Pinhole Leak Power Steering. Use Sealer ?

No. Don't do it. You might manage to fix the leak for a while, but then the thing will fail catastrophically. You are just putting off the disaster.

As it is, it isn't leaking a huge amount.... get a replacement hose and a can of PB Blaster right now, before it gets to the point where you have to replace it immediately.

--scott

Or to the point where it blows out and dumps a load of hydraulic fluid on a 1000 degree exhaust manifold.... :-/

That happened after I replaced the hose on my father's Dodge (designed by Chrysler so the battery tray sawed through the hose) but because the fitting was ecentric. NAPA didn't have any more in stock, and all the discount stores and Car Quest carried only something that was completely wrong. So I took the old hose to an A/C shop, and they replaced just the rubber part.

if it's in a straight part of the hose put a hose clamp around it. If you want to get fancy put a piece of rubber between the hose and the clamp.

Umm, sealant won't work. You have to replace the hose. I once used a basin wrench to replace a power steering hose since it was so hard to get to.

Find time, please -- preferably this very weekend. Of the four times I've used a fire extinguisher on a car, and two other uses by firsthand acquaintances, five were caused by a pinhole in the high hose on the power steering.

It emits an aerosol that can find its way onto something hot, like an exhaust manifold. The stuff burns with an underachieving smoky yellow flame, but burn it does, and even if you are in a position to extinguish it promptly (meaning both possession of a fire extinguisher and being near a safe place to pull over and use it) the fire can wreak a lot of havoc with underhood wiring and rubber parts -- especially if it gets into the hood insulation blanket.

Number six, incidentally, was a fire of unknown origin in front of the dask of a Jaguar XKE. Its owner pulled out a dashboard access panel of some kind, discharged some of a dry chemical extinguisher into the general area, laid it on the seat in case the need arose again, and continued to work. Using an antique Jag as your grocery getter is not for the faint of heart.

--Joe

That leak will get bigger as time goes by.Get a flare wrench, and a new hose from the car dealership parts department.Put a new hose on there. cuhulin

Are you pimping for dealerships now, Cuhulin??

I am not a pimp.I only figured I gave good advice regarding a leaky power steering whatever. cuhulin

I was joking... Dealerships are not the only garages that can fix cars. If the best answers we can come up with are "take it to a dealership", we might as well shut down this newsgroup.

Wellll.... looking carefully at cuhulin's posting, he was suggesting the dealership parts department as a place to obtain a hose, not the service department as a place to take the car.

Let me add that although the high pressure hose is usually the one that gives trouble, the low pressure (return) side hose has probably had hydraulic oil on the inside and underhood heat on the outside for the same near quarter century, and as long as you're working on the system, might as well replace it, and the "vintage" fluid as well. Obviously the kind of fluid that incorporates stop-leak and seal conditioner (for the pump and the gearbox seals, not for a hole in the hose) should be used for refill on a car that old.

The people who recommended a flare-nut wrench and PB Blaster (give 'er the first squirt the night before) are your friends.

Best of luck,

--Joe

(PS. As long as you're underhood and in the mood, see if you think your belts and radiator hoses will see you through the winter... if they look dodgy, take advantage of the relatively nice fall weather and the comparative comfort of your own garage rather than a snowstorm at the side of the road. That's the real advantage of preventive maintenance -- it may or may not save you much money, but you get to choose the time and circumstances of the repair.)

You're right. That is really what he was suggesting. Good aftermarket hoses are likely cheaper than going to a dealership, and custom hose shops can make anything you want.

Dealerships often mark up parts by several hundred percent. And all who want to pay it, can certain go there.

About fifteen years ago I bought a new front brake hose at an auto parts store for my 1978 Dodge van.When I got home I noticed the hose was made in China.I took the hose back to the auto parts store and I went to the Dodge dearlership parts department and I bought a new made in America hose there.You have to be careful of what auto parts you buy nowadays. cuhulin

Which might have worked perfectly well, regardless.

Guess what, that was fifteen years ago. Now you go to the dealership and buy parts made in China

Don

Unfortunately true... I believe in supporting American industry when feasible. I will not, however, buy a $30 shock absorber (FLAPS, part number the same) at a dealership when they charge me $130 for it.

Even in this little Dogpatch town, there are several shops which will custom make just about any sort of hose you might want.