Eagle power steering lines

Hey, folks.

'89 Eagle ES 3.0L. Have to replace both power steering lines from rack
to reservoir and to pump. Seems fairly simple bolt-off bolt-on by just
looking at them, but has anyone done this before?

The Eagle is an odd car, not too many people know about them. Any
thoughts on cautions, hidden mount points, "special" wrenches, etc. I
should be alert to?

Thanks, Tam

 

When I replaced the power steering pump in my '94 T&C, (requiring
removal of the lines from the PS pump, of course) I found that the
pressure line was so tight to the back of the pump, that I had to unbolt the
pump, let it hang down still connected to the lines, position a vise under
the pump, clamp down with the vise on the flare nut on the pressure
line, then put a big wrench on the fitting that the pressure line was
screwed into in the back of the pump, then pound on that wrench with
a 2 pound sledge hammer.

I tried it with just a flare wrench on the pressure line and a wrench on
the fitting the line went into, and I had to put so much pressure on the
wrenches that if I had put anymore on them, it would have rounded off
the flare nut. (I have rounded off several flare nuts with flare wrenches
before, and I now have a good feel for just how much pressure you can
get away with before the flare nut starts to deform and get rounded off)

I would say that the only "special" wrench your probably going to need
is a good flare wrench, and I doubt that anyone other than Snap On
is going to sell one. I have tried a number of other flare wrenches from
different manufacturers, and all of them have enough flexibility in the
steel that at the pressures needed to break many flare nuts free, the wrench
will start spreading apart, and if you give the nut even a half a millimeter
of space, they will round off.

I'd love to find a flare wrench that had a removable divot that would allow
you to get the wrench around the tube, then insert the divot, so that the
flare nut was completely surrounded with the wrench.

Ted

 

Maybe could have ben a patentable idea, except now you've published it
on a public forum so it's in the public domain.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Technically, I could still patent it, publishing the idea in a public forum
merely
ruins it's patentability for everyone else. ;-) Hmm - maybe I should patent
it,
then I could spend my free time going to those "sell your invention"
conventions. ;-)

Ted

 

Also you could have just done a non-disclosure agreement with Snap-on
and seen if they would buy the idea from you.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

I could have used one of these last night ....

After two days of trying everything I could think of (including soaking the
11 year old 1/2" transmission to radiator compression fittings in
penetrating oil, vibration/tapping, and a propane torch to heat the outer
fitting), I finally gave up and cranked away using a flare wrench. As I
expected, it just stripped both nuts. I finally was able to grab them after
some time using vice grips.

Bob

 

And then probably sit on it, and it never see the light of day. I am way
too
jaded for that - I've seen so many examples in my industry of companies
buying up good ideas simply to prevent them from being produced so they
won't harm sales of their existing product line.

The only real way to do it is to set up a company and start making the
things myself, once enough of them get out to the market I can license
production to SnapOn and continue to make them myself, much like Gear
Wrench did with their stuff to Sears. I'd also get a hell of a lot more
money
that way, since I would have proven the idea, and Snap On would know that
it's a moneymaker - or not.

Ted

 

Damn, I better get to work on that application! ;-)

Ted

 

what I have done in the past is to clamp a pair of big vice grips
around the flare wrench after it's on the nut...

nate

 

Hi...

Afraid you're a dollar short and a day late... the American Inventor
show is over, and the baby seat guy is a million bucks richer

Take care

Ken

 

LOL, I guess I should have stated Eagle Premier ES?????????

 

That works if you have clearance, often I don't.

Ted

 

Not surprising, new parents often get this insanity and buy all kinds of
crap. Grandparents are even worse.

I remember the day that Grandpa bought 3 year old grandaughter her
first little tot bicycle. I was pissed as hell since he had done the same
thing
for 7 year old grandson when grandson was also 3, who had of course
outgrown his 4 months after it was purchased, and said tot bicycle
was gathering dust in the garage, where yours truly was eagerly waiting
for the day that daughter was old enough to ride it so I could get it
out of the way. Now, we have 2 of the damn things and 3 year old
grandaughter has so far shown zero interest in riding either the one
bought for her, or the one bought for her brother, and at the rate she is
growing by the time she is interested, she will be too big for it. And
of course, I couldn't say a word about it or appear like an ungrateful
bastard.

When my wife started getting into the new-parent-buying-crap-the-kid
-don't-need phase, I got her interested in craigslist. That way at least
the crap coming in isn't breaking the bank. Sigh. Now I just got to get
on her about getting rid of the old stuff.

Ted