BMW E36 Power Steering Hose
I originally wrote and posted this on Reddit, but have decided to duplicate all of my guides to my blog for centralization, and am taking the opportunity on 2026-03-22 to update it and fix broken links.
Problem
The power steering hose for the BMW 328i (E36 chassis) is notoriously expensive for what it is. Part of the return hose is metal (presumably to cool down the power steering fluid before it returns to the reservoir), with a rubber hose clamped to it that fails with age.
Someone on Bimmerforums came up with the solution, but the images broke long ago, and it doesn’t link to any parts.
Solution
Using the Bimmerforums guide, I was able to refresh the power steering hoses and reservior on my 1997 BMW 328i (sedan, 5-speed, sport package). Here are the parts I used:
- x5 hose clamps
- x1 power steering reservoir
- x1 power steering suction hose
- x1 power steering hose
- x2 M16 banjo bolts
- x4 M16 crush washers
- x1 M14 banjo bolt
- x2 M14 crush washers
- x1 Napa Auto Parts H1945
- 2 quarts of Dextron III / Mercon ATF according to the Chilton manual, although mine only needed 1 quart
The generic Napa hose replaces part of the power steering return hose, which saves about $60. You’ll want to unbolt and remove the old return hose, and use a hacksaw or rotary cutting tool to carefully cut away the clamp that attaches the hose to the pipe (I used a hacksaw and a screwdriver to pry that last bit apart).
Next, you’ll want to remove the hose clamp in the middle of the hose, and remove the flow restrictor (in my case, the restrictor fell out as soon as I loosened the clamp). Then, cut the hose to 11.5” or 11.75” (I did 11.5”, and thought 11.75” would have been better), place the restrictor somewhere in the middle, and use one of the clamps to hold it in place. Then, it’s just a matter of installing a clamp on the return pipe, and another on the reservoir. I gave mine a bit of a twist to avoid the power steering boot, and I have plenty of hose to try again if it ends up being a problem.
My total cost was $184.94.