I’ve inspected mine this weekend and you’re right they’re a pig to see. Mine’s sound with no leaks but I’ve got an MOT coming up as well as a long trip up to Scotland and my (very reliable & trustworthy) local mechanic told me it was corroded when it was in for PS fluid change 6 months back and I’ve been fretting about it ever since.
To get a view I removed the front bash plate and the under engine cover and squirmed about for an hour or so underneath; with the suspension raised to off road you can just about get under where you need to.
I found many of the plastic pipe retaining clips were either loose or broken including the main retaining stay on the steering box (drivers side) which secures the “u-bend” pressure flow line from the pump to the steering box. I managed to re-scecure everything with zip cable ties for the time being.
Both the flow and return pipes are a mix of steel and braided rubber hose. The two main areas vulnerable to corrosion are the steel pipe on the return just below the PS fluid reservoir and the “u-bend” steel section on the flow which is secured to the chassis with a plastic mount under the drivers side corner of the radiator.
I’ve highlighted these in red the pictures below. I was not able to see the segments highlighted in green.
The bottom line for me was that the corrosion was light in my view so I cleaned it up and smeared some engine oil on as a temporary measure to stop it worsening until I can have a better look in warmer weather ( I have to work outside).
I’m may investigate getting some bespoke braided lines made up but it will depend on being able to source compatible banjos….. I usually use Venhills for hydraulics although they mostly deal with motorcycles so I’ll have to see how that conversation goes.
Anyhow, hope this helps & good luck with the investigation. Here’s is the picture :
![](https://www.fullfatrr.com/gallery/albums/userpics/24845/normal_IMG_2777.jpeg) | Click image to enlarge |
P.S. The part numbers are LR022639 & SKU LR022636. LR ( Robin at Duckworths) tell me that LR022636 is out of stock for the foreseeable future. TDV8 4.4 2012
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