In this article.. we are going to show you how to replace/upgrade the factory power steering lines on various Skyline, Silvia, laurel, Stagea and Cefiro chassis with one of our Stainless Braided Power Steering kits.
If you are reading this, you are most likely aware of the issues the old systems tend to have as they age. Not only that, they are hideous and do not look good at all. We are going to install this kit on a Non hicas Stagea, although this article can be used when installing into other chassis.
As a side note, the engine does not need to be removed to install this kit.
First, we started by draining the power steering fluid, we did this by removing the pump feed from reservoir (Big hose). Obviously, this won’t drain the entire system, but it will empty the reservoir. This can be very messy so be sure to have rags and drip tray on hand. We then proceed to remove all mounts on the stock power steering steel lines, these are 10mm and mounted on the chassis rails and cross-member.
At this stage we then unbolted the reservoir, because our engine was removed, it allowed us to leave the rack return connected to the reservoir. Whilst up top remove the banjo from the Power Steering pump as well.
We then moved down to the steering rack where we first removed the high-pressure line (14mm ring spanner) and then the low-pressure line (17mm ring spanner). Have rags on hand as power steering fluid will leak out these lines once removed. Because our engine was out, we were able to lift the entire circuit out and discard. With the engine in, these lines will need to be maneuvered out around the engine.
We then moved on to installing the New Braided Power steering Line Kit. We fitted the new AN6 steering rack fittings. The 14mm AN6 adapter is for high-pressure (top port) and the 16mm AN6 adapter is for low pressure (bottom port).
At this stage it may be a good idea to prepare your reservoir. If you are using the factory reservoir whether its steel or plastic, they require the flares to be removed to allow the new braided rack return and pump feed to fit over the tails.
This can simply be done with a tube cutter. If you do not have access to one of these handy tools a grinder can be used. However, you need to be very careful here. You do not want foreign debris to enter the reservoir. Take your time and chamfer the ends once cut. Once complete mount the reservoir in the desired location. The braided rack return and pump feed are a little longer in case you choose to mount your reservoir somewhere other than stock location.
We now moved onto fitting up the braided lines. Which way you choose to run them is entirely up to you. We chose to run this particular setup following the same route as the original lines. We install from the rack end first. Be mindful at this stage, you need to make sure you get the hoses in the correct orientation, both 45-degree AN6 ends go to the rack.
The 14mm rack fitting (top port) is for the high-pressure. Don’t get these mixed up as you can cause damage or one hell of a mess! Once you have these lines fitted you can now route them where you choose.
Install your AN6 pump fitting with new crush washer and you can fit the 90-degree end from high pressure Braided Line to the pump. Obviously, our engine isn’t in, so we had our line off to the side for now. The low pressure from the rack will go to the smaller outlet on our modified reservoir. Because we mounted our reservoir in stock location, we needed to shorten our low-pressure line. Mark the hose with tape and cut through the tape, this way it avoids the braid from separating and makes it easier to fit the hose finisher back on the braided line. Now you can install this line to the reservoir and tighten the hose finisher.
Moving onto the pump feed from the reservoir (Big hose) you may or may not need to cut this line. Because our reservoir is in stock location it will need to be cut. Following the same procedure as cutting the low-pressure line if needed. We will cut this line to suit once the engine is reinstalled. In the meantime, that line can also be fitted to the reservoir and the hose finisher tightened off.
Once all lines are installed and you have made sure all your connections are tight you can fill your reservoir with fresh power steering fluid. Do not overfill as when it comes to bleeding the air out the air tends to push the fluid up the reservoir and you don’t want spillage in your engine bay. What I tend to do is disable the car from firing, I then crank the engine over to pump the fluid around the system to avoid running the pump dry. Once you are satisfied you can then start the car and proceed to bleed air out of the system.
This procedure is fairly basic, With the engine running this can be achieved by turning the steering wheel fully left, Then fully right. I do these 10 or more times its always easier with a second set of hands to keep an eye on the fluid level, topping up if required.
All in all, this was a pretty straight forward change over. It was highly satisfying to see the finished result.
We contemplated running an inline oil cooler on the rack return. But because this vehicle is going to be used on the street, we didn’t see the need for it. If the car were to see a lot more steering activity with drifting or track racing for example, then a power steering cooler would be highly beneficial. Something to consider when install your kit.
