power steering pipe

[gnj588d]

I have got a leak on the low pressure power steering pipe,is this made of a special material or will
any correct size pipe do the job,e.g water heater pipe .Thanks.Mike.

[tel76]

Do not use water hose, you must use the correct rubber hose for use with oil.
Is it the hose from the tank to the pump? If so I purchased a meter and would send you enough to do the job.
If it is the longer piece you will get it from your local motor factors.

[gnj588d]

Thanks for the info,it is from the tank to the pump about 2.5 inches or 70mm long.
 Cheers.Mike.

[wwheeler]

Don't use water hose as Eric says! That would be a messy disaster in a couple of weeks. Power steering fluid (ATF) is more aggresive than motor oil. If you can find that low PSI hose that is made for transmission fluid, it would be even better. Oil hose will work, just not the best. Transmission hose is usually tweaked Nitrile made for higher temperatures and better oil resistance.

[tel76]

Hello Mike,
PM me an address and I will send you the length that will do the job, that is if you want it after reading WWs post.

[wwheeler]

I was curious and went and looked at my newish P/S hoses. The high pressure hose with the crimped fittings is clearly marked "HNBR". That is the high performance Nitrile as I described earlier. The low pressure return hose is marked NBR/CR. That tells me the inner wall is Nitrile and the outer covering is Neoprene. Nitrile is more oil resistant and Neoprene more ozone resistant. Not sure if the Nitrile in the low pressure hose anything special or not. I bought both from the Classic Center.

Since it is a low pressure hose, you are probably OK with plain Nitrile. And after all, the P/S doesn't run nearly as hot as the transmission which helps. Sometimes finding the high material can be difficult.

[stickandrudderman]

As an experiment I tried using silicon hose with a 45 degree bend in it. I was surprised to discover that silicone hose will fail just as quick as water hose will.

[wwheeler]

Interesting. just looked that up and it says silicone is unsatisfactory in Dexron (ATF). Didn't know that. Nitrile is good and Viton is the best.

[Benz Dr.]

ATF has some unusual properties. I can't tell you what they are but it's not an oil so it doesn't always do what you expect, and it can also do more than you expect - in a good way.

[wwheeler]

I once had a ladder that got sprayed with ATF. Its a long story and makes cry when I tell it, so I won't. After wiping the ladder down very well, I noticed over the next several weeks that a very thin sheen of ATF would seep out of the ladder joints. I wiped it down again and the same thing happened week after week for about 6 months. Interesting oil for sure.