ckulchar

I need to replace my power steering pump. Removed the air filter, belt, throttle body air horn, and the bolts that attach it to the engine. How do you get the pump assembly out?

Do I need to remove the top radiator hose and the coolant cross over tube?

Where should I disconnect the high pressure line and return line?

Thanks in advance

Charley

glass slipper

Just curious, what happened to it? Will it not make pressure, is it noisy, just leaking???

ckulchar

Hi Richard

Very seldom drive the car. Second time out this year. The steering got tight and noticed vapors. Looked under the hood and fluid on the pump pulley and below in front of the motor. The reservoir was empty. Drove it home. Couldn't find any problems with the three hoses. I refilled the reservoir and started the motor. Some fluid blew over the top of the left tire. Shut the car off. There was fluid on the front of the pulley again. There is a considerrable amount of fluid on the garage floor. Could the rack be bad? How could I check that?

Thanks again.
Charley

glass slipper

If you can wait until this afternoon, I'll take a look at mine to help figure out the source of the fluid spraying over the left tire. Definitely sounds like an external leak though...hydraulic pumps rarely go bad which is why I was asking.

ckulchar

Could the rack and pinion have blown a seal and then the steering pump went dry? What's the procedure to determine if the rack and pinion is bad? Car has 17,000 miles.

Thanks

glass slipper

It's possible the rack and pinion blew a seal but not likely. I looked at my car and for the fluid to spray across the left tire, it's more likely a hose has failed or a fitting has come loose at the rack and pinion. Either way, you'll probably have to remove the pump to change/tighten the hose but better to change the correct part the first time.

ckulchar

Richard

Removed the pump today. The serpentine belt wore into the high pressure hose. Sure glad you were again correct regarding the rack and pinion.

How can I determine if the power steering pump is still good?

Thanks again.

glass slipper

If you didn't run the pump for a long time without oil, it'll be ok. It's a vane type pump and they take a lot of abuse (including running without oil) and keep on going. Although the reservoir may have run out of fluid and you lost pressure to the rack and pinion, there is always a small amount of oil that remains in the pump. The remaining oil provides lubrication to the vanes but if you run it long enough, the small amount of oil can't provide sufficient cooling and the pump/vanes will overheat and the pump shaft seal will fail. The only way to tell is to put it back together and try it...at least you'll have experience if you have to take it back apart.

A new pump is fairly inexpensive but let's keep our fingers crossed.

Paul Workman

Once you have the new hose installed, might as well change the fluid.

Best to put the front end of the car on jacks, and with the engine running, turn the wheel from stop to stop as many times as necessary to remove the air from the system. You'll need a suction device to pull out the old fluid and keep replacing it until it remains relatively clear after several stop to stop cycles. (A turkey baseter works good to remove the old oil, and they come in handy for brake servicing too)

You'll need to rent or fashion a jig to press the pully back onto the pump. The FSM shows a diagram and using a special gauge. However, I was able to use a straight edge across the A/C pully and the PS pully and get it "perfect".

Good luck. I assume the hoses will be secured away from the belt this time, huh?

P.

glass slipper

With the pump and hoses already off, the best way to change the fluid is to turn the wheels hard left and then hard right to expel most of the fluid from the rack piston/cylinder. The fluid is already out of the pump/reservoir, no sense in making the job any harder than necessary.

ckulchar

I ordered a new high pressure hose from Advance Auto Parts. Should be here tomorrow.

Richard, Good suggestion regarding changing the fluid.

Paul, I was just going to leave the the belt off. That way no worries of it cutting the hose again.

Hopefully, I'll get it done in the next three or four days.

Thanks again.

Paul Workman

Ah, ha!

I wuz going by the FSM when I did mine, but thanks for that tip!

P.