salad

Yep. Check out some videos on YouTube of power steering fires. The hot exhaust that's burning the sprayed PS fluid sits just underneath the fuel line...

extrashaky

Yeah, go ahead and do it. Better to be safe than sorry, and this is usually one of the easier repairs if you don't have serious rust seizing the fittings. Mine really did take about half an hour, and it took terzdesign two hours after he ran into problems. The hoses will be available locally.

I'll say again, make sure you use a flare nut wrench, the kind that wraps 3/4 of the way around the nut, to make sure you don't round off the fitting. And be sure to burp the system afterward. I think the service manual says to jack up the front end and turn the wheel lock to lock several times with the truck running. I just did mine on the ground and had no problems, although I think you're supposed to jack it up to keep from putting a lot of stress on a pump running dry because of air bubbles.

Smashley

Thx. I'll have to take it in... I have zero auto experience, not sure this is the place to start.

Smashley

What's this about a stop-leak additive that I can try adding to the PS reservoir (found online - not on this forum)? Is this worth trying or a bad bandaid solution?

"Just visit a local automotive spare parts store where you should have a power steering stop-leak additive. You need to add this stop-leak to the power steering fluid cylinder and fill the empty space (if any) with power steering fluid till the level reaches the 'full' mark."

Radi

The only one worth half-a-damn is Lucas PS stop leak and it only works on bad seals. It increases the pump pressure and will make a split hose or fitting leak worse.

Fix it sooner rather than later. I let a (I thought very minor) hose leak go in a different car, when it blew it soaked my front driver's side disc brake as I was hitting an off ramp. That made for a fun lets-not-go-sideways experience.

kansas-klx

FWIW, if you don't have a second person around to turn the steering wheel, just remove the air box and use a wrench on the flats of the steering shaft. Heck, I suppose if you're strong enough, you may be able to grab the steering u-joint directly at the steering box and do it by hand.

I figured this out in a dire moment when nobody else was around to turn the wheel for me.

Since we're dealing with a pressure leak issue, here, it may be wise to wear goggles or a face shield while doing it this way since your face is going to be pretty close to the action. I imagine a squirt of PS fluid in an eye or a flare-up off the exhaust could ruin someone's day in a hurry without some protection.

Smashley

Well I don't know what kind of hose the mechanic buys, but it's definitely not $15!!! OUCH. How do I go about finding a local dude who knows Jeeps? Haha

extrashaky

How much were you quoted? I'm guessing they'll charge you a full hour for the labor. At a dealership that's probably $50 for the hose and $120 for labor. So $170? Or did they add another $20 for "shop costs"? Firestone would probably try to sell you a whole new power steering pump.

You don't actually need a "Jeep guy" for this repair. It's a very simple, generic replacement.

I found the mechanic I use when I can't or don't want to do something myself by just searching Google for "auto repair" in my city and reading reviews of the various small shops. This guy had really good reviews. I dropped by and met him. He had a Ford rat rod in the garage that he and his dad built. There was a '63 Corvette hood hanging from the rafters. He told me he works on cars to support his car habit. The last time I was there his dad was custom welding a new header for an LS swap into an old 40s panel truck. After a few minor repairs, I ended up having him do my engine swap.

He'll actually install parts I bring him, so sometimes I'll just order what I need installed, then drop by and ask him if he'll install it for labor. Rock Auto has a Gates hose for $11.16. Advance Auto has a Carquest hose for $17.39. All this requires is a hose, power steering fluid and a flare nut wrench. For something like this, I doubt my guy would have charged me more than $50-$60. Even if he provided the part, I doubt he would mark it up more than a few bucks.

There's usually a shop or two like this in every city. Google first to find a few good candidates. Then call around and ask for a quote to replace a power steering pressure hose. Armed with the knowledge from this thread, it should be pretty clear to you who is BS'ing you.

HelenEnders

I realized yesterday i have a leak in my power steering. I have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport (XJ)

it seems to be coming from the bottom of the metal piece to the left of the power steering reservoir, behind the serpentine belt (sorry- not sure what this part is).

it's pretty much sprayed all over everything around & I tried washing it off the best i can, and added some Lucas Stop Leak since it's saturday and i won't be able to get to a mechanic until at least monday...

turned the jeep back on, haven't driven it but let it run, and in about 3 minutes suddenly there was some white rubber smelling smoke coming out. from a different spot- closer to the engine block (to the right of it)

sorry for the vague description- if anyone has any links to where things are under the hood. i'd love a point in that direction. i'm trying to upload a picture/video of the smoking- but it's proving to be difficult.

MWMahoneyJr

You have the same problem as these other guys. Go get a new hose and install it. Or have a local mechanic fix it. Not a big deal.