Power Steering leak: advice from old people

[CapedCadaver]

Well my grandpa and his neighbor are ALWAYS hassling me about being the Maximaniac that I am. They keep telling me to junk it, or that every time I touch it, I should make sure i have enough money for the mod/part/whatever i'm buying, as well as a replacement car when I fukc it all up.

Well, my power steering leaks at the connector where the PS pressure sensor is located. I wanted to use an air wrench to pull the bolt out, and look at what is going on in there. Now, the rubber grommet attachment makes it hard to do that without manually holding the rubber-sleeved end of the hose to keep it in place while loosening that bolt. Unfortunately, the FSM is no help here. Well they are asking me all kinds of questions about what it goes to and what metals different components are made of and all kinds of stuff, then saying "well just caulk it and be done with it".

So the question is.. is there any form of caulk or anything remotely similar that can be applied around the leaky connector that can resist both temperature and the caustic nature of PS fluid? And is that metal section before it turns into a rubber hose strong enough to hold onto while unbolting that connector such that it won't snap off when impacting it?

[maxitech]

Not sure, but are you using P/S fluid, or A/T fluid as recommended by Nissan?

[CapedCadaver]

Originally Posted by maxitech

Not sure, but are you using P/S fluid, or A/T fluid as recommended by Nissan?

a blend. as it leaks out, it's slowly being replaced by Dextron III.

[Greeny]

Where is it leaking exactly,at the pressure sensor,or at the top bolt?

If the leak is around the banjo bolt fitting,then you will need to replace the copper crush washers with new washers,i am not sure where to get these washers,but the dealership may be your best option to find the correct parts.


Anyhoo,the best way i have found to remove the large banjo bolt safely is to remove the rubber grommets/replace them with washers or nuts like in the pics.This eliminates movement of the whole piece(note:you must remove the metal sleeve from the center of the rubber grommet before they will slide out of the side of the p/s hose bracket)

Do not use an impact wrench on this bolt unless you want to break the bracket/housing..You need to use a large close end wrench like pictured(note: the bolt is 24mm,but a 15/16 wrench will work without stripping the banjo bolt),put consistant pressure on the wrench by leaning into it with your body weight until the bolt breaks free.

(Disclaimer: I am not responsible for damages if you break something)

I have not yet broken a bracket/housing using the method detailed above.

[LvR]

...................and if you happen to bugger it up somehow and cannot get it to seal properly, remove the whole pressure switch by blocking its feed pipe on the pump (?) ........................ us lucky sods here in South Africa were blessed not to have those animals on our vehicles, yet the power-steering works well and the IACV seems to be more than able to cope with what is happening ito steering load.

[Mr.Davon24]

For the bottom part of the hose (connection) is the same size bolt?

[Greeny]

Originally Posted by Mr.Davon24

For the bottom part of the hose (connection) is the same size bolt?

Yes,the bolts are the same size,top and bottom.

[Mr.Davon24]

thanks again that damn bolt was given me so much problems I am going to try the other method. Kudos

[CapedCadaver]

wayne you rock. I had a hard time getting both bolts to hold that bracket in place so i had to loosen it with just the driver-side one in place, and i hope i got the big bolt tight enough after putting the new crush washers on. $7 from the dealership. And the new ones were 3x as thick.

as far as i can tell, no leaking so far. I held it at lock for both sides for about 3-5 seconds each side, and it's still dry. Thank you so much; this problem has been plaguing me for months. Now i can FINALLY get new bushings.

though sadly there is a chance that my time with teh Maxima is limited. I may sell it to my cousin since she really wants to ditch her car and will need a replacement, cuz her brother has 2 cars and one for sale, but she doesn't want another 5spd. So I may end up with his 94 Altima GXE (KA24DE) 5spd instead. but at least the maxima would stay in the family.

[iciqueen]

ok...i have to replace my power steering hose tonight...is there any special instructions etc....have a friend helping me, but he knows nothing about these things..i have a 91 Brougham, which i assume is the same as a GXE the new hose came with a little yellow plug and some metal washers...geez do i ever sound like a female.. anyway if anyone has some advise would be helpfull!!!!

[Greeny]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The little yellow plugs should have been in each end of the hose to prevent dirt/trash intrusion,just discard them. The washers go on each side of the round ends of the hose,these washer seal the connections when they are tightened down.

What kind of tools do you have to work with?(i.e. Do you have jack/jackstands?/24mm or 15/16 close end wrench?/10mm socket or wrench?)

The hardest part of the hose replacement is lack of room to access the bottom banjo bolt on the p/s pump side of the hose,this is the only reason i purchased the long close end wrench i pictured above,i guess what i am trying to say is the right tools are key in this project


You also may have to bleed the power steering system of air pockets after the hose install..


Bleeding procedure:

1. Raise front of vehicle until wheels are clear of the ground

2. add fluid into tank to specified level, turn steering wheel quickly from left to right,lightly touching the steering stoppers..repeat procedure until fluid level stops going down.

