'67 power steering hose break - help!

[Alexander D.]

1967 Corvette coupe with factory power steering. 300hp 327 engine, stock configuration.

As I was parking my '67 coupe in the garage yesterday I noticed it took progressively more effort to turn the steering wheel. Once parked, I turned off the car and opened the hood to see steam rising and could smell something burning. Soon it became apparent that a hose or fitting to the power steering rack had sprung a leak, spraying fluid onto the bottom of the car including the head pipes and bottom of the firewall. A puddle of fluid under the car confirmed my suspicion as to the source of the problem. Sure enough, when I removed the cap to the pump, the reservoir looked almost empty

I haven't yet got under the car to determine the exact source of the leak, but I suspect one of the hoses has burst.

So, to my questions:

1. Should I replace all hoses on the power steering unit under the car? If one went, then the others can't be far behind, so might as well replace them all, correct?
2. Is changing the hoses a difficult job for the 'average' backyard mechanic? Or should I delegate this job to a shop?
3. The various Corvette suppliers offer the four hoses only for about $65, and refresh kits including new or rebuilt valve, cylinder and the hoses from $340 (rebuilt) to $480 (new).
4. Should I refresh the system with new valve and cylinder when I replace the hoses? Should I go with all new parts, or would a rebuilt valve and cylinder be okay? Seeing as many are reporting problems with rebuilt parts, would I be better off to pay the extra $100 for new stuff?
5. Lastly, anyone care to recommend a supplier for these parts? Or do all the vendors get them from the same manufacturer?

I have no idea how old the steering stuff in my car is, but it has been untouched in the 8 years I've owned the car, which is why I'm thinking to refresh the system instead of just replacing the hoses.

Thanks in advance for your advice and help.

[Joe L.]

Re: '67 power steering hose break - help!

1967 Corvette coupe with factory power steering. 300hp 327 engine, stock configuration.

As I was parking my '67 coupe in the garage yesterday I noticed it took progressively more effort to turn the steering wheel. Once parked, I turned off the car and opened the hood to see steam rising and could smell something burning. Soon it became apparent that a hose or fitting to the power steering rack had sprung a leak, spraying fluid onto the bottom of the car including the head pipes and bottom of the firewall. A puddle of fluid under the car confirmed my suspicion as to the source of the problem. Sure enough, when I removed the cap to the pump, the reservoir looked almost empty

I haven't yet got under the car to determine the exact source of the leak, but I suspect one of the hoses has burst.

So, to my questions:

1. Should I replace all hoses on the power steering unit under the car? If one went, then the others can't be far behind, so might as well replace them all, correct?
2. Is changing the hoses a difficult job for the 'average' backyard mechanic? Or should I delegate this job to a shop?
3. The various Corvette suppliers offer the four hoses only for about $65, and refresh kits including new or rebuilt valve, cylinder and the hoses from $340 (rebuilt) to $480 (new).
4. Should I refresh the system with new valve and cylinder when I replace the hoses? Should I go with all new parts, or would a rebuilt valve and cylinder be okay? Seeing as many are reporting problems with rebuilt parts, would I be better off to pay the extra $100 for new stuff?
5. Lastly, anyone care to recommend a supplier for these parts? Or do all the vendors get them from the same manufacturer?

I have no idea how old the steering stuff in my car is, but it has been untouched in the 8 years I've owned the car, which is why I'm thinking to refresh the system instead of just replacing the hoses.

Thanks in advance for your advice and help.

Alexander------

1) I'd definitely recommend replacing all of the hoses. These hoses are life-limited pieces and they are not really all that expensive;

2) I don't know what your skill level is but replacing the hoses is really not a very difficult job, at all;

3) If your valve or cylinder is leaking, which is likely, I'd replace them. Properly rebuilt parts are probably as good as new since the GM sourced parts are no longer available. If strict originality is important to you, that would be another reason to go with rebuilt original parts. I'd also consider replacing the power steering pump, especially if it's never been replaced.

[Alexander D.]

Re: '67 power steering hose break - help!

Thanks Joe for your input. I'll be getting under the car tomorrow to diagnose the leak.

My local parts jobber can source all 4 power steering hoses locally for less than $100. These are EDELMANN brand, which are Made in USA.

