What I'm wondering is when the steering cylinder hoses are loosened from the hard lines will the steering control valve continue to feed fluid to the system or will the hard lines drain out. What I have is a cobbled up mess of stock and after market hoses with numerous hydraulic fittings some of which are cross threaded and the crowning achievement is the lower tee on the LHS is welded to the cylinder and is cracked. It will be a challenge to salvage the cylinder. Anyway, there will be more time than just R&R the hoses. Do I need to get plugs for the hard lines or just let drain and keep them clean? Thanks in advance, Jimr
I always use steel caps & plugs every time I undo a hydraulic line, not only stops contamination of the system, but keeps the work area free of annoying drips of oil. In saying that, I have the fittings at hand, so it's easy to do. The oil will eventually stop dripping out if you leave the hose/tube ends open, meaning with rag or tape wrapped around them. My advise is, that if you want to do your own repairs, a few caps & plugs of different sizes are a wise investment 90% of mine I have fabricated from the fittings from blown hyd hoses - recycling at it's best.
Alrman, good morning and thank you for the reply. As usual, your wisdom is appreciated and timely. I hadn't even thought of using the old hose ends. jimr