Another Power Steering Thread :(
 

Morning guys,

I've had some ups and downs with my power steering as of recent. I went ahead and did the recommended flush with Seafoam and refill with Pentosin. That whole process turned out great until the pump blew 3-4 days afterwards lol

So I went out to get a rebuild pump from a local indy shop. I guess I have no reason to suspect that they didn't do a bad job rebuilding that pump as they've done a whole lot of them.

Swapped the units with no issues at all until it came to bleeding the system. I feel like I lost a lot of fluid when the old pump blew, but I only put back in 1 reservoir's worth of fluid (wouldn't take anymore). I've done every type of bleed possible on this thing and nothing is getting rid of the whining / groaning. I've been able to get the noise progressively lower, but I feel like there's still a lot of air stuck in there somewhere.

I'm half tempted to crack the bleeder pretty wide open and push a lot of fluid / air out, then fill it back with the reservoir.

I also ordered a rebuild kit for myself so I can rebuild my own pump, but until then I am out of ideas.

Anyone have any insight on what I should do?

I would crack it real good with somebody in the truck turning it all the way left and right to see if that helps. If not, when the pump went out, something could have gotten lodged in the line. When I did my flush, I used the Lucas power steering fluid first and had the from end jacked up and let it run and opened the bleeder as much as I could to let it just got through the system then did the wheels hard left and right. If that doesn't help, you might have to undo the lines and blow them out to make sure there isn't a blockage in it

I hate reading these threads and then having my P/S start groaning the next day...

OUCH lol I don't wish this on anyone m8

It was only at full lock, so I'm doing a fluid replacement and hopefully that will fix it.

not sure how much a rebuilt pump cost but when I got mine last year for $108 here never had the same issues again. There is a possibility that the pump is not getting enough supply of fluid. You should see the reservoir flowing with fluid to check if the pump is working fine once the engine is running.

I did the dance with PS pump a couple more times than I would have liked to. Whenever you install a new pump, you have to crack the bleeder open @ least 1/2 turn so that the pump is allowed to pull the fluid in. I did this procedure 3 times in 2 months so I had it all down this last time. You will hear the new/newly rebuilt/newly sealed pump WHINE at first. How fast & how well you get it primed determines how long it will last. Of course the pump could have been doomed to failure a'la shoddy rework but there is no way to know that when you put it on. But don't be afraid to let the fluid fly as the pump will take longer to prime the less draw you have on it from the output end aka bleeder. I put a plastic tube on the valve routed to a catch can on the ground. After the pump is primed and no longer whining, I opened it full tilt several times, purging fluid and adding through the reservoir, cap off. Also, each time I had the front end completely lifted from the ground & a 2nd person turning the wheels lock-to-lock so as to work the fluid throughout the entire system. You have to make certain the system is free of air. But what you do in the first 5-10 seconds really determines success if the pump is indeed legitimate. Under 1/2 turn of the valve is just cracked & not doing much but after that threshold it goes to WFO so you want that WFO right when the engine is cranked, then tighten it back up soon as the pump gets wet again. Then you can go back to WFO a few more times to clean out contaminated fluid and/or air while adding more fresh fluid. This is just my recent experience. I may have fried a pump by not opening the valve enough at the very beginning of the refill procedure. Besides this all important step, the only other thing I can suggest is having that 2nd person turn the wheels whilst you are purging the line and for this I always had the front wheels up in the air.

It is well worth reading carefully Section 57 of RAVE, it tells you in detail everything about the V8, TD5 and RHD/LHD steering system. The system is very simple hydraulics but with specific procedures for changing major parts and bleeding afterwards.