Power steering went out.. Where should I take my car?

[Cogman]

I need an oil change anyways, will grease monkey be able to diagnose/potentially fix this, or should I just go straight to the dealer with this?

It went out pretty suddenly, though, I had hints that it was going out (braking at higher speeds would cause the steering column to shake, I think it might be related.)

Advice? While I do need a workout, this is a bit much

 

[quakefiend420]

not fixing it on a car designed for power assist may eat up the rack, just an FYI in case you decide manual steering is ok for a while

 

[Cogman]

not fixing it on a car designed for power assist may eat up the rack, just an FYI in case you decide manual steering is ok for a while

Gotcha, It just went out today. Am I safe to drive it to the nearest dealer/auto repair shop? This will be my first experience with auto problems.

 

[HarryLui]

Use the phone and call your local mechanics.

Depends on what's broken, it could do more damage by driving. For example, if all the fluid leaked out due to a leaky hose, you will damage the pump and the steering rack by driving it.

But then, we don't know year, make, or model...

 

[Cogman]

So... I just checked the power steering fluid. It is pretty low. I'll see if the local mechanic carries any, fill up, and then get it to a mechanic.

BTW 2007 ford explorer.

 

[Cogman]

Well, took it into grease monkey. Felt like an idiot when the guy pointed out exactly where the leak was (Durr, it was nearly in plain sight). One of the power steering reservoir hoses was position right next to the fan belt, the fan belt had rubbed a hole straight through the hose.

Assuming I didn't do any permanent damage to the power steering pump, it should be a $10 fix. Went to checker auto parts to see if I could get a replacement hose, the guy at the counter wanted to know my cars make and model, apparently it is impossible to just get a generic 1 1/4 inch power steering hose to replace it. He said my car (2007 ford explorer) was to new and they didn't have any parts in for it...

So, I'll probably end up calling a dealership, have them fix the hose along with some needed checkups IE replacing brake fluid ect.

 

[BUTCH1]

Is it still under factory warranty? I'd raise a fuss over the factory idiot that let that hose stay in that position, that's just sorry workmanship. BTW if it's a power steering hose it will not be a $10 fix, those hoses are designed to withstand a lot of pressure do they are kinda pricey usually $30-70 range plus the labor to install it, your looking at $100 at a dealer to fix it but I would bitch like hell about the sorry job the factory did by letting it get anywhere the fan belt..

 

[Cogman]

Is it still under factory warranty? I'd raise a fuss over the factory idiot that let that hose stay in that position, that's just sorry workmanship. BTW if it's a power steering hose it will not be a $10 fix, those hoses are designed to withstand a lot of pressure do they are kinda pricey usually $30-70 range plus the labor to install it, your looking at $100 at a dealer to fix it but I would bitch like hell about the sorry job the factory did by letting it get anywhere the fan belt..

yeah, that was kind of my feeling. However, the car JUST fell out of warranty (murphys law?)

If it is $100 bucks, it is a $100. That doesn't bother me so much. It would bother me if it was a $1000 fix.

 

[cardiac]

Huh. Neither Auto Zone or Rock Auto list the PS hoses for a '07 Explorer. If you can find the hose, it is a very easy fix. Pick up some PS fluid, change the hose out, and add fluid. About a 30 minute job....

Bob

 

[xrax]

you should be able to buy the part at the parts department at the dealer, then install it yourself.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You can buy generic hose. The counter guy either doesn't know what's up or has been told only to sell the specific molded one for a particular model. My PS went out on a trip and the parts store of course didn't have the right part for my truck so I asked for some generic hose which he said wouldn't work. Well, I bought some anyways to get me home, fully meaning to replace it with the correct one when I got the chance. It's been over a year now...

 

[Cogman]

I would love to do this myself, as it really does look like an easy fix (The hose isn't even buried all that deep, I could easily fit my hand in there). However, I'm in a tool wasteland so to speak. I have absolutely no tools with me right now .

If I were to get the tools to do this, Wouldn't it be a flat nosed plier to undo the hose clamps, pull out the hose, put in new hose, and reseat the clamps? (I'm not an auto mechanic, so really would not want to screw things up.)

 

[fbrdphreak]

Yes, just the clamps and fit the hose on. What type of tool you need for the clamps depends on the clamp. Probably just a pair of pliers - any type will do really as long as it can grab the prongs of the clamp.

