3rd Generation Maxima (1989-1994)Learn more about the 3rd Generation Maxima here.
Welcome to Maxima.org!
Welcome to Maxima.org,
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access
to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to start new topics, reply to conversations, privately message other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join Maxima.org today!
How difficult to replace Power Steering Fluid Reservior Hose
don't know if it's the right term. During the winter, I found out the both hoses underneath the PS fluid reservior were leaking. I didn't replace them, but poured some fluid in. Now I think it may be the time to replace. But any idea where to get those hoses and what procedures to follow in order to have at least amount of fluid lost?
Thanks!
get Haynes and/or FSM before posting thread like this, as it is a basic procedure. read stickies and check FAQ as well. hoses are fairly inaccessible, btw. and fluid loss during replacement is the least of your worries.
if it is any consolation, i am replacing my power steering hoses as well. as we speak, the car is torn apart in the driveway receiving valeo clutch, fidanza flywheel, tranny rebuild, power steering, center pulley bearings.
I did some shopping today, and got myself the high pressure hose for $63 Cdn... not bad compared to the $40-something folks in the US consider "cheap" for this thing I suppose.
I was looking at the new hose and I'm kind of surprised it looks so simple. I haven't yanked my old hose off yet, but it seems as if it's just held in by one large bolt on each end.... Is it really that straightforward, or am I in for an unpleasant surprise tomorrow?
Good luck to all of us doing this repair!
PS: I was going to ask what the torque specs are for those bolts but I found it: 36-51 ft-lb
Just to update how this came out, I changed the hose last week, but it was tougher than I thought.
The problem actually wasn't access to the lower bolt (reached from underneath), but with having tools powerful enough and the right sockets. The lower bolt was on pretty tight, and "swing room" was relatively narrow. The top bolt was also tight, and I didn't want to ruin the bracket that was sitting on those rubber insulators by torquing the heck out of it. The socket is probably actually 22mm since this is a Japanese car, but I found 15/16" to fit a tad better actually.
Since they were on sale and I always wanted them anyway, I went nuts and bought myself an electric impact wrench and both SAE and metric socket sets. Then I went and bought a real 18" breaker bar (which I'd also always wanted - my father really liked that too). The former got the top nut off fast and painlessly, and the latter gave me enough torque (without a cheater bar) to break loose the bottom.
Installation was fairly simple, but like one of Rosenken's early posts said, the hose has to twist slightly to fit (mine is also a Beck/Arnley). No leaks anymore! However, my pump is still making moaning noises like it did when it was low on fluid. I'm beginning to wonder if this is because the bolts aren't aligned as well anymore in relation to the hose fittings (they have a hole through them), and flow is being restricted.... I'd like to check that out someday, but then I'd have to do the messy removal over again.
I did some shopping today, and got myself the high pressure hose for $63 Cdn... not bad compared to the $40-something folks in the US consider "cheap" for this thing I suppose.
I was looking at the new hose and I'm kind of surprised it looks so simple. I haven't yanked my old hose off yet, but it seems as if it's just held in by one large bolt on each end.... Is it really that straightforward, or am I in for an unpleasant surprise tomorrow?
Good luck to all of us doing this repair!
PS: I was going to ask what the torque specs are for those bolts but I found it: 36-51 ft-lb
say bman i have the same thing going on now with the power steering hoses. question is though which hose is the high pressure and which is the low pressure? The two small hoses underneath the power steering resovoir seem to be common pressure hoses, and the larger hose that runs to the rack is part specific i got a price for that one for about $39 the other hoses seem to be sold on a roll for about $9 bucks. But I have checked my chilton and haynes books and they dont really touch base on the hose size? do you know the hose size or diameter of the teo hoses underneath the resovoir? let me know!! thanks!!
Anyone want to chime in with the p/ns for the VG and VE? I can include this thread in a sticky.
And I have to do this replacement soon as I have to refill my reservoir every few days. Haven't tracked down the specific leak but it looks like the high pressure hose everyone replaces.
I completed this install over the weekend. I too have this 'whine' bman mentions. I actually didn't have any whine until I replaced the hose. I didn't really following the bleeding instructions though as they were pretty simple. I thought it would just bleed itself over time. I've had to top off the fluid once or twice.
