This Saturday, I installed a new PS pump. Mine was going out after three years of track events and sustained high RPM driving. I noted total lack of steering boost under hard braking, and that the fluid appeared burnt.

I did the replacement from the top of the motor, without pulling the rack or suspension. It was pretty easy.
Car:
C5Z06, no engine mods.

Tools:
Sockets and wrenches (the normal corvette sockets: 13-16mm)
5/8" open end wrench
pliers (to take off hose clips)
power steering fluid
turkey baster
PS pulley puller/installer (rented from local auto parts store)
drain pan
jackstands and jack
screwdriver
Golf tees

1. Set brake, chocked back wheels, disconnected battery
2. jacked front of car up enough to get drain pan under
3. positioned drain pan under PS pump.
4. Removed serpentine belt
5. Disconnected alternator electrical connections.
6. Removed and set aside alternator bolts (2)
7. Removed alternator
8. Disconnected air intake bridge and displace towards passenger side for working room
9. Used turkey baster to suction fluid from PS reservior.
10. Used pliers to undo hose clamps to PS reservior return and main lines
11. Positioned water bottle near PS pump return hose, then disconnected and allowed remaining fluid to pour into bottle. Plugged line with golf tee.
12. Disconnected lower PS pressure hose fitting from PS pump and allowed fluid to drain into drain pan.
13. Disconnected and removed PS reservior from pump, leaving main reservior hose attached to pump.
13. Unbolted PS/alternator bracket from front of engine. Had to leave bolts captured behind PS pulley, but was able to work the pump off.
14. With PS pump and bracket removed from car, applied pulley remover tool to PS pulley.
15. Removed captured bolts. NOTE! They were different, so kept track of which was which.
16. Removed PS pump retainer clip bolts (four) and set aside in order.
17. Removed PS reservior hose from PS pump and put on new pump.
18. Cleaned bracket well.
19. bolted new pump into bracket.
20. replaced captured bolts into bracket.
21. Applied pulley installation tool to new pulley until flush with end of pulley shaft and aligned with serpentine belt tensioner pulley.
22. Replaced bracket and pump, reconnected PS pressure hose, reservior hoses.
23. Filled with new fluid, first leak check.
24. Turned steering wheel back and forth until bubbles stopped surfacing in PS reservior (around 20 minutes of wheel movement).
25. Bolted on and reconnected alternator.
26. Replaced serpentine belt.
27. Reconnected battery
28. Dismounted from jack stands
29. Test drive; second leak check.
30. Beer!

Easier to do than to write it up. It's operating fine, as far as I can tell. I have not been able to test on track as yet, but will in three weeks.

 

Just finished removing my pump ... not a difficult job, but it could prove very hard if you don't know a few tricks, in addition to Yakisoba's nice instructions:

The reservoir can be a bitch to get off if the large hose going to the pump is frozen in place. Use a hair dryer on high for a few minutes to expand the hose, then grasp the hose with pliers near the reservior and gently twist/pull it off.

The bolts screw into the head, which is aluminum. Try to get all the bolts loose before completely removing any of them from the head; This will release any potential binding and can prevent boogering the end of the bolt/head threads. DO NOT OVERTORQUE when reinstalling! Chase these threads before attempting to reinstall the pump bracket, to ensure no threads strip or cross going back in.

The bottom hose going to the pump actually screws in to the pump via a fitting; this fitting with a 16mm head is located near the pulley outer edge at the lower side of the pump; To remove, simply turn this fitting.

You may not be able to remove the pulley, even with a puller. They tend to freeze on the shaft. If you break the pulley (common), you'll be better off buying a new pulley and buying all new bolts which hold the pump to the bracket, and are held captive by the pulley.

This job can be a major PIA, so make sure you have plenty of time to get it done.

 

Great write up guys.

Questions:
Track follow up?
Where did you buy the pump?
Price?

 

Nice write up. Did you take pictures along the way?

 

I just took out my PS pump and pulled the pulley out. Can I use ls2 style pulley on this pump(oem replacement pump, strangely 2 times heavier than the stock)? If I go with the stock pulley, how exactly am I supposed to install the pulley? Would a rubber hammer work?

And I had to use an impact gun on the pulley puller to get it out : )

 

Yes. It's metal and not expensive. Part # 12568997
Surely you're joking about using a rubber hammer to install it, right?

 

I guess I was too tired to think yesterday, I used the installer. Now I gotto bleed it.

Thnx

 

First off, thanks guys for the write up. While I changed the order of some of the steps, I found the above instructions to be very helpful. That being said, I'm stuck.

I'm trying to get the lower hose off the pump. I think the fitting you are refering to is located in the picture below with the arrow.



I put a crowsfoot on the fitting right where the arrow is pointing and tried to turn. It doesn't want to come off. I've put quite a bit of torque on the fitting and it just beginning to round. Am I missing something? There is some sort of fitting right on the pump but there is no way to get at it with the pully installed. Any tips would be VERY much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

I managed to disconnect the other end of the hose and pull out the whole bracket, hose, and pump together. Now I have some room to work while trying to remove the top part of the hose.

 

I'm going to pull my pump this weekend, did you happen to get pictures of that hose you couldn't get off? I'm curious to see what it looks like, so I know ahead of time how to remove it =P

 

Looks like the pressure hose that runs from the pump down to the rack.

 

May be doing this soon, any updates?

 

Sorry for the delayed response. I just saw your question. The line in question is indeed the high pressure line going from the pump to the steering rack. I couldn't get the fitting where the line attaches to the pump to turn while it was in the car. I eventually took off the other end of the hose where it attaches to the power steering rack. I then took the line and pump over to a vise where I managed to get the line free from the pump (I think I used some PB Blaster).

I then attached the line to the new pump, installed back into the car and reattached the line to the power steering rack.

I don't have any more pictures. As I recall, the line is around a foot long.

 

i know im replaying to your post TWO years later...but can you please explain how you worked around the pulley when removing the bracket/pump(step 13)? also, what do you mean by 'captured'? thanks much