AccordHEART Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Soooo, about a week ago the powersteering high pressure line on my car busted for the 10th time in the past 2 years. Any idea what could be causing this? It happens at the same spot, every time. The metal part that connects to the pump, on the bottom of it. To give you guys some background information - The car was in a frontal wreck 5 years ago, @ 90k miles. It was considered totaled. But it was fixed, motor was rebuilt, etc. The pump has been replaced twice, been through multiple alternators/belts because the high pressure line keeps breaking. Every mechanic I go to can't seem to diagnose the problem, so they just slap a new line on it and call it fixed. But anywhere from 2 - 5k miles later, same crap happens. Line breaks, fluid sprays all underneath my hood. I'm thinking it's the rack. But I'm no mechanic. Car also makes semi-loud cracking/ticking sound when I turn left. Any input would be appreciated. Edit: Also, is the car safe to drive with the PS belt taken off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pballer2005 Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 does the steering seem heavy? sounds like there might be something partially clogged and is increasing pressure on the system. removing the power steering belt didn't hurt anything on my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtlehead Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 does the steering seem heavy? sounds like there might be something partially clogged and is increasing pressure on the system. removing the power steering belt didn't hurt anything on my car. Yeh, if the P/S is hard to turn - "heavy" - then you probably have something going on that is increasing the high pressure. I would start by putting the car up on jack stands, with the car off, you should be able to use a finger to turn the steering wheel from lock to lock position and back with minimal resistance. If there is a catch point someplace while turning the wheel then the rack may have damaged during the accident. That is a simple place to start. It is not uncommon for a rack to be "bent" during impacts. I guess I would also ask was there any damage to the front suspension/tires during the accident? If so, then I would most certainly be checking the rack for damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccordHEART Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 does the steering seem heavy? sounds like there might be something partially clogged and is increasing pressure on the system. removing the power steering belt didn't hurt anything on my car. Steering seems fine to me really. It's the only car I've ever driven though for more than a few minutes though. Steering in other cars seems easy, so I guess to someone who doesn't drive the car it would seem heavy. Yeh, if the P/S is hard to turn - "heavy" - then you probably have something going on that is increasing the high pressure. I would start by putting the car up on jack stands, with the car off, you should be able to use a finger to turn the steering wheel from lock to lock position and back with minimal resistance. If there is a catch point someplace while turning the wheel then the rack may have damaged during the accident. That is a simple place to start. It is not uncommon for a rack to be "bent" during impacts. I guess I would also ask was there any damage to the front suspension/tires during the accident? If so, then I would most certainly be checking the rack for damage. There was no damage to the front suspension/tires, as far as I know. I've had a few mechanics hint at the rack being damaged before, but none of them could find the 'tools' to check the pressure. Thanks for your input. I most certainly will try the jack stands/turning the wheel thing and post back later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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