As anyone experienced this whine and corrected it? If so, how.
same here jeff had my high and low pressure hoses changed. prior to changing them i had no whine @ all!!! but as soon as i had them changed i got teh whine. I didnt need to top off fluid, but figured after driving for a while the system would bleed the air out, but still have a small whine.
Mods for the 2k Se max
Front-Strut tower brace
Steel braided Goodridge G-Stop brakehoses
Steel Braided Clutch Hose
Aluminized Mandrel bent y-pipe
Slotted-Cross Drilled Rotors
Black tint Halo Headlight Lenses
Black tint Foglight Lenses
10K Hid Headlight
10K Hid Foglight
Cleared out Front and Rear bumber lenses
Polarg Blue Bulbs for exterior lights
UpComing Mods
RSB
89 Max
mods: Slotted-Cross Drilled Brembo Rotors, Front-Strut tower brace,
Steel braided Goodridge G-Stop brakehoses, Pacestter Short throw shifter
Aluminized Mandrel bent y-pipe
TIG Welded By Warpspeed
Rear Sway Bar by Suspension
Techniques
it's pretty easy to replace, but it will takes lot of times though depending one what you wanted to replace.... say, I'm about to go thru the same mess too. I just got 2 high pressure hoses power steering hoses from Napa. But I noticed we also have a small diameter hoses that run between one of the high pressure hose to rack (2 ft long), and 2 small pieces about 3 inches each running to and out of the reservoir. Does anyone here know what am I'm talking about? Could you please tell me what is the diameter size of those small hoses? And what should I refer them to Napa people, such power steering xx diamter hoses?
I was looking in my book (Haynes) on which hose I should replace. The book doesn't say anything!
How do I know which hose to replace? My leak is coming from the large hose that runs behind the engine, near the firewall. It begins (or ends) near the passenger-side strut mount.
96 Green A/T gone
94 Pathfinder POS GONE! | 79 Camaro sold
98 I30t Silver on black A/T gone | 96 Granite Pearl (AKA Purple) A/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 96 I30 Black gone
92 maroon VE A/T gone | 92 white VE M/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 6/84 L24E last of the RWD Maxima gone
not true! we got 4 types!!! 1 return high pressure, 1 outgoing high pressure, reservoir hoses, and one 24" long (probably low pressure) that run between driver side of the rack to one of the big high pressure metal line.
comeon man, you sell them and you didn't know? j.k
I just found out my high pressure power steering hose is a goner too, and I have to replace it ASAP....
Pain in the *** if you don't remove anything, but I had to do the same thing. My hose was dry-rotted to the point that fluid was seeping through the rubber.
Some of the power steering hoses went out on my 94 SE. Is there a big enough difference in quality to justify paying $160 for the dealer price vs $40 for the pressure line assy?
Some of the power steering hoses went out on my 94 SE. Is there a big enough difference in quality to justify paying $160 for the dealer price vs $40 for the pressure line assy?
Probubly a little and qauilty. Take into consideration they overcharge.
I finally got around to replacing the power steering hose on my 94 Max SE this weekend. I went with the Gates hose for 50 bucks. Thanks to all for your previous posts! The 15/16 socket with the impact wrench worked great on the top bolt. I used a huge craftsman 1/2 flex head ratchet for the bottom bolt. The job was a piece of cake until I tried to put the top bolt back on. The parts store and the Gates catalog crossed the part to P/N 363060. This is what I wrote to Gates this morning:
Subject: Gates Hose OEM Compatibility Issue
I installed one of your high pressure power steering hoses this weekend. It did not provide the same fit as the original. I had to twist the hose at least 45 degrees (with pliers) so it would mount flush. I also had to change the bolts on the bracket that the hose mounts to on the top because the metal connector on the hose is also angled incorrectly. Let me know if you would like the before and after pics. I have two concerns: First, I am concerned about the impact of the additional stress on the life of the hose. Lastly, your hose should not be sold as a suitable sub for the Nissan part it is designed to replace (49720-96E10). I should not have to modify a bracket and crank on a hose with pliers and require an extra set of hands to force it fit.
