Help, I Broke P/S Reservoir's nipple for the hose

As the subject states, I had broke the plastic 90* nipple off the back of the reservoir last night on accident. (long story short a wrench slipped and my arm hit the rubber line and it broke off the nipple.) I am thinking of doing a cheap fix . Do you guys think I would be able to cut off the remaining portion of the nipple so the side of the p/s reservoir is flush and Install a 90* brass fitting that threads in then the hose plugs onto that ?

( this is the part I am thinking about )

there's little to no pressure there you might be able to get away with it if you tap it with a 1/4" NPT tap then throw some thread tape on the fitting before you screw it in, but you're running a pretty good chance that the plastic will crack putting a metal fitting into plastic. personally I would hit a junkyard and try to find a new reservoir.

Gremlins must of been at it last night. I did the exact same thing last night. Pulled the pump along with the steering box. Went to put the steering box in the vice to remove the badly rusted pressure lines, thing slipped, pump fell on the floor and that same nipple broke off. Also broke the cap.

I just bought a new pump. Cost like $55.

It could be done with reasonable results. That is NTP thread you have there and is cone shaped, though it does come in straight also. If you screw the cone shaped threads into plastic and try to tighten it much, it may cause issues.

I'd use 3/8th inch instead of 1/4 inch if possible and if you are lucky you could find a locking nut for the NTP threads. likely at a marine mechanics shop. They use about the same thing with a locking nut for fuel tank nipples.

Rough up the reservoir with sandpaper, clean the threads with solvent and maybe wire brush them some. Rough up the locking nut with a wire brush.

Screw the locking nut onto the fitting as far as practical, smear the threads with a quality epoxy glue (Henkel/Loc Tite makes some good stuff) screw the fitting in by hand (snug not tight) and then lightly tighten the locking nut flush (snug not tight) up to the reservoir, glue should squeeze out of the joint. If you get it clean and oil free it should last and be actually stronger than the plastic was.

A second solution is to screw the fitting in (snug not tight) and then pile your epoxy around the joint. you have to keep scooping the epoxy towards the fitting until it starts to set up and gravity doesn't make it flow, you want to build a ridge around the joint. A fast epoxy can make this much easier. It will likely last and the extra epoxy will add strength, but most epoxy does shrink with age and can crack with temperature changes as it expands and contracts. I've had reasonable results with radiators doing this, most of it is preparation and cleanliness, make sure it is clean and rough it up, epoxy won't stick to oil, water or antifreeze very well.

Some of my radiator repairs with epoxy have lasted 4-5 years. Use a quality product, Permtex, Loc Tite, JB weld (though it isn't as good as it used to be)

It's NPT, not NTP. Stands for National Pipe Thread.

The plastic is pretty thin and brittle, it isn't going to work... reservoir is cheap at the junkyard, $60 on rockauto.

Replacing it is always the first option, but having spent many years in places where parts took a month or more to show up, taught me how to improvise.

I've fixed a lot of stuff with a quality epoxy. Even if you have the option of a replacement part, learning/knowing how to improvise can be valuable knowledge. I once drove a hundred miles with a cactus for a leaf spring, tied in place with around thirty yards of barbed wire.

A cordless drill with a cigarette lighter charger, pop rivets, epoxy, duct tape and wire are an important parts of anybodies tool box and knowledge base.

Dorman 603-902 reservoir for ~$25 at Advance or $22 on Amazon.
PS: that's only for 91-96. Didn't find any 97-01 reservoirs in a quick search.

gradon said:

Dorman 603-902 reservoir for ~$25 at Advance or $22 on Amazon.

Click to expand...

Replace the reservoir. If the plastic was brittle enough that the factory fitting snapped off, it isn't going to be any stronger with a jury rigged repair. This type of repair is fine in an emergency to get it back home or camp but not as a permanent solution.
Saving $25 isn't going to mean much if the repair snaps off 30 miles from a paved road...unless you like walking.
Try steering your XJ, with power steering belt removed, to get an idea of what losing the power steering means.

I bought my '94 with the nipple partially broken off. I probably could have slid the hose on further and been fine, but for like $15 at the local PNP yard, I couldn't pass it up. Like has been said, replace it right the first time, so you don't have to do it again, or at least for a while. Easy and cheap to fix, and well like was also said, no PS sucks and actually is hard on the gearbox and joints and such. Just do it right especially on a DD, you cannot skimp on safety.

Jeff

gradon said:

Dorman 603-902 reservoir for ~$25 at Advance or $22 on Amazon.
PS: that's only for 91-96. Didn't find any 97-01 reservoirs in a quick search.

Click to expand...

the earlier one does work on the later...they're just not labeled as fitting anywhere, but they sure do work fine.