A Lexus SC300 came through our shop once with an oil leak that we identified as a power steering pressure line leak. No problem,
we'd just order another line and replace the leaking pipe – WRONG. The parts store didn't list a hose for that car, and the
dealer wanted an eye-popping $450 for an OEM replacement.
The only used one we could find was held by a savvy salvage yard guy up near Montgomery, Ala., who wouldn't let go of his
precious used one for less than $150.
Surely there had to be a viable way to take care of this problem! I saw it as a challenge, and embraced the project.
This was the oil pan leak we had originally diagnosed as a rear main, but as the photo shows, the rear main seal wasn't the
leak point. This pan gasket contains no pressure if the PCV system is working right, but there's some pretty serious splashing
going on in there when the crank is spinning.
Sam, our local parts supplier, had the wherewithal to repair power steering lines, so we sent the hose over there with the
idea he could replace the rubber part of the assembly using ferrules and fittings. Well, he hit a stump, too. All his fittings
were 10 mm, and the metal part of this line was 11 mm. Thanks a lot!
Sam is a nice fellow, but he isn't a technician and he's even less of an engineer, and he mistakenly thought he could grind
the tube down to 10 mm and make his trusty universal fittings work. He attempted it using a bench grinder, with predictable
egg-shaped results, and now the metal portions of the line were almost too short to use. Can anybody say "disaster?"
The 5.3L oil leak in the 2000 Chevy truck was coming from this area. Notice that this part of the gasket remained behind when
we removed the oil pan.
We were in a pickle. This was stressing me out. There was a chance we might be able to salvage the old line, but it would
take some engineering. Sam's idea was actually sound (resizing the line to fit the ferrules), but it would have to be done
a different way.
With the lines back at my shop, I took some 100 grit crocus cloth and worked the end of that 11 mm Lexus power steering pipe
down to a nice10 mm tube that was compatible with the 10 mm ferrules. The line was beefy enough that the miniscule reduction
in wall thickness wasn't an issue. He felt so bad about the whole deal that he let us have the new hose material and the fittings
for free, and the lucky Lexus owner squeezed by for a very small charge.
Note also the pop rivet that holds the gasket to the oil pan. These two gasketed ports are the holes that carry oil to and
from the filter under pressure.
We had previously found a faulty PCM that was holding an injector open on that same car, and with those two repairs, we had
effectively earned his trust. Thus he called me when his mother's Blazer developed engine trouble.
Richard McCuistian is an ASE-certified Master Auto Technician and was a professional mechanic for more than 25 years. He is now an auto mechanics instructor at LBW Community College/MacArthur Campus in Opp, Ala.
Articles by Richard McCuistian
