Repairing with tape

17028

The power steering fluid line has been eaten through by contant rubbing against another line. Both are made out of metal. The hole is on the outside of an inverted U.
I've considered sticking a piece of rubber hose over the hole, but tape seems so much easier. I'm looking for some good heat-resistant tape to use, that will stand both the heat of the line, the fluid trying to leak out from below and the other line rubbing against it.

I'd be grateful for any tips on if tape is useful in this situation, and if I can expect any problems from it. Thanks!

alcan

If it's the high pressure hose, identified by crimped on fittings on both ends, it carries 1,100 to 1,500 psi pressure at full steering wheel lock depending on vehicle model. Tape isn't going to do much.

Mr_Shiftright

I doubt tape would work even if it is only the low pressure line rather than the high. The oil will degrade the tape adhesive pretty quickly.

17028

Alright, thanks a lot for your help!

wtd44

I strongly recommend a roll of duct tape and assorted hose clamps for ramblin' wrecks. I have used the jiffy kit to get several miles to home for a real repair (replacing radiator hoses and heater hoses). Don't snicker, now. Try it.

swschrad

... ahh, but duct tape isn't much when under pressure and hot. if you have to fix a coolant hose with duct tape, leave the radiator cap "one click open", which does not allow the system to pressure past a couple pounds or so. you'll spill out a lot of warm coolant as you drive to your hose store. but you'll still have the system full of coolant, and it won't be that way if you blow a greasy gob of coolant under the duct tape under pressure.

if you have to try getting a pressurized line down the road a piece, rubber gasket material over the hole and covering it with hose clamps from before the issue to after it, all screwed tight, should get you a reasonable distance. probably won't work with power steering or a/c lines, but on tranny cooling lines and such, it beats walking.

wtd44

We are all on the same track and headed for the same final solutions, but don't overlook that bad stuff happens! Once in a while, we just might in a lifetime of driving get one or more emergency situations that benefit greatly from tape, patches, and clamps used in unorthodox ways, as we motor under great mental stress in the direction of the nearest parts store parking lot!

dpwestlake

Is like the force, it has a dark side, a light side and it holds the universe together.

wtd44

Duct tape is a perfect medium for preventing the rise of entropy in anything to which it may adhere.

swschrad

duct tape even took that itch away from me. but only for a little while. it's a good band-aid for lots of mechanical Stuff until you can get to a parts bin. I don't trust it much further than that... the ends that got stuck over what you want to keep never come free and after some years still show glue residue, but oil and pressure right under the adhesive mean it won't stay over the fault forever.

wtd44

I've even used it to stop leaks in heating ducts-- the original use! Har! <:^|

swschrad

that's too hard to believe.......

seelig

when i learned about "duct" tape in school, i could swear it was spelled "d u c t".
hey wubberman- why not just drop the logo and enjoy talking to everyone here? you seem to have some pretty good ideas, just drop the pic, and stick around pal.

dhoff

Everyone loves duct tape, but don't overlook electrical tape. I once repaired a radiator hose leak (somehow it got rubbed through by an accessory belt) with electrical tape. It was late at night, I was in a "questionable" neighborhood, and I didn't want to stop for long. Certainly didn't want to go looking for a phone and wait for a tow truck.

That repair lasted for a few days until I could get it into a garage. I always carry a roll in our cars now.

Dave

wtd44

There does seem to be a brand on the market, "DUCK."

swschrad

the all-in-one friendly tool kit in a roll first became known to me as "gaffer's tape" in the 1960s, as in behind the scenes in making movies. the generic term is duct tape. one particular brand, playing off that generic, is Duck Tape (tm) (c) (r) (don't cross us, sucka) (my lawyer can make your lawyer cry in court). another is 3M. another is Mystic. etc etc etc. just throw a roll in once you have determined it's good enough to hold a slimy old tire from a rafter overnight with one wrap-around.