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Replace your Nose Lift Return Line


whiteout
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Do it now. Seriously.

 

Thanks to CamelToeJuice who had a rupture of this little f**ker, I was introduced to its existence. After dealing with his car, I decided to check mine out and it was the cause of a leak which I (and two mechanics) though was coming from the steering rack. It is a small straight piece of rubber hose, held together by two band clamps. If your car can be raised, it takes a few minutes to replace. If it fails, the car is un-driveable, will dump power steering fluid errywhere and require well over an hour of working by feel. Replace this little hose now.

 

This is an age related part, not mileage and costs about $3 worth of straight hose from NAPA to fix. I suggest taking your current hose to the parts store and getting them to cut a piece of power steering hose to the same length.

 

Here's CamelToeJuice's ruptured line:

EEF9E095-D443-44E7-8D6A-19F3546D63BF_zps

 

Here's my leaking line:

58DDFE9E-CCD8-40B4-B38F-41EE3BA92824_zps

 

 

The hose is located above the front differential. So if you have a RWD car, it will take you about five minutes to replace. If you have AWD, it will be a little more tight getting your hands above the diff to replace the hose, but should be easy.

****NOTE**** Make sure nose lift is down when you replace the hose otherwise you're in for a power steering fluid shower.

 

If this hose ruptures and you cannot get under the car, there is another way to access the hose, but it blows. Remove the access panel in the frunk and on the left side of the car (your right if looking at the car) you will see the hose, it's the only one with band clamps that can be removed. Get in there with a screw driver and take off the clamps, then remove and replace the hose. Most of this process will be done by feel, it sucks.

 

Here is a picture, looking down at the fitting through the access panel (without the hose) for reference:

DDE81801-DA22-4914-BDA3-848D81598565_zps

 

Seriously, if you are a DIY'er, do it now. If you're not, have it done when you drop your car off for its next oil change.

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It's looking like the best strategy is to just replace all of these lines on a time based schedule like the long line for the lift, the lines to the shocks, the lines to the accumulator, the return lines, and all the coolant hoses, especially the one by the firewall.

 

Seems like every 6 or 7 years is the right schedule from reading about these failures.

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This stupid lift system is way too much trouble overall considering how crappy the system works.

 

Wonder if there's a way to just bypass all this lift system crap and leave it dormant.

 

Side note: No bleeding of the system necessary? Just straight up remove the clamps and replace the hose?

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This stupid lift system is way too much trouble overall considering how crappy the system works.

 

Wonder if there's a way to just bypass all this lift system crap and leave it dormant.

 

Side note: No bleeding of the system necessary? Just straight up remove the clamps and replace the hose?

 

In an LP 640 it's so necessary though.

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Side note: No bleeding of the system necessary? Just straight up remove the clamps and replace the hose?

No bleeding necessary as it's a return line (nowhere to bleed). It is a good time to flush/bleed the system though.

 

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I'm going to get a piece cut before I even look at mine.

What is the spec? Id, Od, pressure rating etc. What length is it? I reckon I'll get enough for two changes and leave the spare in my " I'm really glad I have one of those" box in the garage.

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Thanks whiteout. As always a great source.

BTW - I still haven't fitted the ign coils for my 6 litre that you supplied to me ~3 years ago. I've been waiting for the originals to fail but they keep on going. Maybe this winter I'll just bite the bullet.

 

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  • 2 months later...

I am going to do this job this week. Few questions that may help others too:

 

1) When you pull this hose off, does the entire reservoir of power steering fluid empty out through this hose, or just a little bit of fluid loss?

 

2) With the front diff in place, this is not an easy area to work, so I am expecting to have to cut the hose to get it off and it will take time to replace it, so I am wondering if I need to drain the system in advance?

 

3) And if I left the front end down and then jacked the car up, I don't need to bleed off the pressure in the system from the bleed nipple behind the trunk panel?

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This is a return line (low pressure side) so there is no need to let pressure out of the system. Some fluid will come out, but it isn't going to dump the entire system on you.

