to size and Napa has the screw to tighten proper rated clamps for the hoses. Don't use plain warm clamps, there specific clamps for these applications.
Returm hose:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/e...ette/year/2001

Pressure hose:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/e...ette/year/2001

Cut to size return hose:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/e...ette/year/2001


Best pics I have of it all together:





Good Luck!
Edit: Might as well stuff a mild cam in it... LOL

 

Prop Joe thanks for the quick reply. After typing my post I ran out and got some PB Blaster. I applied heat and soaked it again. I also carefully put on a pair of vice grips and I FINALLY got the line to break free.

I guess I now need to decide if I should just replace that line. Can you provide a bit more details to what you did and what I'd need to do? It looks like your top left line in your photo has a gold nut and the bottom right has a silver nut. The issue with mine is the one that is silver on your car that goes into the bottom of the cooler. If I'm understanding correctly, that is the return line, right?

Do you have a link for the Napa clamps? This has been a pain in the neck and I really don't want to take a chance and skimp on anything and have to tear it all back down again.

 

Cut off the old clamp(s) with whizz wheel or cutting tool of your choice.

 

Thanks for the help! I'll look into these!

 

Those are flare nuts, so the seal is internal. If you can tighten it with vise grips you should be fine.

If you ever decide to cut off some hard line in favor of some hose, it’s a good idea to flare the end of the tubing so your hose clamp has a shoulder to lean against when tightening. This will prevent the hose from sliding off. All you need is a flaring kit from Home Depot or an auto parts store.

Good luck with your project…