I called them after their initial response to order another part and they discovered an error with their catalog and provided the following info:
According to research information from Nissan I was able to come up with the following; 1994 Nissan Maxima V-6 SE 3.0 L 24 Valve ENG.;
Jan. & Older 1994 = OEM # 49720 96E10 = 360670
Feb. & Newer 1994 = OEM # 49720 40U15 = 363060
I finally got around to replacing the power steering hose on my 94 Max SE this weekend. I went with the Gates hose for 50 bucks. Thanks to all for your previous posts! The 15/16 socket with the impact wrench worked great on the top bolt. I used a huge craftsman 1/2 flex head ratchet for the bottom bolt. The job was a piece of cake until I tried to put the top bolt back on. The parts store and the Gates catalog crossed the part to P/N 363060. This is what I wrote to Gates this morning:
Subject: Gates Hose OEM Compatibility Issue
I installed one of your high pressure power steering hoses this weekend. It did not provide the same fit as the original. I had to twist the hose at least 45 degrees (with pliers) so it would mount flush. I also had to change the bolts on the bracket that the hose mounts to on the top because the metal connector on the hose is also angled incorrectly. Let me know if you would like the before and after pics. I have two concerns: First, I am concerned about the impact of the additional stress on the life of the hose. Lastly, your hose should not be sold as a suitable sub for the Nissan part it is designed to replace (49720-96E10). I should not have to modify a bracket and crank on a hose with pliers and require an extra set of hands to force it fit.
I called them after their initial response to order another part and they discovered an error with their catalog and provided the following info:
According to research information from Nissan I was able to come up with the following; 1994 Nissan Maxima V-6 SE 3.0 L 24 Valve ENG.;
Jan. & Older 1994 = OEM # 49720 96E10 = 360670
Feb. & Newer 1994 = OEM # 49720 40U15 = 363060
PM me if you want the pics. Nav
it's not gates' fault it's the moron at nissan who decided when to change model years :.
feb 94 is when they started production of the 95 maximas.
that's why when I look up parts for a VE I look under 93.
It's experience that is my teacher, something you won't find at autozone.
96 Green A/T gone
94 Pathfinder POS GONE! | 79 Camaro sold
98 I30t Silver on black A/T gone | 96 Granite Pearl (AKA Purple) A/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 96 I30 Black gone
92 maroon VE A/T gone | 92 white VE M/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 6/84 L24E last of the RWD Maxima gone
Good production info on the 94 Max, however, this does not negate the manufacturer's responsibility or accountability for incorrectly cataloging the parts they provide to retailers. They have had over a decade to get it right. I like working on my car as much as everyone else in this forum, but I’m not happy about having to do the same job twice...
Update: The Gates Corporation provided outstanding customer service. They thanked me for helping identify the catalog problem and they are sending me the correct replacement hose along with some additional belts and hoses.
Update: The Gates Corporation provided outstanding customer service. They thanked me for helping identify the catalog problem and they are sending me the correct replacement hose along with some additional belts and hoses.
Nice..
This action from gates really shows how a good manufacturer/distributor should react when a dissatisfied customer comes calling to right a wrong on their part..They realize this will keep customers coming back,and word of mouth is a very powerful tool..
Niiiice - its good to see someone is grateful instead of passing the buck. Good job Gates! Guess I'll have to keep them in mind when I have to do this very same thing to my max.
96 Green A/T gone
94 Pathfinder POS GONE! | 79 Camaro sold
98 I30t Silver on black A/T gone | 96 Granite Pearl (AKA Purple) A/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 96 I30 Black gone
92 maroon VE A/T gone | 92 white VE M/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 6/84 L24E last of the RWD Maxima gone
i have the ve 93 se automatic. i see internet auto supply has the Gates for $40 + shipping for the #360670 and autozone has a Duralast #80100 for $32 b&m. are these the same hoses? if not, then which is better?
96 Green A/T gone
94 Pathfinder POS GONE! | 79 Camaro sold
98 I30t Silver on black A/T gone | 96 Granite Pearl (AKA Purple) A/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 96 I30 Black gone
92 maroon VE A/T gone | 92 white VE M/T gone
92 grey VE A/T gone | 6/84 L24E last of the RWD Maxima gone
i replaced mine at 3am 2 winters ago. it was a pita but very do able. no expensive tools needs, just lack of sleep, and back up cars fuel pump busted! all in all not that bad
__________________
1991 GXE Resurrected from the dead
1989 SE gutted for parts and 5 speed.
Mods for the 2k Se max 
:.
Linear Mode
