screamindeamon

Hi, I feel like an idiot. I pulled off the power steering hoses and I forgot which hole the high pressure hose goes into on the rack.

There are two hoses. One from the pump to the rack, and one from the rack to the reservoir. The two bolts on the rack are the same size. I need to know which hole the HPS hose goes into. The one on top or the bottom?

If anyone with a 5000 could look at their car or know off the top of their head.

I enclosed some pictures so you could see what I am talking about, just in case.

http://tinypic.com/r/2nkmbmr/7

http://tinypic.com/r/wanimo/7

You can see in the second link a close up shot. I think it goes up in the top hole, and the connection to the reservoir goes in the bottom. Don't want to screw this up though. Might mess up the rack.

Thanks in advance! - Ray

Kneale Brownson

Aren't the connections arranged so that one is closer to the firewall than the other? That's what I recall. No car here to look at. Anyway, if that's the case, the one closer to the firewall goes to the reservoir, the one farther from the firewall goes to the pump.

Looking at ETKA, it appears the one closer to the firewall also is the one higher up.

screamindeamon

You are correct, sir! You are a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks a million. Getting ready to hook everything backup now.

screamindeamon

I thought this was going to be easy. I had to cut off all the hoses because they were to swollen to get off. Next, I spent all day trying to get one hose back on the rack the one farthest from the firewall and I couldn't get it to go back on! There is like 3 or 4 inches of room to get the bolt through the firring and into the rack and my hand it just too big. The washer keeps falling off one side and I can't get it to thread into the rack now. This is crazy. I am so tired and didn't get anything done today. I don't know what I'm doing wrong...

88A5TQ

Utility wire is your friend! Banjo bolt/ washer/ hose fitting/ washer/ utility wire. That's what u need to do and be patient. Leave some lead on that wire so you can pull it from the bolt after its screwed into the rack. DON'T OVER TORQUE THE BANJO BOLT. It will shear in half and ull be paying the dealership around $10 for a new one. Hand tight then a tad more good luck

screamindeamon

I'm going to give it another try tomorrow morning and try what you said. I know I can get it in there. I just lost my patience today and was kind of tired. Thanks for the advice.

screamindeamon

Audi..... The final frontier.... these are the voyages of the starship "My neck, My back".. It's 7 year mission to seek out leaks and change strange hoses.. To change the hoses that no man has changed before! Dooooo DOoooooo Dooooooo DOOOooo DOOOoooooOOOooo.

Well.... I got the connections made but apparently the hose that goes to the reservoir is the one farther from the firewall and vice versa. I got everything hooked up and started the car. I tried to turn the wheel a little to start bleeding the system by turning the wheels back and forth and it felt like the Hulk had the wheels and was jerking em back and forth. I can't imagine that anything I did except hook up those hoses backwards would have caused something like this.

So, I had to drain the system and undid everything again, and was right back into the same spot I was yesterday. Trying to get the hoses into the rack. I got one hose back in but after about 2 hours of trying to get the high pressure hose into the rack, I had to call it a day. My knee's were throbbing and my hands were so cut up and hurting from being twisted up in that space I could hardly move them. I did the utility wire thing and It helped but after a while I was just so frustrated and infuriated I gave up. Also, one of the bolts flew out of the fitting and went somewhere. I guess I am going to have to borrow a car again tomorrow and go buy one.

I have been through a lot with this car and have done some repairs I thought were pretty challenging but I never would have guessed changing these hoses would have been the death of me. I'm no mechanic but it's like Audi never thought those hoses would go bad or something and like they purposely made it insanely hard to change them. Maybe its just cause I'm a beginner. I don't know. Gonna give it another try tomorrow.

screamindeamon

For your amusement..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavA0tgWiSY

Video of what happened when I tried to turn the wheel after hooking everything back up. Not normal, right? I hooked up everything right! LOL, famous last words....

Kneale Brownson

You cannot hook up the hoses to the pump incorrectly because each of the Banjo Bolts and associated hose is sized for just its opening in the pump.

The ETKA image clearly shows the hose from the pump going to the opening in the rack that's farthest from the firewall (not the HVAC well wall)and the one to the reservoir going to the one closest to the firewall.

Here's a way to hook up the banjo bolts: Wrap a fairly strong string around the bolt between the head and the washer so that the string comes off the top and will turn the bolt to the right as you pull on it. Hold the bolt in place with the hose and pull on the string to get the threads started.

I tighten/loosen the rack banjo bolts using a swivel socket and extensions from the passenger side of the engine.

Did you have the front wheels off the ground when you tested your first setup? Your bounceback may have been from the wheels tensioning when the system wasn't free of air. The bleeding procedure is to turn the wheel lock to lock repeatedly WITH THE WHEELS OFF THE GROUND.

audi_marv

Recently had to deal with that rack connection, and found it easier to use a tacky/sticky substance that kept the washer from falling off. Think I used some HD lube. Once the washer stuck on, started bolt with left hand, and it went in with no problems. Think I had the reservoir out of the way too. Sorry to hear of the pain you've gone thru. BTDT more than once.