blown P/S line
 

I appear to have blown a power steering line the other morning and now my baby is sitting in the driveway until I get the money for repairs. Can anyone tell me if any special parts are necessary or should my local mechanic be able to make a new one easily? If a special line(s) is needed how much do they run? Anyone else have to do this recently and if so how much $ for the repair?

Thanks!

Depends which line it is. If it's the low pressure line you should be able to do it yourself for less than $5. The high pressure line will be more work - Have not had to do that myself so no idea on the cost.

I have done both. They look more difficult than they really are. It is quite easy to do. The only problem is the price of the pressure line. Check with Kerven Subaru for that part. :)

Any idea where it broke? The high pressure line is metal and runs across the top of the engine on passenger side to the back, down the back and then across the bottom. Drive on any dirt roads lately?

I replaced my high pressure line myself. Other than the cost of the part it was fairly straighforward. Be prepared to get ATF in your eye when you are under the car. :D :D

Make SURE you have some angled wrenches! Getting to the fitting on the top of the rack can be a *****, and especially the bolt that secures the line to the crossmember with its little bracket. Definitely a four-letter word kind of removal/reinstallation on that one.

Either line shouldn't be that hard to change. If you take out the airtube going to the throttle bodys you shouldn't even have to get under the car. The hoses unattach right at the bottom of the crossmember there. You shouldn't have to take anything off the rack unless you snaped on of the steel lines that run along it. like I said if you take of the intake off the intake tube you should have a very clear view of both hoses, it should be obvious wich one is leaking and witch one is the pressure hose. The pressure hose is bolted together and the return hose just has hose clamps on it, you might want to chech the hose clamp on the return line,after time they get loose and can let the hose pop off.

You guys are awesome! Freak, thanks for the suggestion. Anything to avoid crawling under the car is most welcome indeed. I changed the oil filter for the first time 2 weeks ago and due to a stripped head on one of the bolts I was unable to remove the aero pan. What a b***h getting enough leverage to loosen the filter by hand, not to mention the mess on the driveway as the excess oil ran out all the holes in the aeropan. If I can get to the hoses from above I will be so grateful and will not have to take it to the shop.

No, John, no idea and no dirt roads. I cringe when forced to take the rare gravel road to a friends house.

Thanks Earl! I had just assumed it was going to be difficult and nearly decided to not even frustrate myself by attempting it myself.

That's my kiind of repair cost, Immortal!

I hear folks talk about putting the SVX on ramps to get some clearance when working under the car. Do you have some kind of low profile ramps? I have a set of 4 standard ramps that worked great when I used them on my Trooper but they will not work on the SVX The bumper hits on the front and there is no way to get any under the sills for the rear end. Even with a large floor jack raised all the way on a corner, I can't seem to get much room to do any work. If I could trust some cross member to bear the weight from the center of the car (between the front wheels) so I could put my jack stands in the proper location it would make a difference.

I will likely tackle the P/S leak this Thursday and Friday when I have off. I'm just glad I only work 1.3 miles from home. There is a trail of drips out the driveway and down the road and back from the day they spung the leak. It could have been much worse had it broke during this weekend when I made 2 trips to Reading. Driving the wagon sucks compared to taking the SVX. :p

Thanks again for the tips! :)