Power steering return hose leak Fix

[orlando3131]

I have an 04 Vibe with 130,000 miles. The other day I discovered a leak coming from the Power steering Fluid Reservoir where the return hose connects to it. I was worried it might be coming from the reservoir itself, but it turns out it was just a bad section of the curved rubber hose that connects to the reservoir. Unfortunately you can't just buy the curved end rubber hose section that connects to the return side of the reservoir, you have to buy the complete return hose assembly from the dealer which was around $130 bucks. I was able to just replace to leaking portion of the return hose with a Prestone 3/8 power steering fluid return hose replacement for only $5.00 from O'reillys Auto. I bought hose clamps just in case but they weren't necessary, the existing clips worked just fine. It was a tight fit due to the inside diameter of the new hose being about 1 mm smaller than the OEM hose, but it worked, no more leak. If I had to do it over, I would have put the new hose out in the sun for a few hours to soften the rubber up along with lubing up the inside of the new hose with power steering fluid to get it to slide in easier. I hope this helps anyone dealing with the same problem to save them some money.

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[Chiadog]

Good info! Thanks orlando.

[orlando3131]

Good info! Thanks orlando.

You're Welcome. With the car being 12 + years old, I'm sure I'll be dealing with more leaks and the need to replace more rubber hoses since they tend to harden and crack with age along with exterior plastic trim parts from UV exposure. So far I've been lucky, aside from this, I've only had to replace a leaky rubber valve cover gasket and broken exterior door handle. With the help of Youtube videos they were easy fixes. Other then that It's been a great car so far. I hope to have it for a while. I Love my Vibe.