Power steering woes.

[Someone89]

Evening all.

A short section of pipe from my steering rack has gotten corroded and gained a hole, so now I'm lacking power steering.

The pipe is attached by unions, it's actually part of the rack and being an old japanese car (1996 suzuki swift) you can't get just the replacement pipe anywhere, and no one makes new racks anymore either (not that the car is worth enough money to bother replacing the rack).

Problem is, the pipe is a weird size (7.3mm OD) that you can't get anywhere. Can't find anything online, have rang hydraulic places, breakers yards, etc.
I wondered if 1/4" brake line could be flared enough to seal, but the garage I use were pretty adamant that using a smaller bore would be a bad idea. One of the guys there wondered about drilling out the unions for 5/16ths pipe, but an engineering place told him the walls of the unions would be too thin.

They tried to do a temporary repair by flaring the remaining stubs of pipe and jubilee clipping high pressure jetwash hose over it (all they had), but the pipe either blew off the end of the old steel pipe or burst.

So yeah...thought if anywhere can work out how to connect up some weirdly sized pipe strongly enough to handle high pressure, it's here!...Epoxy?

[jrrdw]

Fuel line and screw clamps. I've patched many transmission lines like that and it holds fine. I really can't see a power steering pump making any more pressure then a 350 Hydro's front pump.

[Someone89]

That's essentially what we've already tried, albeit with jet wash pressure hose, it lasts for a week or two and then blows.

If a 350 hydro is what I think it is (somewhat non existent here in the UK haha) I'd be inclined to agree, except some googling is suggesting that power steering pressures can get up to about 1850 psi.

Annoying thing is, I had an older more interesting car, sold it to save on maintenance and fuel so I can pay off some student debts, should have kept the damn thing, it didn't have any power steering or much in the way of electrics to go wrong!

[Crna Legija]

it has a threaded connection at the ends right? get a company that make hydraulic hoses to make one up.

[jrrdw]

That's essentially what we've already tried, albeit with jet wash pressure hose, it lasts for a week or two and then blows.

If a 350 hydro is what I think it is (somewhat non existent here in the UK haha) I'd be inclined to agree, except some googling is suggesting that power steering pressures can get up to about 1850 psi.

Annoying thing is, I had an older more interesting car, sold it to save on maintenance and fuel so I can pay off some student debts, should have kept the damn thing, it didn't have any power steering or much in the way of electrics to go wrong!

What kind of car is it? Year, make and model. 350 hydro's are the work horses of transmissions, the industrial version and can take a beating and a half.

[Zeus]

Learn to drive without power steering.

[Someone89]

This is my 5th car and only 2nd with power steering, a non functional power rack is a lot different to a proper manual one haha.

It's a '96 Suzuki Swift, in mint metallic green, actually the epitome of a grandmothers car. Think it's called a Geometro or a Cultus in the US. Might give a petrol pipe a go just to see if it's stronger that what we were using, if not I'll see if I can get a hydraulics place to crimp some proper hydraulic hose onto it.

[Zeus]

Brake line is pefect for what you want, 1/4" will make it a bit sluggish, but better than driving without it.