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I'm in the middle of replacing my power steering gear and was going to replace the power steering hoses while I was at it. Well, I am stuck with how to get the pressure hose off from the back of the pump.
As you can see, I did get my flare-nut wrench on the nut, but I don't have enough room to swing it to loosen it. In one direction the wrench hits the return tube, in the other it hits the frame. I tried getting it from below with the wrench hanging at the 6 o'clock position, but I could not get any force on it to swing as when it is in that position, it is pointing down at the crossmember.
(BTW it's a 5/8" = 16mm nut)
If the wrench were shorter I might work, but before I start cutting up a wrench or go try to buy one, I thought I'd ask here first for any hints or advice.
In case anyone finds this, here is how I got the pressure hose off.
I had to buy a flare-nut crow-foot set. I used the 5/8" one with a 3/8" breaker-bar. I tried using a regular 3/8" rachet wrench with a 2" extension, but I could not get it on in a way that was useful.
Because of limited space, I had to use a 6" adjustable wrench to get the nut off. I stubby wrench would have been perfect.
A hint is to not forget the new o-rings for the hoses and that the old o-rings came out with the old hoses.
There is definitely not a lot of room to work. Still, I was able to get at the pressure hose with a regular flare wrench. If I recall correctly, it is most accessible from below the vehicle. And it may help to to turn the wheels left or right to move the pitman arm out of the way.
The crowfoot set will come in handy for connecting the hoses to the steering gear.
Power Steering Hose Replacement Advice needed