Refill the PS reservoir to the "full" line, turn the car on and crank the wheel over left & right a few times listening for any odd noises. Turn the car off and check the level - add more fluid if needed and repeat until the fluid level is stable & full and there are no noises from the PS. If there are still noises with a proper fluid amount, you may have other problems.

Also, be sure to get the right fluid. Many power steering pumps use transmission fluid, which is red, but some use a specific power steering fluid which I believe is usually clear. Double check this first.

P.S. Your vibration while braking at high speed likely had nothing to do with this. Sounds like you have deposit build up on your rotors, or bad pads.

 

[Cogman]

Yes, just the clamps and fit the hose on. What type of tool you need for the clamps depends on the clamp. Probably just a pair of pliers - any type will do really as long as it can grab the prongs of the clamp.

Refill the PS reservoir to the "full" line, turn the car on and crank the wheel over left & right a few times listening for any odd noises. Turn the car off and check the level - add more fluid if needed and repeat until the fluid level is stable & full and there are no noises from the PS. If there are still noises with a proper fluid amount, you may have other problems.

Also, be sure to get the right fluid. Many power steering pumps use transmission fluid, which is red, but some use a specific power steering fluid which I believe is usually clear. Double check this first.

P.S. Your vibration while braking at high speed likely had nothing to do with this. Sounds like you have deposit build up on your rotors, or bad pads.

I'd probably go with the pads as the brake peddle feels pretty loose in normal braking.

 

[hanoverphist]

Refill the PS reservoir to the "full" line, turn the car on and crank the wheel over left & right a few times listening for any odd noises. Turn the car off and check the level - add more fluid if needed and repeat until the fluid level is stable & full and there are no noises from the PS. If there are still noises with a proper fluid amount, you may have other problems.

this.

and you can drive it for about 3 months without really doing anything before you destroy the gear box, the pump will go out in about a month. mine popped the pressure hose, took me a few weeks to replace it (lazy). then the return hose popped a leak, got that replaced after a week or so. the whole time i was adding new fluid about every couple days. once i replaced the hoses i thought i was good, but still was getting a puddle under the truck. ignored it for a while (still lazy) and just kept adding fluid. when it got to be a daily thing i took a closer look, turned out to be the main seal on the gear box. it quickly turned into a fill up every trip before i got it into my friends shop to get fixed. by that time i had ran it so hot the pitman arm was fused to the gear shaft. we broke 2 tools trying to get it off. ended up cutting it and leaving it attached to the core gear box hehe. now i have pretty much all new parts for my front end, so it wasnt all a waste. but i do think of all that money spent on power steering fluid over the course of that 3ish months. waste in the name of lazy.

 

[fbrdphreak]

I'd probably go with the pads as the brake peddle feels pretty loose in normal braking.

That could also be contaminated fluid. Pads would only affect a loose pedal if the pad material was worn down very low, effectively increasing the amount of distance the piston has to travel.

Check your brake fluid reservoir. If it's below the full line, but isn't leaking anywhere, then your pads are low.

Unless your brakes were re-done recently, I would do a full brake job: pads, rotors, flush fluid. No point in skimping on something as important as brakes, IMO.

 

[Cogman]

That could also be contaminated fluid. Pads would only affect a loose pedal if the pad material was worn down very low, effectively increasing the amount of distance the piston has to travel.

Check your brake fluid reservoir. If it's below the full line, but isn't leaking anywhere, then your pads are low.

Unless your brakes were re-done recently, I would do a full brake job: pads, rotors, flush fluid. No point in skimping on something as important as brakes, IMO.

I'll probably get the brakes checked in the next week or so. (I don't feel TOO unsafe driving with my current brake system, but think it should get checked out soon).

As for the resolution to the power steering problem. Took it into a mechanic, found out that the hose wasn't just a hose but a full cooling system for the power steering fluid (In other words, the hose was non-removable without completely replacing the full setup).

The mechanic gave me 2 options, replace the whole setup (~$260) or try to splice the hose (~$60). He told me that the hose didn't look like a high pressure hose, so a splice could be possible but not guaranteed. I took the gamble, got the splice. So far, so good. I've driven it about 200 miles so far without seeing any drop in the fluid level. (checking it each time I stop).

BTW Holy heck are mechanics rates high, They billed me for $17 parts and $43 labor for 0.5 hours. $80 per hour.. wow.