So driving home from school tonight smell burning fluid

[W30olds]

Get home and open the hood. Power steering fluid everywhere on the bottom of the frame. Going to guess it's the high pressure hose?? To dark to check it out tonight. I swear this car has become the money pit lately. If it's the pressure hose is it hard to change? The parts like $25 but never messed with it. The pump was almost empty and there's fluid all over the passenger side of the engine bay. I'm so close to buying something else right about now.

[94 olds vert]

Could be either the high pressure hose, return line, or the pump. I have had all three leak massive amounts of fluid. If you have a 3.1/3100 it shouldn't be too bad. Those LQ1 high pressure lines are a pain.

[W30olds]

Thanks 94 olds. It's the 3.1L engine. As far as I could tell the pump didn't appear to be leaking, but it's possible. The amount of fluid makes me believe a hose has busted. They're the original hoses I'm pretty sure. I'll have to dig into it tomorrow to see if I can locate the leak.

[Schurkey]

When mine leak on '92--'93 Lumina 3.4s, it's the return side.  The hose is secured to stub pipes using clamps.  The hose cold-flows under the clamp, reducing compression.  When the clamp gets loose, the hose leaks.  Cold weather makes it much, much worse.  I have one right now that is fine in summer, blows the fluid out of the pump on the first cold day.

 

Three ways to fix it:

1.  Replace clamps with "Fuel Injection" hose clamps.  If the hose isn't too horrible, this can work...for awhile.

2.  Replace hose and clamps.  This can work very well.  There were two sections of hose, one from steering gear to the "cooler", one from "cooler" to pump.  Four clamps to cut off, four clamps to replace.

3.  Buy replacement return hose with "cooler".  Cost is relatively minimal, but it's a genuine pain in the ass to replace.  Be aware that the "cooler" is just a length of steel tubing that wanders around the subframe.

 

https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/PSK72873/PSK72873_0263221499

 

If later models are different, I don't know about it...yet.

[W30olds]

Thanks for the info Schurkey! When I get some free time maybe this weekend I'm going to search and find where it's puking PS fluid from and fix it. Guess its GTO time this week! Thanks again!

[W30olds]

Found the leaky hose. Pressure hose leaking and spraying PS fluid onto the serp. belt. This in turn spraying fluid all over the passenger side engine bay. Hopefully it will not be to painful to replace. Fun, fun!! Engine bay needs a good cleaning anyway

[Galaxie500XL]

Worst of the pressure hose is getting it off, and putting it on the rack end.  I've been told access is much better on the 3.1, my experience is with the 3.4.

 

I used crowfoot wrenches and a ratchet on my Cutlass convertible---on those cars, the subframe is supposed to be dropped several inches for access, but with the crowfoot, I was able to do the job without dropping the subframe.

[W30olds]

So I'm here in the garage looking at this thing. Got the end off the pump pretty easily, but the other end.....well so far I've not figured out where the other end goes. Not to mention I haven't the slightest clue how to access the bolt! What seemed like a few flared fitting gs now looks like a giant pain in the ass!

[W30olds]

So I'm here in the garage looking at this thing. Got the end off the pump pretty easily, but the other end.....well so far I've not figured out where the other end goes. Not to mention I haven't the slightest clue how to access the bolt! What seemed like a few flared fitting gs now looks like a giant pain in the ass!

[Galaxie500XL]

The other end is on the driver's side of the steering rack, the lines point toward the passenger side of the car....be careful, the pressure and return fittings sit right next to one another...make sure you don't remove the wrong one..

 

You might have an easier time spotting them from above the car....driver's side, look straight down from the power brake booster.

[W30olds]

So I found the other end.....how the hell do you begin to gain access to the freaking nut? Dropping the subframe? WTF was GM thinking when they designed these things. Oh wait they were not. Can't say much though it's lasted 21 years. Think this repair will be done along with the rear monoleaf and shocks later this week. With a lift and the correct tools this job may not be so bad. Laying in the garage floor trying to work under jack stands not so much.

[White93z34]

on a 3.1 its not too bad, on a 3.4 its a total circus.

 

you should have enough room to get at it if you pull the airbox and crap

[W30olds]

on a 3.1 its not too bad, on a 3.4 its a total circus.

 

you should have enough room to get at it if you pull the airbox and crap

Yeah I'd pondered that idea, but didn't see any good way to get access to the bolt. Last thing I want to do is round off the stupid head. Just going to let my mechanic guy have a go with it. Sucks balls but he's got the tools and lift. I had a 96 GTP with 3.4L and anything on that was a pain in the butt to work on.