 

You can go in through the access panel in the trunk if you want. It might be easier to remove the band clamps through the access panel (orientation of screw driver) and remove / reinstall the hose from below.

 

Power steering fluid is DexronIII.

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This is a return line (low pressure side) so there is no need to let pressure out of the system. Some fluid will come out, but it isn't going to dump the entire system on you.

 

You can go in through the access panel in the trunk if you want. It might be easier to remove the band clamps through the access panel (orientation of screw driver) and remove / reinstall the hose from below.

 

Power steering fluid is DexronIII.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, I am definitely thinking the hose clamps will be better accessed from the trunk. On hose clamps, I prefer to use a socket instead of a screw driver especially for these hard to reach areas. It's either a 6mm or 7mm socket. That's what I had to do to get off the clamp for the radiator hose between the engine and transmission. That one was a bit of a b*tch. A screw driver would never have been able to stay in place.

 

That little power steering hose feels very hard on first check, so it may have some pressure there that either I need to release through the bleed nipple.

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I replaced mine and the long hose to the reservoir in the engine bay.

 

I still have the front diff in place, getting to the jubilee clips was the hardest thing !

 

Once undone I cut and hacked the old hose off - it goes hard over time, putting the new one on was much easier and you can angle the clips towards you.

 

I found crouching in the boot gave me access to it.

 

Good Luck

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I replaced mine and the long hose to the reservoir in the engine bay.

 

I still have the front diff in place, getting to the jubilee clips was the hardest thing !

 

Once undone I cut and hacked the old hose off - it goes hard over time, putting the new one on was much easier and you can angle the clips towards you.

 

I found crouching in the boot gave me access to it.

 

Good Luck

 

 

Did you go with OEM on the long hose, or did you have something made up, preferably more substantial than the OEM hose?

 

I would like to replace all the hoses in the lift system, and that totals around $2500 for not-so-great OEM, and I am sure much better hoses can be fab'd for much less.

 

If you had some fab'd, can you share how you went about doing that?

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I was fortunate to have whiteout as a neighbor when this happened. Lambo dealer wanted around $450 just for the small hose and it was messy. I was simply moving the cars around when the hose burst, I was fortunate I didnt go for a drive up the three levels as the lifting mechanism quit working. On a side note, the front nose lift worka much much better/quicker now. It is almost instantaneous.

 

If you own a Murci get it done.

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Did you go with OEM on the long hose, or did you have something made up, preferably more substantial than the OEM hose?

 

I would like to replace all the hoses in the lift system, and that totals around $2500 for not-so-great OEM, and I am sure much better hoses can be fab'd for much less.

 

If you had some fab'd, can you share how you went about doing that?

 

 

I had the long one made up locally - £125. It was wet and sticky the hoses to the shocks were dry and looked ok so did not change them.

 

Let me know when you are going to do it and I will give some pointers, not actually that hard when you know which bits to remove. !!

 

 

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I had the long one made up locally - £125. It was wet and sticky the hoses to the shocks were dry and looked ok so did not change them.

 

Let me know when you are going to do it and I will give some pointers, not actually that hard when you know which bits to remove. !!

 

The lines to the shock look ok on mine too, but while I am at it, I would replace them as well. I have heard of someone having the hose from the bleed nipple to the accumulator in the left front wheel well burst on them, so I would do that one also for completeness.

 

Yes, please share any and all of your tips and tricks! I am planning to do these hoses soon. I have heard that you are better to take of the wheel well liner in the right rear wheel to get the hose off on that end. Is that what you did?

 

Were you able to take the long hose out as a complete unit, or did you have to cut it into sections to thread it out? And did you follow the exact route of the original hose, or take an alternate routing?

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The lines to the shock look ok on mine too, but while I am at it, I would replace them as well. I have heard of someone having the hose from the bleed nipple to the accumulator in the left front wheel well burst on them, so I would do that one also for completeness.

