(1989 XJ 4.0 With stock power steering)

I have known I had a slow PS fluid leak for a while, originally assuming it was the pitman shaft seals, but after fishing out an aluminum seal that fell in the reservoir from the new bottle of PS fluid, I noticed fresh fluid coming out of the high pressure line right where that metal crimped onto the hose behind the pump. Seems like a pretty straight forward fix being that it is all on the top side of the engine for the most part. I heard that a 3/4 wrap wrench is needed to undo the bolts? Does anyone have a picture of that thing so I know what to look for at the store? And what size is it? Also where should I buy replacement hoses? I want to replace both since the return hose looks like it's ready to fall apart. Also, it looks like I should take out the E-fan so I can get to the hose bolts on the top of the steering box? Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

I could be misunderstanding, but I think what you're looking for is a flare nut wrench for use on the fittings. It wraps around the fitting to avoid slipping off and rounding it. I'm not sure of the size, but you ought to just buy a set of them, because they come in handy. You can check the size with a regular crescent wrench if you just want to buy a single wrench, but check all of them to make sure they're all the same size.



Crowfoot flare nut wrenches can also come in handy if there's not space to get a full length wrench in there.



These are Snap On in the pics, but you can get them in Craftsman, Kobalt and a number of other brands.

 

I got my replacement lines from Rock Auto (leaking the same place), and they've been solid. It's easier to do both lines at once, so you're all set there. Just remember which line goes on top when you pull them off. It's a tight squeeze, but pulling the airbox and possibly the efan helps a lot. Refill with power steering fluid, not ATF.

 

I've done them numerous times without fancy wrenches.

And pulling the air box and E-fan is great advice!!

 

I've done mine with regular wrenches, but the fittings weren't seized at all and came right out without threatening to round off.

 

I recently did mine. I can't remember if I removed the airbox and e-fan, but it's so easy to remove both that it's well worth your time to remove them. I didn't use line wrenches. It's a piece of cake. Fortunately, the leaking PS fluid has been soaking the threads for some time.

 

Awesome! Thank you everyone for your advice! Going to order both hoses right now. Do I need anything to seal the threads apart from loctite?

 

Mine was really stuck on there and had to use a pipe wrench to get it off.

 

Loctite? I wouldn't use that. You don't need to seal the threads since it's a flared fitting like brake lines. The threads aren't what creates the seal.

 

There are o-rings........

 

Hey now, it's my first time replacing them, I don't know what to expect. lol

 

I'm not worried about you. I'm more worried about inaccurate info in this thread.

 

Of course. Thank you for the advise, as always!

 

Indeed there are. I stand corrected.

 

Are you guys done yet?