On 01/19/2011 10:50 AM, wrote:
On Jan 18, 7:50 pm, Tim wrote:
Pursuant to getting "burban*" running
(http://www.ccwebster.net/robintim/Bu....net/robintim/) I am in the final throes of getting
the SWMBO-mandated power steering installed. The pump is in (with a
straight pulley and a bracket that fits), the steering box is installed
(and has been for months). The only things left to do are to weld a dot
to hold the steering column together while allowing it to collapse in
the unlikely event of an object-assisted stop, and to have some hoses
made up to connect pump to box.

The truck is stuck in my garage pro tem -- it hasn't been registered for
years, and it's not drivable with the steering arrangement at the moment
anyway. So I need to make up a dummy pressure-side hose so I can take
it some place that can copy my mock-up into the real thing.

Clearly, the purpose of having flexible hoses running from one's power
steering box to one's power steering pump is to allow the engine room to
move. My question is: how much hose do I need?

Anyone know? What are the basic requirements for a power steering hose
service loop? Two inches would clearly be too little; two feet would
clearly be too much. The answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Any opinions? What would you do, and why?

* We got the thing home, and our then-two-year-old youngest decided that
he loved it. At one point I was in the driveway grimly carrying a child
under my arm, who was screaming at the top of his lungs "'burban!
'burban!". I can only imagine the folks at the Southern Baptist church
across the street thinking "my, but those sinners start young these days".

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Serviceshttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details athttp://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

I've never had to make custom ones but have replaced enough stock
ones. The ones I've had have had steel tube on the ends with the most
abrupt bends in those, usually about 6" or so long on either end, then
crimped-on hydraulic hose that at most makes swooping bends. Some
have had figure-8 clips to keep the hoses together and out of moving
bits. Return hoses have usually been attached with regular hose
clamps, little or no pressure there. Usually formed steel tubing with
fittings for either end on those, too. if you've got a U-Pull-It
handy, you might scrounge up some used stuff and use that for mocking
up what you want. Then haul that over to NAPA or whoever and have
them build you a set of hoses. Usually those hoses are pretty cheap
from a U-Pull-It. Spare fittings and related hardware are always
handy, too. As far as how much slack, it depends on what you've got
to route the hoses around. The van has about a foot slack on both
hoses, loops around the steering column and coupler. One reason to
make a mockup first.

You need at least some swooping bends to accommodate the engine
movement, I know that -- just not how much.

Hey -- how often does the hose go down below the pump? It's looking
like the way to get this to fit is to have the "swoop" go underneath the
pump, then back up from behind. I wouldn't have thunk of it except that
the cut-off piece of high pressure hose that came with the box does that.

I'm getting there -- I've got the box ends of the hoses tweaked to go
through the opening between the inner fender and the frame rail, and
I've got the cut-off piece of high pressure hose loose from the pump*,
ready to turn down to go under. I think I've got enough stuff here to
mock it up, then it's off to the auto parts store, and if that doesn't
work then the custom hose place.

* With a detour to weld up the broken bracket, which I didn't realize
was broken until I degreased it! Bad me for not being clean _early_!

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html