rockiron Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 I recently bought this impreza,,runs great, 100k miles. Won't hold power steering fluid for very long due to rusted lines, power steering works great after filling and for the brief time it has fluid in the system. 1. I'm not having much luck finding oem lines, anyone have a "spot" 2. There are several aftermarket lines that I've seen, but i've been told by 2 different mechanics to go with OEM, not sure if they are just grumpy mechanics or if there is good reaon behind this. 3. Why couldn't I just run high pressure hose (if i can get the proper fittings) from the rack and pinion all the way to where it turns up into the engine bay? This seems reasonable to me, but i'm a dumb electrician so what do I know. 4. The repair/replacement looks to be not too complicated,,any tips or tricks? I'll try it myself at first. It's running dry on fluid at the moment so the worst case would be that I attempt and fail and am running dry without the lines connected, or ruined completely. Any advice will be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 parts.subaru.com you can find the genuine lines; finding a dealer who offers the maximum discount is the fun part. Not sure on the aftermarket lines, I just had those lines rust out on my '94 Legacy, right on the bottom of the rack, a shop said they could get only genuine. I don't think high pressure hose would work at least not for the pump discharge. Well depending on how 'high pressure' the hose is. The pump can put out I forget something like 800-1000psig something like that before the relief opens. The return line hose might be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockiron Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 I have seen some high pressure hose that is rated at 2250 psi,,the fittings may be the trick to getting that to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockiron Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Also,,parts subaru.com says not available on the power steering lines,,and $300 if they had them,,seems a bit excessive for some lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 They might be out of stock then at the Subaru RDC's and might be discontinued. Only luck then might be finding 'new old stock' that a dealer happened to have ordered for someone but never used or something like that. Yes that $300 price tag is why I ended up retiring my '94, though that's the list price dealers then sell usually at a % off that at least the online dealers. Walking into a dealership sometimes they charge more than list at least around here. Not sure if possibly bending and flaring steel tube would work or possibly something like cunifer. If aftermarket lines are available rockauto.com would probably show them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockiron Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 sounds like it's gonna be an adventure. I'll do what I can. If all fails I'll have to just do without power steering,,I'll remove the pump and rig up a dummy pulley to get rid of the awful noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 (edited) I think some people have done that, bypassed the pump. I thought about doing that but decided not to. Info I could find is that not running the pump isn't the same as just having a manual rack and pinion. In NY anyway it wouldn't or shouldn't pass safety inspection that way so I figured it would buy only a couple months. There's other posts on here about doing it, there's a belt 4K275, it's a 4 rib shorter belt that can just go between the crank pulley and alt and use the alt tension adjuster. I looked and RockAuto has this belt on closeout for like $1.63 plus 2.99 shipping. Some people said if in involved in an accident and it's noticed it was run that way it might raise some questions. I'm not saying it can/should be done just relaying some info I saw. Is yours an automatic transmission? What I've noticed is if something like the steering lines rust out, there's many other lines that are probably close to rusting out too: rear brake lines where they go over the fuel tank, auto trans cooler lines, fuel lines above the tank Edited June 15, 2016 by porcupine73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 check sites like www.fredbeansparts.com and www.subarugenuineparts.com - might have some on the shelf still? Wonder if lines from a different model can be made to work? put a WTB in the classifieds - maybe someone visiting a junkyard in the southwest could pull some off a wreck for you? should be fairly low-rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockiron Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 That is worth a shot. I found replacement lines easily at parts geek,,does not say "oem",,looks just like oem. why the fuss over using only oem,,I have not had any issues using aftermarket parts on any other vehicle i have owned,,I don't see why these lines will somehow be so special that I need the subaru manufactured part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 There's probably no issue with aftermarket lines. Hm thanks for the partsgeek mention, I took a peak, those are far cheaper plus they're available! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockiron Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 I've been looking at how to change these lines myself. Has anyone done these lines before? it appears to be a super tight spot to get into. I believe that I can get the pressure line disconnected with an angled open ended wrench,,but the return line looks impossible without dropping the rack. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvu Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 I've changed the lower portion before without dropping the rack. I remember a really hard fitting to loosen/tighten because there's no access for an open end wrench. I think I eventually got to it with a crows foot and several wobble extensions... and tape to hold things in place. It's awkward, you'll have to feel your way from the blind side. Car was 03 impreza. If I had to do it again, it would've been easier to disconnect the steering column link and drop the rack a couple inches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockiron Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 I'm happy to hear that. I've been underneath and eyeballed it pretty hard. The pressure line looks pretty hard to get a wrench at and the return looks twice as bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Sounds like a fun job to get at the fittings. I didn't look at mine too close just saw a couple rusted through pieces on the bottom above the jack up plate without looking at it closer. I was thinking more about the aftermarket part, they're probably fine, I mean the genuine original lines lasted what 20+ years, if the aftermarket lines last even 1/3 that long that's probably still enough? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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