dplotkin

Steve-
I hope your replacement pump fixes it, but what led you to conclude it was the pump that was the problem and not bad seals or other problem in the spool (control) valve?

Dan

steve meltzer

Great question with probably low quality answer. I spoke with the guy at Lone Star Caliper (they rebuild many of the pumps and provide parts for many vendors) and he said it had to be the pump. I must admit, that I question that, as I asked about the control valve, but he said no. I think I posted that very question here, before I started, but as I recall, I got no answer. So, since the replacement part was cheap, I decided to throw that on the car first. I actually like working on the car, so it was (another) labor of love. We're about to see if his wisdom was correct, or if my folly was to follow it. thanx, and I'll post the list. s

dknowles67

In my case it was pretty obvious - the pump is much higher (closer to the valve covers) than the control valve. Clean everything off, start the engine, turn the wheels from right to left a few times, shut engine off, crawl under, and see where it's leaking. I suspect the shaft seal on mine. Control valve and various hoses/connections were dry.

dknowles67

Woodruff key aka half-moon key. Mine was pressed into the original shaft, and the shaft of the auto-parts store rebuilt one, and neither came loose. Installed rebuilt pump (after swapping reservoirs), and drove it around the block. So far, so good. No leaks. During the bleeding process, I suspect air bubbles were causing the reservoir to overflow through the filler cap. I had a lot of fluid leaking from the top, and landing on my garage floor, I tightened up the flare nut output hose fitting, and repeated the bleeding process (keeping the reservoir full) several times. Eventually it stopped leaking.

1Cerberus4u

Gusto, or anyone, who sells these offset BB power steering pumps? I now see my issue in trying to convert my car to Power steering.... I need that specific pump...

Best

Andy

1Cerberus4u

Can someone confirm that the pump is the Cardone 20-6101? Summit has them for 55 bucks, and Lonestar is closed today, so I don't know their price. Summit says they are 2 weeks out on shipping.... Anyone know of anyone who has one instock?

GUSTO14

Super Chevy ran a very thorough article, C2/C3 Corvette Power Steering Replacement back in June covering all aspects of adding power steering to a C2 or C3 Corvette.

If you are purchasing from scratch, you'll also need to think about a pulley, brackets, lines, etc. All pretty much covered in the article.

If you're just looking for a pump, Zip has them...
https://www.zip-corvette.com/63-74-p...ufactured.html
Zip even has just the reservoir...
https://www.zip-corvette.com/63-74-p...reservoir.html
eBay has one...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-1974-CORVETTE-ORIGINAL-POWER-STEERING-PUMP-LIFE-TIME-WARRANTY/282041459480?hash=item41aafb2318%3Ag%3Am uQAAOSwboVXO2bE&fits=Year%3A1973%7CModel %3ACorvette%7CMake%3AChevrolet

Just be sure you get a pump with the reservoir shown in post #12 above.

Good luck... GUSTO

steve meltzer

OK, finally got the PS pump on the car and viola (careful now) it worked great...previously sluggish PS was now like it was in the beginning. cool...except I've got a leak and I think it's from the seam where the pump interfaces with the reservoir.
Like a rookie, I pried against the reservoir to tighten the belt, and I think I messed up the whole damn thing. At first I thought it was the flare fitting on the back (out going, high pressure side), but not convinced it's that. Any suggestions on where to pry to tighten the belt? I knew it was too good to be true. Happy New Year, y'all. steve

Desert Nomad

The latest "Vette" magazine has a pretty good article on power steering pumps and installations for the C2 & C3.

steve meltzer

OK, finally got the new reservoir and now mated to the pump, on the car, and dry, BUT it's much harder to turn right (steering wheel going CW) than left (steering wheel CCW). True in motion or at a stop sign. Some better when warm, but can't recall if the left hand turns were easier before the new pump or not, but the right hand turns show no improvement from where i started. ?? control valve is bad or can this be adjusted? ? problem is outside the PS itself. thanx.s

dplotkin

That is either a maladjusted or defective control valve, the first place to look for power steering woes with ram cylinder systems. I believe John Z has a detailed procedure on re-centering a control valve, search the forum for it. It is also in the shop manual. A bad ram can cause this too. Try adjusting the valve first, odds are that will fix it. Follow the instructions to the letter.

Dan

steve meltzer

thanx Dan. let me see if i can find the reference. steve

buns

steve meltzer

Buns, thanx again...that's just what i needed. more later. s

dplotkin

Steve-
If after performing the re-centering procedure, making sure the front wheels stay stationary when off the ground, engine running your trouble remains, I would then suspect the ram, which is an easy change.

Dan

steve meltzer

thanx again, Dan. I appreciate everyone's great help. s

steve meltzer

Well, finally got out there and adjusted the balance of the control valve and, viola (pun intended) it worked great! PS is excellent...all of the expense and aggravation of replacing the PS pump and reservoir was for naught...tho' I did learn a great deal.
Thanx again to everyone who helped and supported the effort. steve