How do you replace a power steering hose on a 1988 Volvo?

Answer 1

A 1988 Volvo 240 has three Power Steering hoses: pressure hose from pump to rack, return hose from rack to reservoir and intake hose from reservoir to pump.

Pressure hose consists of a rubber middle section and two steel lines with flare fittings. To replace it you will need a flare nut wrench to unscrew them and to screw the fittings of the new hose back in. Do not use a regular wrench, it can strip the soft fittings easily.

The return hose is a plain 3/8" high pressure hose that slides onto nipples of the reservoir and rack.

The intake hose is also a plain hose attached with regular hose clamps, but it is 5/8". The replacement procedure is the same.

To remove, loosen the clamps with the appropriate screwdriver and then slice the hose lengthwise from the end to 1/4 inch past the end of the nipple with a boxcutter. This is done so that the hardened old hose comes off easier. This is very important on the reservoir, because the smaller nipple is easily broken off, which means you have to replace the whole reservoir to the tune of $50 or so. Be sure to pull the hose straight off, not at an angle.

To install new hose, slide clamps onto the hose, slide hose onto nipples, tighten the clamps, fill reservoir, run the engine and check for leaks.

Keep in mind that when you disconnect any end of any of the hoses, some fluid will come out, so you might want to keep a bunch of rags handy.