Power Steering Pressure Line Fix

[Dogfish]

I recently bought an '88 2WD LE Auto, and soon discovered a leak in the power steering high pressure line. The general area was easy to spot, on the rubber hose near the banjo connector to the pump, but somewhere under the extra insulation on the hose. It gushed pink froth from the top of the insulation when you turned the wheels. I never had a high pressure line leak before and was surprised... this van only has 125k on it.

Unfortunately, I didn't think about taking pictures until the job was almost done. The Toyota diagram will have to do as the before pic. It shows the pump end of the line as hose that is crimped to the metal line and not easily replaced. The other end of the line has an easily replaceable hose with fittings.
As I sometimes do, I took it to a reputable shop that I deal with. It is a national franchise and offers freebie service checks. I have spent little to no money with them in the years that I have been dealing with them and they have always gone over and above to tighten a clamp or point out a leak to me a no charge. I always tell them that next time I'll spend some money with them next time.
They found a replacement line for me from Toyota and quoted me over $500 for the job. I need to find the quote but I think it was $300+ for the line and $200+ for the labor.

I ended up removing the line myself and taking it to a shop that specializes in hydraulic lines. There are a couple of things wrong with the above pic. The mounting clips are all above the line itself. In reality they need to be turned 180 degrees and point "down" for mounting. The second problem is that when the shop added the extra steel of the crimps and unions I gained rigidity and lost the flexibility of the rubber hose that was replaced. The line as it was in the above pic was impossible to install. I had to take it back to the shop, have them cut more tube from the banjo fitting end and re-braze.

This is the pic of the line after it was shortened and re-brazed. Note the connector is almost up to the curve in the line now. One problem since the length was changed was that the hose no longer fits back in the retainer clip. It is hard to see in the pic but it doesn't touch anywhere along the frame. The metal ferrule on the hose likewise doesn't touch the lower radiator hose, but they are both something I will check after driving it awhile.

If I were to do it over, I would go find a cheaper off the shelf hose that would fit as close to perfect as possible. I would then cut the line (this was the easiest way to remove it) and clearly mark where the brazing should be done and not leave so much to the "experts" to decide.

A few other pics:

A closer view of the new hose, crimping, unions and brazing. All in all they did a good job.

A closer view of the connection to the line.

A closer view of the banjo end... before it was re-sized.

A closer view of the other end of the line. This end already has an easily replaceable hose, and as per Murphy, that's why it didn't fail.

I did this job in a driveway... no lift. I did not pull the radiator or the transmission cooler. I did remove the lower mount screws of the cooler and pull it forward a little. It gets wedged on the mounts and gives you enough room. I did cut the line to make it easier to remove. It was going to be cut anyway.

This was an exercise in patience and things that weren't going well one day went a lot easier the next day.