So today we started to work on getting the timing set right on the Vette...

My dad's worried that no oil is getting up to the valves, and he starts checking on stuff when he notices that there's a noise coming from the front of the car, a "clacking" noise.

He gets in the car, and fires it up; the noise is coming from the front of the engine.

The more I start to listen, the more I realize it's coming from something below the alternator, which after trying to peer past it, I realize is the power steering pump.

I started thinking, "Great. The power steering pump is shot. That explains why the steering felt so loose when I took it around the block yesterday. Wonder how much THAT is gonna cost me..."

So we start to check the fluid level in the pump...And we realize that there's no cap on the pump! Turns out there's just a black plug that fits inside the neck of the power steering pump. My dad tries to pull it off, and instantly manages to push it down, INSIDE the pump.

We ended up pulling the pump completely off the car and using some long, thin needle nose pliers to pull out the plug, which had managed to work its way down near the bottom of the pump (read: pain in the @)#&^!). We also discovered that the previous owner broke the power steering bracket, so it was only being held on by one bolt to the bracket. Not good. We did a little bit of work to get it to hold on a little more sturdily, but looks like a trip to the junkyard is going to have to yield us a bracket for it.

Anyway...Took 1 1/2 quarts of power steering fluid to get the car's system primed and back to reading within normal levels again; this did WONDERS for the steering.

After this job was completed, my dad asked me, "So, what did we learn today?"

"That in order to remove the power steering you have to loosen up the smog pump, remove the alternator, and cuss enough to turn the air blue for 2 miles around you in order to get the power steering pump out?"

"Well, that too...But I was going to point out that if you've got a noise on the car involving something that spins or rotates, you should probably check to see if it's got enough lubrication or requires lube of some sort."

 

 

 

I think that you're both right.

 

Looks like a great opportunity to chuck in a new chrome pump! If you're like me and like that sort of thing, that is. I figured as long as you had the pump out anyway...