Replaced the PS pump to hydroboost hose on my '04 Sierra

I had replaced all the PS hoses maybe 5 years ago, probably was also an Edelmann hoses, and it split on me yesterday. Fortunately, it was a small split, and I had PS fluid in the truck so I could drive around for parts to fix it.

Of course, the hose that failed is the one that is the most annoying to replace, as it goes from the back of the PS pump, where there is very little clearance, to the hydroboost unit. GM's full service manual says to just leave everything in place, and just unscrew each end to replace it, and I did that the last time, and it REALLY sucked to do it that way.

Pros of doing in that way:

-minimizes parts you have to remove/install

Cons of doing it that way:

-very difficult to get hands in there, and still see what's happening, to insert and keep the tube lined up with the PS pump, then starting the screw

-while you are doing it, PS fluid is dripping on you from the PS pump

Instead, from my experience with rebuilding/replacing the PS pump (I got a newer, better PS pump from a junkyard, rebuilt it, and then installed it) earlier this year, I found it was much easier (at least for me) to install that hose by unbolting the bracket holding the PS pump to the engine, lifting & rotating the bracket/PS pump assembly up in the engine bay and then uninstalling/installing the hose to the pump when it's lifted up. This makes it trivial to install the hose in the PS pump and torque it down properly.

Pros of doing it this way:

-easily get the hose installed without damaging the O-ring or your hands

-less PS fluid loss (pump is horizontal with the port on top, and the reservoir cap keeps any fluid that's still in it from coming out

Cons:

-more parts to remove/reinstall

Things to remove:

-air intake tube between MAF sensor and throttle body

-take main belt off alternator & PS pump pulleys

-the alternator (2 bolts holding it in place, also remove electrical connector and main power wire from stud)

-5 bolts holding lower shield in place (removing this gives you a straight path to removing the lower bolt on the bracket)

-4 bolts on front of bracket, holding bracket to engine

-2 bolts holding power junction box to bracket

-1 bolt holding rear PS pump bracket to engine block

Once all those parts/bolts are removed, you can lift the pump/bracket assembly up and towards the drivers side a bit, then rotate it so the backside of the pump faces up and let it sit braced on the engine, and replace the hose going to it. After it's in/torqued down, you can reinstall everything and done.

This process is a tradeoff. You probably can get the job done faster by just replacing the hose with the PS pump bolted to the engine, but you can expect to eat some oil, nick up your hands and experience some frustration getting the hose lined up right and then the screw started.

I would recommend also doing this for replacing the PS pump (removing the PS pump and bracket as an assembly from the engine, then remove the the PS pulley and unbolt the pump from the bracket on a workbench.