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Well, I took the Olds out for one last spin this morning, and as soon I was turning onto our street, and then left, into my garage, smoke started billowing. Took a hard left to cut the angle just right to line up perfectly into my one-stall garage. Sure enough, transmission fluid from the power steering was leaking bad. The power steering had gone out completely. Opened the pwr steering reservoir and sure enough, bone dry. Now, onto the fun part, finding out where the catastrophe occurred. Fluid is all over in the area near the two pwr steering hoses, they're both original hose. Could be from the pump itself, as it has never been rebuilt. I'll have to investigate and let you all know my findings.
Glad it happened when it did and not on the road....
I believe the culprit to be old, worn-out hoses. The leak seemed to be heavy around where the heavier hose connected to the gearbox. Could a guy get away with making the heavier duty hose his self? With 3/8 tubing into some thicker black hose? Bubble flares and tube clamps.
Or would I be better off bringing it to a hose place to have them crimp and do all the flares, etc.? I assume they're rubber to offer flex to account for pressure when turning?
Another option might be to buy a later hose Power Steering Hoses, 1966-67 Toronado, 1960-66 Buick and cut the fittings off your hose and put them onto the new hose. You'll have to re-flare the line with the old fittings in place. Maybe you can get away with just bending one end and cutting the other end to length and re-flaring that end.
The low pressure side you can do yourself, however you should do the high pressure side correctly. If you can find a hose place and they can recreate your hose that would be another great option.
Another option might be to buy a later hose Power Steering Hoses, 1966-67 Toronado, 1960-66 Buick and cut the fittings off your hose and put them onto the new hose. You'll have to re-flare the line with the old fittings in place. Maybe you can get away with just bending one end and cutting the other end to length and re-flaring that end.
The low pressure side you can do yourself, however you should do the high pressure side correctly. If you can find a hose place and they can recreate your hose that would be another great option.
I emailed Fusick to see what the length of the above hose is. If it’s close to the same length as mine, I think I’ll end up cutting the ends off, replacing them with mine and re-flaring. Sure beats the cost of $140 for an OEM Olds hose…
I emailed Fusick to see what the length of the above hose is. If it’s close to the same length as mine, I think I’ll end up cutting the ends off, replacing them with mine and re-flaring. Sure beats the cost of $140 for an OEM Olds hose…
That seems like the best option so far. The eBay hose is still a 50+ year old rubber part.
Maybe other members will chime in with some other alternatives.
Well, I took the Olds out for one last spin this morning, and as soon I was turning onto our street, and then left, into my garage, smoke started billowing. Took a hard left to cut the angle just right to line up perfectly into my one-stall garage. Sure enough, transmission fluid from the power steering was leaking bad. The power steering had gone out completely. Opened the pwr steering reservoir and sure enough, bone dry. Now, onto the fun part, finding out where the catastrophe occurred. Fluid is all over in the area near the two pwr steering hoses, they're both original hose. Could be from the pump itself, as it has never been rebuilt. I'll have to investigate and let you all know my findings.
Glad it happened when it did and not on the road....
Mike - Sorry to hear about this. That sucks. Just as you were getting ready for storage.
You can cut the tubing ends off and make a proper length hose using compression fittings and then reattach the tubing ends with the compression fittings.
Mike - Sorry to hear about this. That sucks. Just as you were getting ready for storage.
It's always something Norm. Glad it happened right at home rather than on the highway. It'll add another small peace of mind in that those two hoses will be new and good to go. This car is one of those "fix old parts as they break" kind of deals. Learning as I go.
I have not yet. No rush to get a new one done up. I’ll check out Pieter soon, see if they can make up a new one for me. Plus, it’s damn cold out right now! I’ll revisit the Olds in a few months or so. She’s sleeping right now.
