That line should not be returning any fluid at all. If there is fluid in
the boots, the rack is shot. The line only moves the air from the boots
so they do not collapse or blow out as the rack moves side to side. A
knowledgeable mechanic should know how this works. It is common to most
rack and pinion set ups. The pump will eventually be damaged if allowed
to run out of fluid.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Mike Finkbiner
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 11:11 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Power Steering Rack Balance Line Popping Off

Volks -

I have an '87 Westy.  A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a whining noise
from
the rear which got louder when I turned the wheels.  The power steering
reservoir was quite low.  When I filled it up, the noise went away, so I
drove about 50 miles on the highway.  The noise was back, and the
reservoir
down again.

I re-filled it, drove 50 miles home and took it to Randy, my mechanic.
He
discovered that the pressure balancing tube on the top of the PS rack
had
popped loose at one end.  Thinking I might have had an odd bounce from a
chunk of ice or some other unusual occurance, he popped it back in,
refilled
and tested the system.

It seemed to work OK.  I drove around town for a bit and checked for
leaks.
No problems, so I drove the same 50 highway miles.

The noise was back and the reservoir down again.  Randy hasn't looked at
it
yet, but I assume the line has popped out again.  When we talked about
it
this morning, he said he had not run into this before, and the line just
seemed to press in.  As it is a line to return fluid from one side of
the
rack to the other, it shouldn't be under much pressure.

Bentley doesn't show any means of fastening the line down, or mention it
in
the troubleshooting section that I can see.

Randy is willing to JB weld it in, or something like that, but we are
both
concerned that if this is a symptom of a problem inside the rack that I
could be asking for trouble.

Has anyone run into this before?  If so, is there a good solution other
than
replacing/rebuilding the rack?  How about damage to the PS pump from
running
low on fluid these several times?  The reservoir has never been empty,
but
it has been down to an inch in the bottom.

Any help would be appreciated!

- Mike

Mike Finkbiner
'87 Westy
Moscow, Idaho
mike_l_f@hotmail.com

I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.   - Wilson
Mizener

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