- Joined
- Mar 1, 2010
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Ah, the joys of running a 14-year-old 'Amazon', this thing will be the death of me
.
I (we) had a narrow escape the other day. I took No. 1 daughter and a friend of hers to a horse competition. That was three adults, a load of 'tack', a large horse trailer and two large horses on the road.
We covered just over 100 miles with everything running fine. After I got home I noticed a puddle forming under the front of the car . . .
. . Here we go again.
There was ATF dripping from the output hose union on top of the Power Steering Pump. Naturally I couldn't see this until I had removed the thick protective covers from the Diesel Injector Pump.
The union is branched, with the high-pressure line going to the steering rack and with a pressure switch sticking out the side. The fluid seemed to be coming from the switch - which looked a bit 'cruddy'.
Its a simple arrangement on paper:
I undid the Banjo bolt (22mm socket) and had a look. The union was quite corroded but I thought a new Banjo bolt and sealing washers plus a new switch would sort it. An e-mail to Simon Holton set the wheels in motion.
The new bits arrived, were fitted and . . . It still leaked. It wasn't the switch it was the union on the end of the hose that was corroded
.
Another e-mail to Simon procured a replacement hose set plus more sealing washers. The set includes both the feed and return pipes, a pressure switch and all the brackets. The price (are you sitting down ???) £463 after Simon's Club Discount
.
Now to replace the pipes:
After removing the sump guard the hoses can be seen running along the front of the Steering Rack.
They rise on the N/s to the Power Steering Pump. The high Pressure pipe goes to the top of the Pump, the return goes to the side of the ATF Reservoir. It is bolted to the chassis on its way.
The upper (12mm) bolt holds the bracket to the chassis, the lower (10mm) one simply clamps the bracket around the hose. There is a hole in the chassis for the pointy-end but that isn't connected and doesn't need to be undone.
The mounting bolt has an 8mm thread with one of Toyota's famous 'small' 12mm collapsing heads. Getting that out is going to be a challenge.
I wire-brushed the heads and applied penetrating oil. When that didn't work I sawed through the bracket in order to release the hose and get it out of the way and then used a 2Kw Hot Air Gun to heat the bolts and chassis. Eventually I got the 10mm one loose and clear of the hole in the chassis.
I then tapped the bracket in an anti-clockwise direction and it turned - along with the mounting bolt - job done
The Toyota bolt was replaced with a standard 8mm stainless Set Screw, with lots of 'Optimol TA' anti-sieze paste.
Next the ATF Reservoir was removed from the Inlet Manifold - three 8mm Sets (with 12mm heads).
This allowed me to reach the Banjo Union on the high-pressure hose - a 22mm socket on a long extension bar. Access is a bit restricted but not too bad if you take it carefully.
The Return Pipe was removed from the ATF Reservoir. The hose was so hard I had to slice it vertically with a Stanley Knife to get it off. I was careful not to score the metal pipe on the Reservoir .
There is another bracket on the hoses. This bolts to the top of the Steering Rack just under the sump. Being nice and oily it came undone relatively easily.
So now the attention focusses on the hose connections at the steering rack end. This has to be in the least-accessible part of the whole truck. To get near it from above I had to remove the airbox.
From underneath, it is just possible to get a socket or spanner on the unions but there is only about 10 degrees of movement possible.
The Return Pipe passes through a hollow bolt and has a flared end. There was no way I was getting that undone with a spanner so I sawed the pipe off the top and then used a 17mm deep 6-point socket on it with a Power Bar. Success.
The High-Pressure Banjo Union also has a 17mm hex head. It came away quite easily with an 18 inch bar.
And that was the old hoses removed
The High-Pressure hose Banjos. The threads are the same but the lower-end has a 17mm head whereas the upper one has a 22mm head.
With all the corroded old stuff removed, it was time to bring in the new. If you can see £463-worth here please tell me where
.
Fitting the new stuff is straightforward, if a little fiddly when trying to reach the Steering rack from below.
The upper end is a bit easier. One has to be careful to get the sealing washers positioned correctly above and below the union as once your hand is down there you can't see what's going on. Wipe everything scrupulously clean before fitting as well.
The new, soft rubber hose slips onto the Reservoir pipe easily as well.
And the brackets are bolted to the chassis / Steering Rack as well.
The next job is to re-fill the Reservoir with ATF and bleed the system. To do this jack up the front wheels under the lower wishbones and, without the engine running, turn the steering full lock left to right repeatedly.
Every so often check the fluid level and top up.
Eventually it will stop dropping and you can try it with the engine running and give it a careful test drive.
It takes a while to get all the air out.
Note: Just starting it up and driving around a yard in figures of eight doesn't work - DAMHIK
.
So now for the Autopsy . . . Why was the pipe union leaking near the Pressure Switch ???
See the hole ???
The extension piece that has the Pressure Switch in it should have parallel sides. It has been quietly rusting away underneath the Injector Pump and has rusted through just inboard of the Pressure Switches sealing ring. Even the original Banjo Bolt had a deep rust pit on top.
I had been doing 60 MPH down a motorway with a 2.5 ton trailer on behind. If I had run out of Power Steering Fluid I'd have been in deep 'Doo-Doo'. If you want to see why, try rolling your 100-Series down a gently slope without the engine running and see if you can steer it (or stop it, come to that).
With these 3-ton trucks we are wholly dependant on the power assistance we get from the gadgetry. It can all go pear-shaped very quickly and I was lucky this time.
So - If you have a 100-Series that has spent its life North of Watford where there is road salt in the winter I seriously suggest you check this pipe union it could be a disaster waiting to happen.
I hope this helps
Bob.

