Power Steering Lines Rusted through....

My power steering lines rusted through yesterday... if those have rusted through, what else should I keep an eye on? It's a '99 XJ with 117k that has been in NJ all it's life, and they love road salt up here in the winter time.

I would check your brake lines, fuel lines, control arm brackets, leaf spring brackets, and anything else that might kill you if it comes apart.

Add to the above the metal tube running from water pump to heater hose. I notice on my 99 that it's getting pretty nasty looking.

X2+, I'm eyeing my lines on my 98 as well. It spent time up north and then spent time on a Florida beach. Has anyone done a writeup on fuel line replacements?

fireLt. said:

I would check your brake lines, fuel lines, control arm brackets, leaf spring brackets, and anything else that might kill you if it comes apart.

Click to expand...

X2.

Brake lines are a MUST. Especially check the portions of the front lines inside the wheel wells, the rear line from about 6" up the firewall all the way to the rear end, and the portions along the rear axle.

Fuel lines - on every XJ/MJ I have seen so far, the pressure line from the tank to the engine compartment is all stainless steel thumbup: THANK YOU Chrysler for doing something right) but the quick disconnect right where the fuel line goes up the firewall is regular steel. I slightly disturbed mine while replacing the aforementioned brake lines and a tiny flake of rust broke off, resulting in a rather significant fuel leak... glad I saw it when I did.

Fuel return lines - these are standard 3/16" automotive steel tubing, they will rust away to nothing. Easy to replace with tubing from autozone. I used their brake line and it's been working fine for months now, I like the precut and flared sections because it means if it rusts out again, I can get an exact length and know it'll fit perfectly with no flaring tools and just have to bend it to shape.

Lower control arms I have never seen rust away, but my uppers are getting pretty sketchy.

Also check your lower control arm brackets on the axle end, the ones on my XJ were so badly rusted that the passenger side one broke in half when I hit a pothole on a dirt road after lifting my XJ. Ended up welding random bits of 1/8" scrap plate onto it so I could make it to the meet&greet I had planned to attend the next day.

Check to see if your leaf shackles are rusting to nothing also, mine were so rusted down that I bent one of the ears into place with my bare hands while doing my lift. It's been holding together since then, but I'm going to put new shackles on it anyways when I put my 8.8 in soon.

Oh... remove any rusty screws on your header panel / headlight bezels / turn signals (the ones under the headlights) before they get so bad they break in half, and replace them with stainless steel from Home Depot. One of the first cosmetic things I do to any Jeep I buy, it saves so much hassle later on.

EDIT: check your trans cooler lines too, mine were really badly rusted, 70 bucks for a whole new set on rockauto. Not a life or death thing, but it can keep you from getting stranded and also save the clutches in your transmission. Also check the serpentine belt tensioning bolt, if it's seized prepare to buy a new one when you change the belt, if it isn't seized yet, loosen it and load that sucker up with as much antiseize as you can get in there, then reset the belt tension.

Thanks for all the tips, I'll give it a good look this weekend.

As far as brake lines go, don't wait for an emergency stop to bust them open. While you are sitting in your driveway, with the motor running for the PS boost, push your brakes down way harder than you ever will stopping. Way better to break them like that than while you are driving or during an emergency stop. That is a habit that I got into with old rusted beaters. I did it on my kid's cars too while they were growing up. They needed to learn how to fix brakelines anyway.

winterbeater, great idea, i do the same =)

One of the first things i did on my 98' that i got (NE its whole life) was to replace the seriously corroded rear brake line...while i was at it, i replaced ALL of them. only one i didnt have to touch was the one that is on the rear axle....b/c the previous owner must have replaced that prior! looked about a year old.

To the topic starter, if you have decent automotive knowledge just take a good look over at the whole truck, take an hour or so and look at everything thats all it really takes. Your truck might have a rear shackle that is about to rip off and good brake lines, mine might have perfect rear shackles, and terrible brake lines... so its individual to each vehicle.