Crown Victoria Power Steering Hoses

Crown victoria power steering hoses
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Below is a list of the later style power steering hydraulic hoses and some comments about them.

Part Number	From	To	Comments	Suggested Retail (January 2005)	Needed for late model gear retrofit
F7AZ-3A713-AE	1997	1997	Return line from gear to cooler You can alternatively use the 1998-2002 revision of this hose instead	$26.57	YES
F8AZ-3A713-AA	1998	2002	Return line from gear to cooler The metal tube portion of this hose has the same dimensions as the 1997 revision. The rubber portion is slightly longer, but can be cut to size. The metal portion is also relatively weak and can be bent with your bare hands, be careful not to kink it though.	$16.72	YES

F7AZ-3A719-AB	1997	1997	Pressure hose from pump to gear This is the last model year that crown vics had a mechanical radiator fan and the first year that they had a steering box with the "new style" hydraulic fittings on it. If you live in the "rust belt", the factory installed pressure hose fitting on the gear may be impossible to turn without destroying it. Corrosion can also reduce the wall thickness of this hose near the gear to a miniscule percentage of it's original thickness so that it either develops a severe leak or falls off the gear all together.	$64.08	YES
1W7Z-3A719-AA	1998	2002	Pressure hose from pump to gear A dual speed electric radiator fan replaced the mechanical one starting in 1998. If this hose is installed in a 1992-1997 vehicle, it will loop very close to the mechnical fan. Many broken parts will result if the rotating fan blades contact the pressure hose. An 18mm "crow's foot" flare nut wrench and a long extension bar are invaluable for installing the pressure and return hoses onto the steering box (Supercedes: F8AZ-3A719-AA and F8AZ-3A719-AB)	$35.86	YES

F1VY-3691-A	1992	1997	Return hose from pump to reservoir	$23.43	NO
F8AZ-3691-AA	1998	2002	Return hose from pump to reservoir The power steering reservoir was relocated from from the driver fender liner to the engine front cover starting in the 1998 model year. This hose will not work in an earlier vehicle as a result. Also, the 1998+ reservoir will not fit on the front cover of an earlier crown vic due to the drivers ignition coil pack being mounted there.	$18.35	NO

F7AZ-3A713-AD	1997	1997	Hose and tube assembly that connects from cooler to F7AZ-3A713-AE and reservoir One end of this assembly connects to the external power steering and transmission fluid cooler in front of the radiator. The other end to the return line near the gear and the return line at the reservoir. Sometimes these hoses leak a little bit at the cooler when the rubber gets old. In the "rust belt", sometimes the metal crimps that hold the rubber onto the metal hoses "rust out" too.	$76.42	NO

F7AZ-3A713-BA	1997	1997	Return line from gear to reservoir (Metal tube portion) This return hose is for civilian crown vics without the factory installed external power steering and transmission cooler. It has been discontinued, but may be avaliable aftermarket.	Obsolete	????
F7AZ-3A713-B	1997	1997	Return line from gear to reservoir (Rubber hose portion) Without factory installed cooler	$21.25	????

F8AZ-3A713-BA	1998	2002	Return line from cooler in front of radiator to reservoir on front engine cover 1998-2002 crown vics use an external power steering fluid cooler with the hose fittings in different locations than in previous years.	$13.43	NO

F3AZ-3E764-A	1991	1997	Power steering reservoir (Supercedes F1VY-3E764-A)	$63.72	NO
3L5Z-3A697-AA	1998	2002	Power steering reservoir The reservoir contains an internal filter that can cause repeat power steering system component failures if it is contaminated. (Supercedes F4LY-3E764-A)	$42.30	NO

Notes:

If installing a 1997-2002 steering gear in an 1992-1996 vehicle, the hose fittings at the steering gear must be changed to the "new style". This is most easily accomplished by the installation of new hose assemblies.
You may have to supply false information to your parts supplier to get the hoses you need for the late model gear swap. (i.e. tell the parts advisor you have a 1997 crown vic when you really have a 1996 vehicle)
The pressure hose contains "one use" seals that must be replaced everytime they are removed. Installation of new hoses will avoid this problem and will also help insure that hose related debris isn't introduced into circulation.
The hose fitting at the pump can be difficult to remove. I've found a large pair of wire cutters or bolt cutters can be used to cut the hose, then pneumatic air impact tools used to remove the nut that it left behind.
The pressure hose fitting is located directly in front of one of the bolts that holds the pump to the block. On 1997 vehicles, the hose has a 90 degree angle fitting on it that inhibits access to the nut that retains the hose to the pump. This makes hose a real challenge to remove when the fitting is locked in place and won't turn. In the past, i've removed the pulley from the pump and then used an angle grinder to cut through the peice of metal that was in the way. This introduced contamination into the hydraulic system, but the pump, lines and box were being replaced with new service assemblies anyways. If you choose this method, be careful not to light the steering fluid on fire from the heat generated by the grinding process.
Countless service bulletins have been released by aftermarket "remanufacturers" of power steering components about repeat failures caused by contamination in hydraulic fluid circulation. Some of these reference the fact that hoses degrade as they get older and release debris. Others reference properly flushing the remaining components in the system and installing a filter. If you have a contamination concern with the pump or gear, replace the affected assembly as contamination appears nearly impossible to completely remove from these components without complete disassembly of them. The cooler can be flushed if needed though.
Aftermarket avaliablity of the 1997 crown victoria power steering pressure hose is poor. The local napa claimed they could order it, but after it arrived i found out that it had the "old style" steering gear fitting on it and was really for a 1995-1996 crown vic. Further investigation revealed that napa incorrectly listed the same part number for all 1995-1997 crown vics in their catalog. Some of the local parts stores were willing to order a "powercraft" brand hose, but the warehouse never delivered it to them after a couple months had elapsed and countless reminder phonecalls had been placed to the warehouse. In contrast, if you order a pressure hose from your local ford dealer, you'll likely have it within a week.
Some civilian crown vics do not have an external power steering cooler