I heard the whining noise coming on and felt the steering tightening up.. The pump leaks like a screen door now. So I cleaned the hell out of the engine area to find the leak. I also replaced the hose clamps on the lines and that didn't stop it.
So I now see it seems like the leak is coming out from the gasket between the bottom hose entrance on the bottom of the pump and the pulley on front of pump.
Can this gasket be fixed?? Stop leak help it or be pointless?

 

I'm going thru the same problem right now. I've got things back together but am waiting for new hoses as I decided to replace them at the same time.

There are quite a few posts on this forum about the weak gaskets. The gaskets are a thin plastic with a yellow elastormer that fails. The pump is also steel on one side and aluminum on the other. The two dissimilar metals expand and contract at different rates making it a challenge to seal long term. To make matters worse, I noticed that near the pump inlet the sealing surfaces arent matched well, so there is only half the sealing surface available (at least that's the case on my pump).

Some have use RTV to seal the pumps, however, a few have reported that the RTV is so thin that when you bolt the halfs together you interfer with pump rotation. Others have cut there own gaskets and that seems to work very well.

I chose to cut my own gasket. I have had a lot of success using the following method:

1) Clean surfaces very well, use acetone or brake cleaner to ensure the mating surfaces are very clean and grease free.

2) Use Garlock Multiswell Gasket material. Multi swell is designed for tough to seal situations. The material swells in contact with oil or water (antifreeze). Do not use RTV, install the gasket dry. Garlock Sealing Technologies

I used 1/64" thick sheet for this application as you don't what to open up the pump tolerances. Use a clean sheet of paper and a pencil to trace out the gasket shape (i.e. do a rubbing to get the outline of the mating surfaces and the holes). Cut the gasket material with a sharp utility knife and use a hole punch set to punch out the holes, as necessary.

3) Bolt up to the correct torque spec using M6 Nord-Lock Washers. Do not over tighten. Tighten down evenly.
Products - Nord-Lock
Nord-Lock Demonstration Video - YouTube

Getting Nord-Locks washers & Multiswell gasket material can be hard to source and its expensive, but it work's every time. I've been using this method for the past 4 years on my Land Rover Series 2a, on motorcycles.

If you can't find Multiswell just use the best gasket material you can find locally.

Hope this helps out.

 

Gasket looked like hell! RTV'd it and will put it back together tomorrow.. Never had RTV fail before to I should be good to go! Thanks for info

 

RTV Failed, and the pump rotation was affected with the RTV being so thin.. I ran it about 4 minutes to see if the gasket would hold up, but it didnt. And the power steering didnt Now im wondering if running the pump with the effected rotation has just screwed up the pump all together??

 

Possibly - why not try making a real gasket from gasket material from auto parts store?

RTV = Ruin That Vehicle
RAVE = Rovers A'int Very Economical

 

What parts store carries gasket sheets? Autozone does not

 

Here's an update.

Put everything back together. Replaced the two easier to get to hoses. I left the longer HP hose from the pump to the steering box for later as it looks like the rad has to come out of the way. I didn't have time for that.

No leaks from the new pump gasket or hoses, and bleeding the air out of the steering box is easy.

Filled with ATF (Petro-Canada Synthetic ATF good for low temperatures) rather than Power Steering Fluild. I understand that some advised against this but I'll take my chances. I did some research and ATF is essentiallly a premimum hydraulic oil with a bunch of additives needed for transmissions, none of which should attack my steering box seals or gaskets. Again, I'll take my chances. I'm not recommending others do this and it may in the end prove to be a mistake on my part. I'll wait and see.

I broke of that brittle plastic hose that conntects the top of the rad to the coolant expansion tank. It broke very easily when I very lightly pushed against it. So, I suppose it was ready to go at any time. It was pretty new, so it was a suprise, but I happy to have gotten rid of it. Replaced with 5/16" heater heater hose supported by three cable clamps as it crosses in front of the rad.

 

Hay, I had a quick question based on your comment about building a gasket. Just to ensure we are talking the same thing, you are talking about fabricating the gasket that sepearates the top cover where the bleeder screw and the nut that tightens the steering from the rest of the body?

Did you just take the cover off, drain the mess, and then torque it down?

 

04BluDisco,

I don't think we are talking about the same gasket, however, the method I use works for just about any kind of situation where two flat mating surfaces are involved.

I was not talking about the steering box which I think is what you are referring too. I sealed up my power steering pump. My steering box does not leak.

 

Any problems with the transmission oil sofar?