Power steering pressure hose leaking at steering box

[rgnprof]

My '93 E350 power steering pressure hose is leaking at the threads where it screws in to the steering box. I replaced this hose just last year and it's pretty much leaked ever since...O'Reilly's will replace it (under warranty), so I got a new hose yesterday.

It only came with 1 o-ring - same as the first time I bought the hose. And it clearly looks like that o-ring goes on the connection to the pump, not the box.

Question - how does this thing seal at the box? This is the hose I bought...

Pressure power steering hose

[j-d]

The end with the contorted steel tubing goes (lower left in the pic) goes into the steering box. If it's leaking at that connection. It needs to be pretty tight, using a Tubing Wrench. If you're tightening with an Open End Wrench and stopping because it's starting to round the flare nut off, you may not be tightening it enough. I'm sure there's a torque spec.

Not tight enough is a possibility, but before you wail on it, can you inspect 1. The Seat in the Steering Box, 2. Both sides of the Flare, and 3. The Flare side of the Nut?

Pipe Dope, Teflon Tape, and so on, won't seal a leak at that connection. I's a purely mechanical, metal-to-metal joint.

If you decide to buy Flare Nut Wrenches, aka Tubing Wrenches (six point box wrenches with a cutout to get over the tubing) your flare nut could be English or Metric. I still use my English set from the 1970's but I had to add a 10x12mm for wheel cylinders awhile ago, and a 16x18mm for a power steering project too, and that vehicle was 1984.

Be sure you have or get the exact wrench for those flare fittings! The O-Ring ones don't need to be anywhere nearly as tight.

[77rollalong]

The end on the right in the picture that has the lip gets the o-ring . If the flare end is leaking pull that end off and see if there is any marks in the sealing face of the flare, and or marks on the seat of the box..

[enblethen]

I wasn't sure which end has O-ring.
You could try tightening fitting some.
My guess is the flair is not square to the receiver on the box. Can you verify that the steering box has a reverse flair receiver for the hose flair to fit into?
You could try loosening the fitting enough to wiggle the hose somewhat while re-tightening.

[rgnprof]

enblethen wrote:
No pipe dope or Teflon tape on flair fittings.
OP: My guess it has been bent at the flange(flair) area and not allowing the flair to seal on both sides.
Next there is an O-ring on the 90 degree bend end. see your link for hose. It maybe damaged. You did get the old one out, right?

Not sure what you mean here - from what I can tell there is only 1 o-ring for this hose and it is used at the connection to the pump. I'm not leaking there so I'm pretty sure I got that o-ring replaced properly.

My leak is a seeping of fluid from the threads where the hose connects to the steering box. I don't see how anything could be bent or could have gotten bent.

[path1]

Replacement high pressure hoses... for me with power steering or a/c I have replacements made at hydraulic shop. Learned my lesson years ago. Retail auto part stores more concerned who can sell the cheapest versus quality. Just my opinion.

[enblethen]

No pipe dope or Teflon tape on flair fittings.
OP: My guess it has been bent at the flange(flair) area and not allowing the flair to seal on both sides.
Next there is an O-ring on the 90 degree bend end. see your link for hose. It maybe damaged. You did get the old one out, right?

[J_R2]

Try pipe dope or nylon tape on threads.

[rgnprof]

No oring then right? So if not, why is the thing leaking? Not tight enough?? I tightened it pretty good last time but...??

[enblethen]

Double flair that fits into the matching flair in steering box.