Awhile back I worked on a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT V6 with a bum power steering pressure line. Fluid leaks down from the line above the strut tower and drips back down the frame.
Getting the vehicle running in the first place was a challenge because it wasn't at my garage, so I had to toddle off to get it, change a flat tire and re-inflate the rest, plus put enough P/S fluid to get it to do anything without burning out the pump. It hadn't been started since last summer, so it needed a jump, and the transmission wanted to stick in 4WD, too. After a spongy-brake drive down the road with a growling wheel bearing I had it parked in the shade and jacked up.
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| Right above (behind) the driver side tower is where all the good shit is. |
Based on my internet research, the easiest way to tackle this was to go through the driver side fender well and remove the wheel, then the fender liner shield. The P/S line is behind the tower inside the engine compartment, but they're squiggly enough to make it easier to remove this way. The salt water and junk ends up not draining and sits against the steel lines causing rust and the eventual leak in the line I'm replacing. Apparently this is a common issue for these GM vehicles, and they always rust through here according to the internet. There are two lines that run through this location (a return to the radiator cooler and the pressure side, both connected to the steering rack), so I replaced both at the same time.
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| Underside of driver side bumper and radiator. |
Disconnecting the return line was easy. Undo the clamp and pull it off the radiator P/S cooler. Fluid will go everywhere. If I'd known then... so don't do what Donny Don't does and put a catch pan or a rag over the lines. I used kitty litter and cleaned up after.
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| That's no flavored crust. |
The lines were held on with about four of these clamps screwed into the frame. After undoing the machine screws, the lines had a little more wiggle and I could bend the metal clamps apart to take them off the line for reuse later.
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| Reduce, reuse, recycle. |
I kept the grommets and the clamps so the new lines don't vibrate too much and rub when I put it back together. There is one clamp that fixes the pressure line across the front, under the fan and next to the engine crank pulley, which was the second-hardest bolt to remove on this project. Two extensions and a universal joint socket worked to remove the screw from the top.
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| Can you believe this shit? |
Once I had all the clamps off, I disconnected the pressure line from under the P/S reservoir. It's a double flared fitting and a flare wrench only barely fits into the cramped engine compartment to loosen (no pics, sorry). I removed most of the fluid from the reservoir with a turkey baster, but it will go everywhere again.
At the other end, the two lines are connected to the rack by a bracket fixed to one of the lines. I enrolled in some automotive yoga classes before I got a socket on it.
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| You. Rusty. Fucker. |
Finally, I removed the battery tray because you honestly need the room to remove the steering lines. There are a handful of nuts and bolts holding it to the engine compartment and I unbolted one of the horns forward of the tray to get at the bolts underneath.
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| So many nuts. |
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| Might have to move the cable harness holders, too. |
When I bought the replacement parts I learned there are two versions of the power steering lines and seals for the rack. One is the same as the factory and one is improved for "easier" installation. I used the easier one that comes with a separate bracket; gives you some flexibility in inserting the lines to the correct ports and fastening. There was a tip on a forum that a new bolt was needed with the revised design, as the factory bolt (M6x20mm) to attach the bracket has no threading on the very end and won't catch. I went to the parts/hardware store and picked up a few extras. The new design also uses o-rings instead of the press fit cup seals from the factory. The old seals had to come out, which I did from the top of the engine with a L-shape pick.
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| Old bracket style. New version of line has a separate bracket. |
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| Middle of image is the ports on the rack, deep in the belly of the iron beast. The old cup seal is visible in the driver side port. |
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| New lines in place and the bracket fitted, ready to be bolted down. |
Installation is the reverse of removal, except stupid. Where the old lines could come out by pulling them over the strut tower and backed out from the top of the engine compartment, I had to twist and grunt and pull the new lines through from the top only. The pressure line is especially difficult because it's much longer and reaches across the front of the vehicle, plus I had to re-route it several times after it went over the wrong parts of the wire harness. I didn't get any images of that process because it sucks. The wire harness is mostly in the way and I ended up disconnecting many of the plastic hangers and even undid the three large data connections on the intake manifold up top.
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| My socket wrench just can't do the job without performance enhancing extensions. Basic sockets still be all up on it, tho. |
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| Torqued for my pleasure. |
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| So shiny. Brackets go here. |
Once I felt confident the flare nut was tight on the P/S reservoir and the lines sealed at both ends, I reattached three of the brackets and skipped one big one behind the strut tower. I kept the big rubber grommet on it, however. After that, I simply buttoned everything back up and put the battery tray in, put the wire harnesses back in some sort of order. I won't say that it'll be the same as when it came from the factory, but she'll run.
In total, I probably spent a good 12 hours on this project over several days. The most frustrating thing was getting the old lines out and new ones in place. It wasn't a hard job, but I can see why a shop might quote 800 bucks P+L for the whole thing.