 

Yes, please share any and all of your tips and tricks! I am planning to do these hoses soon. I have heard that you are better to take of the wheel well liner in the right rear wheel to get the hose off on that end. Is that what you did?

 

Were you able to take the long hose out as a complete unit, or did you have to cut it into sections to thread it out? And did you follow the exact route of the original hose, or take an alternate routing?

 

You might have bought my friend's murci if u got it from CA. There are not many yellow 04 manual murci in the US. i have exactly the same car as urs. Mine is 04 yellow and manual too. we went for a drive 2-3 years ago and the long hose of his murci burst. It was a scary scene, smoke all over the engine but luckily it didn't cause a fire. The shorter return hose of my murci burst 3 years ago too. So im thinking of changing the lose hose asap. If ur car is indeed my friend's former murci then urs is already a new hose.

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You might have bought my friend's murci if u got it from CA. There are not many yellow 04 manual murci in the US. i have exactly the same car as urs. Mine is 04 yellow and manual too. we went for a drive 2-3 years ago and the long hose of his murci burst. It was a scary scene, smoke all over the engine but luckily it didn't cause a fire. The shorter return hose of my murci burst 3 years ago too. So im thinking of changing the lose hose asap. If ur car is indeed my friend's former murci then urs is already a new hose.

 

I got mine from McLaren Philadelphia and they said they bought as a lot of 15 Lambos from a private collection. And that collector had mine in PA for 10 years.

 

I am going to have to replace it :(

 

So many hoses to change on this car, and so little time!

 

I finally got that radiator hose replaced tonight that is above the transmission and runs right by the exhaust manifold. Brilliant design. They so easily could have made that a longer metal pipe with an easy to reach connection for the ruber hose.

 

The Italians worked hard to make these jobs next to impossible so you suffer a Lambo amount to get them done.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The lines to the shock look ok on mine too, but while I am at it, I would replace them as well. I have heard of someone having the hose from the bleed nipple to the accumulator in the left front wheel well burst on them, so I would do that one also for completeness.

 

Yes, please share any and all of your tips and tricks! I am planning to do these hoses soon. I have heard that you are better to take of the wheel well liner in the right rear wheel to get the hose off on that end. Is that what you did?

 

Were you able to take the long hose out as a complete unit, or did you have to cut it into sections to thread it out? And did you follow the exact route of the original hose, or take an alternate routing?

 

 

I have a 4 post lift so can work underneath it.

 

Connect a pipe to the bleed nipple in the front boot and then undo it to remove the fluid that is under pressure, then you can remove the long hose - I didn't and it spurts out all over the place...

 

You then just feed / pull it out.

 

It is zip tied along the transmission tunnel at various hard to reach places - it was fitted before the engine and transmission. There were a couple of zip ties above the gearbox that I couldn't get to so yes I cut the hose in half. It was a pig to cut through. You need to cut the banjo connector off the end as this bit wont go through the zip tie.

 

The rear half is then fed up under the heat shield by the exhaust.

 

It then goes under the coolant tank, through the metal bracket on the fuel filters. I moved the coolant tank to the side, but you don't need to remove it. As it goes through the metal bracket on the fuel filters you need to feed it through it wont lift out. The air box needs to come out as it runs behind this.

 

I tried for hours to get a spanner on the bolt connecting it to the pump - a real pig of a job.

 

Or

 

You can remove the wheel and wheel arch liner and the bolt is right there infront of you, undone in seconds.

 

You then need to re fit.

 

I worked back to front.

 

The tricky areas were getting the full length through the fuel filter bracket and down by the exhaust- the hose doesn't flex that well and you need to make sure that it is not under excessive stress when routed. Refit the heat shield.

 

I found that pushing a piece of wire past the transmission and then hooking the wire around the banjo connector allowed me to pull it through. Zip tie it where you can.

 

Feeding it back into the front boot compartment was hassle as there is a lot in the way, but again a bit of wire allows you to pull it through.

 

Not a had job once you remove the rear wheel - a real pig if you don't.

 

Let me know if you get stuck.

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