Greetings to all. Today I noticed a slight noise coming from the power steering pump (1994 Montero SR), and a decreased function in the power steering. I raised the hood and found that it was leaking fluid where the power steering line enters the top of the power steering pump:




I first tried tightening the 17mm bolt, but that did not stop the leak. So, I loosened the bolt and removed the end of the line. It has a slight flare on the end and a small ORing:








I cant tell if the ORing was made with a taper, or if the taper is just due to it being compressed over the years. So, I tried using a standard O-Ring, and also used teflon tape on the threaded hold-down nut:






I removed the Power Steering Resevoir Top, and saw some old greasy dirt stuck on the inside of the filter:







I used QTips to remove the crap from the inside of the filter, and then flushed it with some old gas, and put the clean filter back, and added fluid:




I cranked up the engine, and found the line still leaking at the same spot......leaking around the end of the line where it goes into the 17mm nut which I just worked on. Has anyone else had this problem before?

It was odd that when I tightened the 17mm nut, it went all the way down without any extra threads to get a super tight connection. Is there a specific type of ORing that should be used here? Any suggestions?

 

I think that taper on the old O-ring is from just being squished there for ages. My only suggestion would be to try a little thicker O-ring to see if it will compress better against the flare in the pipe. Also, I don't think you need Teflon tape on the nut, since the seal is accomplished via the O-ring.

 

Hunter.......oakkie doakkie......I will try a larger dia. ORing and see if that helps. Hopfully not a crack on the inner workings of the fitting connection area.

 

Power Steering leak update:

Well, I tried several different sizes of new ORings, but that did not work......was still leaking around the metal line where it connects to the top of the pump. I even tried doubling up the ORings, but still kept leaking.
So, I ordered a new high pressure line from Rock Auto for only $7. When it arrived, I found that it was the wrong line.....perhaps for other Montero models. Here is a pic of the wrong one (about 4 times longer) and the factory line:




Before giving up on the old factory line, I decided to put a rubber hose on one end and hold my finger on the other.......and then blow air into the line. When I did this, I could tell that there was a very small air leak in the line:




It was leaking on the end that connects to the pump, but not around the ORing.....it had a fine crack where the hold-down nut puts pressure on the line, only about a millimeter from the ORing (but on the other side of that pressed/stamped ridge on the line):




Does anyone know why they even use this type of fitting end, instead of the normal type of metal line connection end? The other end of this line has the normal type of fitting connection (without using ORings), so why did they opt to have this wierd flange end with an Oring on the pump end?

I searched through my supply of brake line connectors, but did not have one this large. I had snipped the new line and was re-bending it to match the original line when I realized I did not have the proper connector. So, to bring a close to a late day repair effort, I had to "rob peter to pay paul"......I stole the line from another 94 Montero, and will have to replace that one when I have time.

Put the scavenged line on, along with a new ORing, added more power steering fluid, and cranked her up......No Runs, No Drips, No Errors, as Johnny would say.

I checked Rock Auto, and they do not have the correct replacement line for my 94 Montero SR. Nor does Advance Auto or anyone else. Does anyone have a source for this correct size "shorty" power steering high pressure line?

 

StudebakerHawk, I'm glad you were able to figure out what was causing the leak. It makes sense that a hairline crack after the step and after the o-ring would be the culprit. That is a very unusual style of the crimping on the metal hose. I seriously doubt you can duplicate it yourself as a DIY option. I looked at my parts sources and could not find anything to help you with that. As far a making a replacement, I think your best option is to convert to AN fitting style and AN braided hose. You can find an adapter that can screw into the PS pump that converts that outlet to AN style fitting. After that all you need to do is to attach an AN-6 (maybe AN-4) size connector and hose and route it to where it needs to go on the other end. Depending on geometry of the PS pump and where the hose needs to go, you can start with a 45 or 90 degree connector at PS pump an run a braided line all the way to the steering box. You an get all sorts of AN fittings at Summit racing. I had good success with them when I converted transmission cooler lines and a portion of gasoline supply line to the carburetor to braided hose on my RV. Take your time to figure out the correct thread size and type on the "parent" part. After you find proper adapter that fits in there, it is almost too simple.

 

Hunter......Thanks for your input......good suggestions.
Do you think that they make a crimping tool that will create that "step" crimp? Probably not an inexpensive DIY type.
I think I will take the old line to NAPA and see what the expert there has to say.....maybe he has something in-house that will work.

I actually was able to rebend that long line which I got from Rock.....but it aint pretty, and has a nasty crimp in the last bend.....DOH! I blew air through it, and it seems to have plenty of flow, so I might go ahead and give it a try on my other non-tagged 94 Monty (too nice to be a parts truck, but still needing TLC to be road-worthy).

 

Hunter......Well, I did some searching and found the original power steering upper pressure line at Mitsubishi Parts Warehouse, and the total price with shipping was about $25.......not too bad. Good to have the original part instead of rigging up something different.
For those interested, the Mitsubishi part number is: MB922959