3. Start engine, then repeat step 2 with the engine running.

[CapedCadaver]

Originally Posted by capedcadaver

wayne you rock. I had a hard time getting both bolts to hold that bracket in place so i had to loosen it with just the driver-side one in place, and i hope i got the big bolt tight enough after putting the new crush washers on. $7 from the dealership. And the new ones were 3x as thick.

as far as i can tell, no leaking so far. I held it at lock for both sides for about 3-5 seconds each side, and it's still dry. Thank you so much; this problem has been plaguing me for months. Now i can FINALLY get new bushings.

though sadly there is a chance that my time with teh Maxima is limited. I may sell it to my cousin since she really wants to ditch her car and will need a replacement, cuz her brother has 2 cars and one for sale, but she doesn't want another 5spd. So I may end up with his 94 Altima GXE (KA24DE) 5spd instead. but at least the maxima would stay in the family.

UPDATE: 1 week later and i'm still dry. thank God it's over! i guess the washers had flattened out too much, and when the banjo bolt bottomed out, there was still some extra room that should have been taken up by the washers, because the new ones were about 3x thicker. So now that they are covering that extra clearance, the leak is gone.

[iciqueen]

Yes i have all the proper tools, as i took the hose off my parts car..much to my dismay, it was the wrong hose...so i had to get one in today...i just wanted to make sure i know what im up against,....thanks....i will let you know when the job is done!!

[ustfdes]

wayne, do you have all these photos on file, or do you go take them immediately to show a fellow .orger?

you always have pics to illustrate....it's awesome.

[CapedCadaver]

Originally Posted by ustfdes

wayne, do you have all these photos on file, or do you go take them immediately to show a fellow .orger?

you always have pics to illustrate....it's awesome.

Yeah he's quite the prophet. I've been wanting to fix that leak of mine for, oh, 6 or more months. i need to remove some fluid now, since i overfilled it anticipating further leaking. But it ain't leakin' no mo!

I mean, i often take pictures on the spot, leaving the keyboard in mid-post to see what i can capture on film, er, SD card.

[ustfdes]

me too, but not as often as most. ...if i think it will help, i don't mind doing it. ;x

[Greeny]

Kinda half-n-half on the pics,some i take when the question comes up,some are already on file. I always liked the books in school with a bunch of pictures..

Seriously,any solution to any problem on a car can explained with text,but i always have found that "a picture is worth a thousand words"

[iciqueen]

Well...thanks for the help!! Power steering is done...on to the next project..exhaust~~
Thanks Guys

[CapedCadaver]

Originally Posted by iciqueen

Well...thanks for the help!! Power steering is done...on to the next project..exhaust~~
Thanks Guys

yep same here. well mounts then exhaust.

[Mr.Davon24]

I can't get this friggin banjo bolt off its leaking right at the hose ends. I think I already put enough fluid in there to fill a bath tub Is this one of the trick builts where you have to go counter clockwise?


*edit*

maybe its the damn socket.

[Greeny]

Originally Posted by Mr.Davon24

I can't get this friggin banjo bolt off its leaking right at the hose ends. I think I already put enough fluid in there to fill a bath tub Is this one of the trick builts where you have to go counter clockwise?


*edit*

maybe its the damn socket.

Huh?

You normally go counter clockwise to loosen most bolts=You need to be pushing the wrench/rachet toward the engine if your wrench/rachet is clocked in the same position as my wrench picture above..

[Mr.Davon24]

Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94

Huh?

You normally go counter clockwise to loosen most bolts=You need to be pushing the wrench/rachet toward the engine if your wrench/rachet is clocked in the same position as my wrench picture above..

LOL I ment to edit that lol Thanx green max... I had a retarded bolt on my honda ( I know diffrent car) but, I've had the thought since its so hard to come off. that went clock wise. So to set things straight I need to be pushing top banjo counter clockwise? They should have some type of props /kudos button to press. You're always helping me with my dumba55 questions lol.

[CapedCadaver]

Originally Posted by Mr.Davon24

I can't get this friggin banjo bolt off its leaking right at the hose ends. I think I already put enough fluid in there to fill a bath tub Is this one of the trick builts where you have to go counter clockwise?


*edit*

maybe its the damn socket.

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...45&postcount=4
pay attention to the bracket. he removed the rubber and bolted it straight onto the other bracket. that way it provides a more stable way to put force on it. And trust me it takes a little bit. get the new washers first! that's really important. $7 at my local dealer.

[Mr.Davon24]

thanks cap I took the gromets off already I just needed to know the proper direction. I'mma take a crakk at again this weekend.....

[maxinout93]

Im glad someone said something about power steering. It is one of the jobs ive been avoiding for a while, but just cant anymore. My Power steering fluid is leaking all over my control arm to the point that it has ate up the new bushings on the arm, which is very annoying to hear that noise as if something is loose under the car. I will soon find that leak and fix it. It is one of the things at the top of the to do list.

[Garf]

Originally Posted by maxinout93

Im glad someone said something about power steering. It is one of the jobs ive been avoiding for a while, but just cant anymore. My Power steering fluid is leaking all over my control arm to the point that it has ate up the new bushings on the arm, which is very annoying to hear that noise as if something is loose under the car. I will soon find that leak and fix it. It is one of the things at the top of the to do list.

dude... blue bar @ the top of everyone's post shows the date that they made that post... last one on here is 2007. now you know.

[DennisMik]

Originally Posted by Garf

dude... blue bar @ the top of everyone's post shows the date that they made that post... last one on here is 2007. now you know.

yeah, but at least he is doing research.

[maxinout93]

Originally Posted by DennisMik

yeah, but at least he is doing research.

Thank you!