Power steering return hose
 

Alright, I'm trying to replace my steering box but when I try to loosen the return hose fitting its rusted to the metal hose and twists it around. I've shopped around and nobody has been able to sell me the right return hose - all that I've been able to obtain is a rubber hose that's sold by the foot - and this is the same part listed at sites online and every part store I've gone to.

What I'm looking for is a metal hose that comes out of the steering box, turns toward the front of the car, bends down and runs parallel along the bottom of the radiator, it makes a U-turn and doubles back along the same route and back up to the power steering pump. Everybody's trying to sell me a rubber hose when its supposed to be metal with a fitting on one side to go in the steering box. Can anybody help me out here? A part number maybe? A site that has what I'm looking for?

The part of it that makes the big loop under the radiator is a power steering fluid cooler. You could make that yourself out of brake line.

THe one you're looking for is only a few inches long, then there's a short piece of rubber line, then the cooler; the opposit end of the cooler attached to a longer piece of rubber line that goes to the pump. It's built that way because the cooler and the gear were obviously installed to the body at different points along the production line.

I have never seen a listing for that little stub at the gear... probably a junkyard item. Lots of cars have the same fitting on their gears, A B and G bodies for example.

The hose is continuous from the steering box, down the radiator, and back - then it has a rubber hose (about 10" long) clamped to it to return it to the power steering pump. This is a very long continuous piece of piping that I'd have to replace.

Hmm.... mine has the fitting in the gear, then an elbow toward the front of the car, then it goes about 4 or 5", then ha the rubber line section, only about 2" long; obviously all factory in my case. Maybe you could do the same thing... cut a sction of the steel line out close to the gear and put hose barbs on it with a flaring tool, and get the little elbow part off some other car and hose barb it too..

That's why I hate tubing. You think you're turning the nut, then a minute later, you find out the tube was rusted to the nut- and you've just snapped a tube. :( (Think "brakes" and welcome to my hell!)

You could try scoring another p/s cooler from a junkyard. I always wondered how much that little pipe really helps... earlier f-bodies didn't have 'em. (or, at least, earlier V6 f-bodies didn't have them.) You could always use an aftermarket cooler, too.

I like the idea of making a new one out of brake line, too. Worst case, you just make the fitting for the steering gear, then attach it to the "remainder" of your p/s cooling tube with a short piece of high pressure hose. Actually, I think it could just be regular fuel line- that's the return side, and the return side doesn't take much pressure, does it?

Lately when I reassemble tube nuts, I put some anti-sieze on the section of tubing that comes into contact with the inside of the tube nut. Especially for my fuel filter lines!