2002 Chevrolet Venture Power Steering leak

2002 CHEVROLET VENTURE
197,410 MILES • 3.4L • V6 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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ROBERTF115
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I have a power steering leak and when I remove the reservoir It feels like a vacuum when you open a sealed jar. Is that the return hose? Please advise.
Dec 9, 2015 at 1:39 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 110,194 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
The vacuum feel isn't too far out of the ordinary. Listen, along the bottom radiator support you will see steel PS line. It routes along the bottom area and is cooled while moving. Almost every time I have seen an issue with a leak, it is the result of a rusted steel cooling line.

The cheapest way to fix is to simply cut the bad section of steel line out, purchase a section of high pressure rubber hose and injector style clamps and install that in the section you cut out.

Once it's back together, fill the pump with fluid and with the engine off, turn the steering all the way left and then all the way right a few times and recheck the fluid level. Do this until the level stops dropping.

If you want, you can replace the entire hose/cooler line, but they are a pain to remove and install because of clearance issues.
Dec 9, 2015 at 4:40 PM
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