Gen1 V8 PS pressure hose part

[theophile]

So my car is in the shop for power steering pump (and evidently high pressure line) replacement. The shop reports that they've ordered and tried three different pressure lines that say they are for this car ('02 Sport V8) but they don't fit because they're "too long." He said they tried another part that doesn't work because the threads are different. He says the dealership doesn't have the part because it's too old. They apparently have another part coming tomorrow they're going to try but they're not sure what to do if that one doesn't work.

I asked him to please send me pictures of the stock line next to one of the ones that is "too long." He said he would but I don't have them yet (will post if/when I get them).

Is this a thing? I searched (though not extensively) and didn't find reports of "too long" pressure lines that don't fit like they're supposed to. Any theories as to what the issue might be?

 

[joegr]

I wonder if they are routing it correctly.
I know that there can (or maybe could) be issues with the pressure sensor. I think on some it was on the pump, and others in the middle of the high pressure hose assembly.
I vaguely remember my father having to go to one of the industrial hydraulic shops in town to get them to custom make a high pressure hose for an F-150 he had. That may be an option for you as well.

 

[oddball]

Yeah, that doesn't make much sense. The aftermarket replacement units are universal - they have a pressure port with a supplied plug. So if your car had the sensor on the hose then just put the sensor on the bung, if the sensor is on the pump then just install the plug.

Maybe they're confused about the steering pump vs the fan pump? Trying to use the steering hose on the fan circuit won't work. The fan circuit hose does not appear to be readily available.

 

[theophile]

I stopped by the shop today to put eyeballs on what's going on. Here's a picture of the Duralast part next to the stock one they removed:

The mechanic says (and I can see) that the "U" bend on the Duralast protrudes slightly further out than on the stock part. He says that being shaped this way, he can't position it in place to attach the fittings, and that if he attached it to the pump before installing the pump, the bend would hit the motor. He said the part he ordered from O'Reilly is shaped the same way.

He ordered a "Sunsong" part that has the right geometry, but the female end of the line is missing the inside bevel that the stock part has:

Because of this, he says that when he starts to tighten the fitting, the teflon washer bulges out and deforms instead of seating and sealing as intended. He ordered a second Sunsong part on the assumption that the first one might have been a factory defect, but the second one was also missing the bevel. (Incidentally, the Sunsong product photo on Rockauto shows no bevel.)

I asked why they couldn't just use the stock part and he pointed out that the male side is bent slightly:

He said that it looks like someone previously replaced the A/C compressor and pushed on this part rather than removing it in the process. (This same shop did replace my compressor about 8 years ago.) He said that it appeared to be working fine and not leaking when attached to the old PS pump, but with the new pump installed, he said the stock pressure line doesn't quite line up with the ports and he's wary of trying to bend it back into shape.

I see that Rockauto has the Motorcraft part in stock and that will probably be what I end up doing but in the meantime, I'm interested to hear if anyone has encountered these issues before. It's bizarre to me that these aftermarket parts would be manufactured in such a way that they don't physically fit or that they don't seal properly.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Aftermarket parts tend to always be fudged up. They say "meets or exceeds OEM specs" ... which is a lie.

A tubing bender and a vice might help get the fitting to go in straight. If all else fails Vintage Parts may have the OEM hose.

And there's a reason why I don't buy Durajunk parts.

 

[theophile]

So the ending of the story (hopefully) is that the mechanic was able to force the existing pressure line back on and tighten it down. I've had the car back for 5 days and so far so good!