Power steering leak on 1995 Ford Ranger

[Brian]

I went to the store earlier today and on the way back I noticed that it was difficult to turn the steering wheel left or right. It also made a loud grinding noise when I did. I’m no mechanic, but I’ll try to explain the next part the best I can. When I got home I immediately checked to see if the truck was out of power steering fluid and it was.

I then noticed that right below where you check the power steering fluid was all wet and I found that a rusted line was the culprit. I found a pic online of what it looks like and circled the part that’s rusted. Do I need to replace the entire line or just the part that’s rusted (if that’s even sold separately)? Is this something that’s hard to replace? Any advice at all would really be appreciated.

1995 Ford Ranger 2.3 auto

Topic

[Shaun Flichel]

best to replace the whole line, when its that rusted out, the rest of the line will be weak as well. remember to use a flare nut wrench

[Bill]

That is the high pressure line. You would have to ask an Auto parts store if there are 2 pieces to it. The hose in the pic appears to be in 2 pieces but it might depend on the brand of line. It shouldn’t be too hard to change but it depends on your ability and required tools.

[Brian]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Matt Brandsema]

Absolutely replace the whole line. I do not even think they sell the line in two separate parts.

In general, the difficulty of the job is dependent on how easy it is to get to the power steering rack connections. Normally it isn’t too bad of a job, just disconnect both ends of the hose, take it out, put the new one in (routed in the same or similar manner), and connect it up. Then fill the system with fluid, and bleed it out. This can be done by keeping the reservoir open and turning the steering wheel back and fourth while the car is running.
(Note that when you first fill it up, the fluid will go down when you turn the wheel and you need to keep adding fluid so you do not run the pump dry.)
Hopefully you did not run the pump dry too long and damage it.

[twiggy]

I did the same job in 1996 Ford Ranger several years ago as they too were rusted through. It wasn’t that difficult to change. I just got the part from the Ford dealer paid about $45 for two lines as I figured everything was exposed to the same conditions leading to the rust through in one spot and I only wanted to do this repair once.

[Brian]

Just thought I’d post a quick update. I picked up a replacement line (the entire line) at Advance Auto and had my brother put it on for me. It took him about an hour to do so at least that’s one problem that’s fixed on the old truck. He did point out to me though that a few other lines were also starting to look extremely rusty so it probably won’t be long until they crumble as well. BTW, is there any way to prevent this rust in the future or is this just normal with older vehicles and wear and tear? Thanks again for all of the tips and advice folks.

[twiggy]

The first line lasted 18 years without any help, I wouldn’t worry about it.

[Shaun Flichel]

once rust starts, its near impossible to stop, you have to eliminate the rusty metal altogether. just like twiggy said, it lasted 18 years, it lived a good life.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Glad you found the line and got it fixed. As pointed out, there really is no way to prevent rust. Once it sets in, it’s there forever. Like Neil Young said, Rust Never Sleeps. Thanks for the updates and for using the ETCG forum.

[Author]

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