Update to follow.

[Alexander D.]

Re: '67 power steering hose break - help!

The source of my catastrophic leak was the high pressure hose from the pump coming apart, spraying fluid everywhere:

The disconnected hose can be seen at upper left

Below is the old hose that came apart. Is this an original style hose? I doubt the original hoses would last 53 years!


The hose separated from the fitting

I bought a complete set of four PS hoses, obtained from my local parts jobber for under $100.


The brand name is EDELMANN. This is a USA company, but the bags say the parts are made in Mexico.

I put the car up on ramps and crawled underneath with my creeper. It was a bit tight under there, but everything was accessible. I cleaned and de-greased the PS ram cylinder, the control valve and related parts.

Then came time to replace the broken hose. I had to soak the fittings with PB Blaster and wait a while as I couldn't budge the fitting nuts by hand. I used a set of line wrenches to avoid rounding off the nuts, and was able to remove them once the PB Blaster had done its job. The nut to the PS pump is supposed to be torqued very tight, but there was no way I could get a torque wrench in there. So I just gorilla'd the nut really tight and hoped for the best.


Here is the new high pressure PS hose installed


Zap strap used to tie hoses together

The AIM says there's supposed to be a clip installed to tie the PS pump hoses together. Well, there was no clip on my car. So, I tied the hoses together using a zap strap, as can be seen here.

I then bled the system by putting the car on jack stands to remove the weight from the front wheels so they could be turned lock-to-lock as I checked the fluid level and condition. At first there was quite a bit of foam in the fluid, but this soon cleared up. Then a test drive and leak check - all good!

I didn't tackle replacing the other 3 hoses at this time - that'll be a winter project. My priority is getting the car back on the road to enjoy the remaining good cruising weather.

Thanks everyone for your advice, which gave me the confidence to tackle the repair myself.

[Joe L.]

Re: '67 power steering hose break - help!

The source of my catastrophic leak was the high pressure hose from the pump coming apart, spraying fluid everywhere:

The disconnected hose can be seen at upper left

Below is the old hose that came apart. Is this an original style hose? I doubt the original hoses would last 53 years!


The hose separated from the fitting

I bought a complete set of four PS hoses, obtained from my local parts jobber for under $100.


The brand name is EDELMANN. This is a USA company, but the bags say the parts are made in Mexico.

I put the car up on ramps and crawled underneath with my creeper. It was a bit tight under there, but everything was accessible. I cleaned and de-greased the PS ram cylinder, the control valve and related parts.

Then came time to replace the broken hose. I had to soak the fittings with PB Blaster and wait a while as I couldn't budge the fitting nuts by hand. I used a set of line wrenches to avoid rounding off the nuts, and was able to remove them once the PB Blaster had done its job. The nut to the PS pump is supposed to be torqued very tight, but there was no way I could get a torque wrench in there. So I just gorilla'd the nut really tight and hoped for the best.


Here is the new high pressure PS hose installed


Zap strap used to tie hoses together

The AIM says there's supposed to be a clip installed to tie the PS pump hoses together. Well, there was no clip on my car. So, I tied the hoses together using a zap strap, as can be seen here.

I then bled the system by putting the car on jack stands to remove the weight from the front wheels so they could be turned lock-to-lock as I checked the fluid level and condition. At first there was quite a bit of foam in the fluid, but this soon cleared up. Then a test drive and leak check - all good!

I didn't tackle replacing the other 3 hoses at this time - that'll be a winter project. My priority is getting the car back on the road to enjoy the remaining good cruising weather.

Thanks everyone for your advice, which gave me the confidence to tackle the repair myself.

Alexander-------


The hose you picture in the first two photos is not an original GM hose, either PRODUCTION or SERVICE (which are the same). I do not know what the source of it is. I've never seen one with that sort of fitting.

[Leif A.]

Re: '67 power steering hose break - help!

Glad you got it sorted. Appreciate the follow-up...so many don't.

[Dan B.]

Re: '67 power steering hose break - help!

One last suggestion is to take a look at the AIM which specifies the angles the new hoses need to be installed at so as not to have a binding point during the range of steering travel. I'd also recommend turning the steering form stop to stop and looking for any overstretched hoses as they are in constant motion.