Eagle power steering lines

Hey, folks.

'89 Eagle ES 3.0L. Have to replace both power steering lines from rack to reservoir and to pump. Seems fairly simple bolt-off bolt-on by just looking at them, but has anyone done this before?

The Eagle is an odd car, not too many people know about them. Any thoughts on cautions, hidden mount points, "special" wrenches, etc. I should be alert to?

Thanks, Tam

Reply to
Knifeblade_03
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When I replaced the power steering pump in my '94 T&C, (requiring removal of the lines from the PS pump, of course) I found that the pressure line was so tight to the back of the pump, that I had to unbolt the pump, let it hang down still connected to the lines, position a vise under the pump, clamp down with the vise on the flare nut on the pressure line, then put a big wrench on the fitting that the pressure line was screwed into in the back of the pump, then pound on that wrench with a 2 pound sledge hammer.

I tried it with just a flare wrench on the pressure line and a wrench on the fitting the line went into, and I had to put so much pressure on the wrenches that if I had put anymore on them, it would have rounded off the flare nut. (I have rounded off several flare nuts with flare wrenches before, and I now have a good feel for just how much pressure you can get away with before the flare nut starts to deform and get rounded off)

I would say that the only "special" wrench your probably going to need is a good flare wrench, and I doubt that anyone other than Snap On is going to sell one. I have tried a number of other flare wrenches from different manufacturers, and all of them have enough flexibility in the steel that at the pressures needed to break many flare nuts free, the wrench will start spreading apart, and if you give the nut even a half a millimeter of space, they will round off.

I'd love to find a flare wrench that had a removable divot that would allow you to get the wrench around the tube, then insert the divot, so that the flare nut was completely surrounded with the wrench.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Maybe could have ben a patentable idea, except now you've published it on a public forum so it's in the public domain. :)

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Technically, I could still patent it, publishing the idea in a public forum merely ruins it's patentability for everyone else. ;-) Hmm - maybe I should patent it, then I could spend my free time going to those "sell your invention" conventions. ;-)

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Also you could have just done a non-disclosure agreement with Snap-on and seen if they would buy the idea from you.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

I could have used one of these last night ....

After two days of trying everything I could think of (including soaking the

11 year old 1/2" transmission to radiator compression fittings in penetrating oil, vibration/tapping, and a propane torch to heat the outer fitting), I finally gave up and cranked away using a flare wrench. As I expected, it just stripped both nuts. I finally was able to grab them after some time using vice grips.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

And then probably sit on it, and it never see the light of day. I am way too jaded for that - I've seen so many examples in my industry of companies buying up good ideas simply to prevent them from being produced so they won't harm sales of their existing product line.

The only real way to do it is to set up a company and start making the things myself, once enough of them get out to the market I can license production to SnapOn and continue to make them myself, much like Gear Wrench did with their stuff to Sears. I'd also get a hell of a lot more money that way, since I would have proven the idea, and Snap On would know that it's a moneymaker - or not.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Damn, I better get to work on that application! ;-)

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

what I have done in the past is to clamp a pair of big vice grips around the flare wrench after it's on the nut...

nate

Reply to
N8N

Hi...

Afraid you're a dollar short and a day late... the American Inventor show is over, and the baby seat guy is a million bucks richer :)

Take care

Ken

Reply to
Ken Weitzel

LOL, I guess I should have stated Eagle Premier ES?????????

Reply to
Knifeblade_03

That works if you have clearance, often I don't.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Not surprising, new parents often get this insanity and buy all kinds of crap. Grandparents are even worse.

I remember the day that Grandpa bought 3 year old grandaughter her first little tot bicycle. I was pissed as hell since he had done the same thing for 7 year old grandson when grandson was also 3, who had of course outgrown his 4 months after it was purchased, and said tot bicycle was gathering dust in the garage, where yours truly was eagerly waiting for the day that daughter was old enough to ride it so I could get it out of the way. Now, we have 2 of the damn things and 3 year old grandaughter has so far shown zero interest in riding either the one bought for her, or the one bought for her brother, and at the rate she is growing by the time she is interested, she will be too big for it. And of course, I couldn't say a word about it or appear like an ungrateful bastard.

When my wife started getting into the new-parent-buying-crap-the-kid

-don't-need phase, I got her interested in craigslist. That way at least the crap coming in isn't breaking the bank. Sigh. Now I just got to get on her about getting rid of the old stuff.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

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