I (we) had a narrow escape the other day. I took No. 1 daughter and a friend of hers to a horse competition. That was three adults, a load of 'tack', a large horse trailer and two large horses on the road.
We covered just over 100 miles with everything running fine. After I got home I noticed a puddle forming under the front of the car . . .

There was ATF dripping from the output hose union on top of the Power Steering Pump. Naturally I couldn't see this until I had removed the thick protective covers from the Diesel Injector Pump.
The union is branched, with the high-pressure line going to the steering rack and with a pressure switch sticking out the side. The fluid seemed to be coming from the switch - which looked a bit 'cruddy'.
Its a simple arrangement on paper:
I undid the Banjo bolt (22mm socket) and had a look. The union was quite corroded but I thought a new Banjo bolt and sealing washers plus a new switch would sort it. An e-mail to Simon Holton set the wheels in motion.
The new bits arrived, were fitted and . . . It still leaked. It wasn't the switch it was the union on the end of the hose that was corroded

Another e-mail to Simon procured a replacement hose set plus more sealing washers. The set includes both the feed and return pipes, a pressure switch and all the brackets. The price (are you sitting down ???) £463 after Simon's Club Discount

Now to replace the pipes:
After removing the sump guard the hoses can be seen running along the front of the Steering Rack.
They rise on the N/s to the Power Steering Pump. The high Pressure pipe goes to the top of the Pump, the return goes to the side of the ATF Reservoir. It is bolted to the chassis on its way.
The upper (12mm) bolt holds the bracket to the chassis, the lower (10mm) one simply clamps the bracket around the hose. There is a hole in the chassis for the pointy-end but that isn't connected and doesn't need to be undone.
The mounting bolt has an 8mm thread with one of Toyota's famous 'small' 12mm collapsing heads. Getting that out is going to be a challenge.
I wire-brushed the heads and applied penetrating oil. When that didn't work I sawed through the bracket in order to release the hose and get it out of the way and then used a 2Kw Hot Air Gun to heat the bolts and chassis. Eventually I got the 10mm one loose and clear of the hole in the chassis.
I then tapped the bracket in an anti-clockwise direction and it turned - along with the mounting bolt - job done
The Toyota bolt was replaced with a standard 8mm stainless Set Screw, with lots of 'Optimol TA' anti-sieze paste.
Next the ATF Reservoir was removed from the Inlet Manifold - three 8mm Sets (with 12mm heads).
This allowed me to reach the Banjo Union on the high-pressure hose - a 22mm socket on a long extension bar. Access is a bit restricted but not too bad if you take it carefully.
The Return Pipe was removed from the ATF Reservoir. The hose was so hard I had to slice it vertically with a Stanley Knife to get it off. I was careful not to score the metal pipe on the Reservoir .
There is another bracket on the hoses. This bolts to the top of the Steering Rack just under the sump. Being nice and oily it came undone relatively easily.
So now the attention focusses on the hose connections at the steering rack end. This has to be in the least-accessible part of the whole truck. To get near it from above I had to remove the airbox.
From underneath, it is just possible to get a socket or spanner on the unions but there is only about 10 degrees of movement possible.
The Return Pipe passes through a hollow bolt and has a flared end. There was no way I was getting that undone with a spanner so I sawed the pipe off the top and then used a 17mm deep 6-point socket on it with a Power Bar. Success.
The High-Pressure Banjo Union also has a 17mm hex head. It came away quite easily with an 18 inch bar.
And that was the old hoses removed
The High-Pressure hose Banjos. The threads are the same but the lower-end has a 17mm head whereas the upper one has a 22mm head.
With all the corroded old stuff removed, it was time to bring in the new. If you can see £463-worth here please tell me where

Fitting the new stuff is straightforward, if a little fiddly when trying to reach the Steering rack from below.
The upper end is a bit easier. One has to be careful to get the sealing washers positioned correctly above and below the union as once your hand is down there you can't see what's going on. Wipe everything scrupulously clean before fitting as well.
The new, soft rubber hose slips onto the Reservoir pipe easily as well.
And the brackets are bolted to the chassis / Steering Rack as well.
The next job is to re-fill the Reservoir with ATF and bleed the system. To do this jack up the front wheels under the lower wishbones and, without the engine running, turn the steering full lock left to right repeatedly.
Every so often check the fluid level and top up.
Eventually it will stop dropping and you can try it with the engine running and give it a careful test drive.
It takes a while to get all the air out.
Note: Just starting it up and driving around a yard in figures of eight doesn't work - DAMHIK

So now for the Autopsy . . . Why was the pipe union leaking near the Pressure Switch ???
See the hole ???
The extension piece that has the Pressure Switch in it should have parallel sides. It has been quietly rusting away underneath the Injector Pump and has rusted through just inboard of the Pressure Switches sealing ring. Even the original Banjo Bolt had a deep rust pit on top.
I had been doing 60 MPH down a motorway with a 2.5 ton trailer on behind. If I had run out of Power Steering Fluid I'd have been in deep 'Doo-Doo'. If you want to see why, try rolling your 100-Series down a gently slope without the engine running and see if you can steer it (or stop it, come to that).
With these 3-ton trucks we are wholly dependant on the power assistance we get from the gadgetry. It can all go pear-shaped very quickly and I was lucky this time.
So - If you have a 100-Series that has spent its life North of Watford where there is road salt in the winter I seriously suggest you check this pipe union it could be a disaster waiting to happen.
I hope this helps
Bob.