Replacing ps return hose

A8 All/ S8 All
#1

The return hose in question is the furthermost forward one (2 ps low pressure fittings-one is behind the other).
Snakes up and around and probably squeezes in between frame rail and headers, making top side service impossible?
I pulled the wheel liner off and still cant make out which line it is.
Is it just a barb fitting on the rack end?
Any tips on replacing this line?

Ps, noticed over the winter the line was severly dry rotted and cracked. Driving home from work today i think gee i really need to buckle down and replace that line. 15 mins later i feel the ps give out. Check it oit, yup line ruptured.

#2

so got around to doing this last night.
unfortunately the dang barb for the return hose is wedged right between the exhaust head shield and aluminum frame. impossible to get to. SO i cut back the old hose as far as i could and spliced the new one in. Its not ideal, i see signs of dry rotting even all the way up there on the old hose…will need to eb replaced when i drop the engine eventualy for some goodies. No where near as bad as the front part of the hose that is exposed to salt spray etc.
Ended up flushing the whole system with some 11S until it ran nice clean green color, something else i have been meaning to do for a while.

#3

Great idea to flush the system. Lots of people dont think about or understand its the rack that also needs to be flushed to help keep the pump happy.

We get the same thing on the 4.2 S4… You did whats the best thing possible. Just pull back as close to the pump as you can and cut in. The line is available with limited access in some spots but not all the way. We cut back as far as we can just like you did and barb and replace.

#4

I cant recall what it used to sound like, but I am thinking the PS pump sounds louder than usual.
again, i really have no idea if it did or did not make noise before hand.
Do you hear these pumps at all normally? Can only hear it when standing by driver front wheel. at idle wheels straight. actually gets quiet when you turn the wheel and hold it in the turned position, but can hear pump whien during the turning.

Will get a video later, but just wanted to see if normally you can hear the pumps on them…

I turned the wheel lock to lock over 10 times before firing the engine when i flushed the system as per the service manual so hope everything is ok in there.

#5

Its hard to tell how loud it was before you did the line. The pumps are pretty strong and can go dry for a short spell and still be good. A good way to check and see if there is air still in the system. When you turn off the car pull the cap and see if there is still foam at the top. If there is it might be good to bleed it again.

The car always has that loud mechanical noise and its hard to pin point it but you dont want to hear the deep low pitched noise when you turn the wheel. That might be a sign of issues in the rack more than the pump

#6

heres the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knElAKy_o1g