power steering pump line removal

[kifried]

I'm having some difficulty getting off the power steering pump lines. Is there a trick to this or some special tools I should be using???

 

[1981ElCamino]

Just use a good ole' wrench, better yet try a line wrench. The lines will probably twist and break as well.

 

[fodoimp]

definitely want to hose em down with some nut buster so the nut will spin freely on the line and not twist and break the line. I prefer FreeAll that stuff is insanely good http://www.freealloil.com/freeall.html

 

[jonessmc87]

if you dont care about them, then just cut them off by the fitting and put a socket on the fitting

 

[kifried]

i cut them off out of frustration. I pulled off the thinner walled hose from the tube fitting. The thicker of the two, which i'm assuming is the return line has some type of boot fitting or something over it. I can't figure out how to remove that...? I thought maybe it unscrews but that wasn't the solution, so I've hit a wall, can't figure it out.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

You need an 18mm wrench to remove it from the steering gear box. The big gray or blue plastic thingie can be rotated out of the way and just snaps off and on. No special tools required so long as you posess hands.

 

[kifried]

Got it finally! Went out and got an 18mm flare nut socket and that did the trick.

If I'm going to loop the 2 lines into each other to reverse it back to manual steering, will it see the high pressure fluid or will it be low pressure? I'm wondering if I should go to a store and have them put collars on the hoses or if I can just use some steel ring clamps.

 

[85_SS]

Got it finally! Went out and got an 18mm flare nut socket and that did the trick.

If I'm going to loop the 2 lines into each other to reverse it back to manual steering, will it see the high pressure fluid or will it be low pressure? I'm wondering if I should go to a store and have them put collars on the hoses or if I can just use some steel ring clamps.

You don't want to convert to manual steering this way - have you ever driven a PS car that has stalled for example? You will need to get a manual steering box - ones from S-10s are commonly used for this conversion.

 

[Nightmare388]

Got it finally! Went out and got an 18mm flare nut socket and that did the trick.

If I'm going to loop the 2 lines into each other to reverse it back to manual steering, will it see the high pressure fluid or will it be low pressure? I'm wondering if I should go to a store and have them put collars on the hoses or if I can just use some steel ring clamps.

You don't want to convert to manual steering this way - have you ever driven a PS car that has stalled for example? You will need to get a manual steering box - ones from S-10s are commonly used for this conversion.

If he loops it like I did it doesn't feel the same as when the pump is on and it stalls. It feels like manual steering. As long as he removes the pump and loops a line from the pressure side to none pressure side and make sure it is filled with as much fluid as he can get in the hose then it will feel just like manual steering. I have been running mine this way for about 10 years+ on all my hotrods.

 

[kifried]

stupid question, why does it need to be looped? I'm assuming the fluid comes from the same place as it goes, so why can't you just plug up both holes on the steering box?

Also, it's not under high pressure with the pump removed, correct? Therefore some regular hose with screw driver clamps should be fine?