Hi everyone, I could really use help with this...

I think I blew out my power steering pump doing something stupid, but I'm not sure... I had just finished working on the throttle body and heater plate and thought the power steering fluid was low in the tank, so I added more - but while I was driving, it began making noise (not immediately, but after a day or two) and I'm pretty sure it's the pump that went now. When I looked, the power steering fluid tank was only about halfway filled. I think I might have overfilled the tank when I thought it was low (maybe it was fine and I just ruined it). Is that possible or even likely that that's what happened here? I saw that in the Atlantic British video about the pump replacement, they said not to use anything but the Land Rover fluid - is this also critical, or is there a special type that can be used safely?

Also, would you trust this replacement part? It's a lot less than some other options and it says it has a 10 year warranty from a seller that's been on ebay for a long time with a good reputation:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-Steer...4AAOSwOERfpXtH

I've never done a replacement like this and I hope I can manage it, but I'll probably need some tools, like a long wrench to remove the fan - I've pulled off a fan in a BMW before and it was tricky, so I hope this is easier...

About the power steering pump and lines - should I try to run the vehicle and see what's going on before I just buy a pump and replace it? I guess I'll need the special wrench anyway to get the fan off, so I might as well get that. The stethoscope arrived today. My life has been such a mess with everything lately I was hoping after that throttle body work I'd be in the clear for a bit. I'll try to find time to get into this, just looks like it'll take a while and cost a lot, but that's like life itself, I guess.

I'm hoping I don't have to replace all sorts of lines in this system as well. Hopefully I didn't destroy those when I added too much fluid. I'll have to figure out how to bleed this system properly, as well - I've never done anything like this, but I'm feeling up to trying before anything else. I shouldn't drive anywhere until this is fixed right? Luckily, most of the time I can work from home right now, but it's not good being stuck 30m out of the nearest developed area. Looks like I'll be ordering a lot of stuff and waiting for it to arrive before I'm able to leave again - if I'm able to leave again. That whining noise really scares me and I didn't realize it could have been the power steering pump since it seemed like it was making the noise even when the wheels were straight and the noise varied with the amount of pressure on the accelerator... now that I understand it's a belt/pulley driven system, it makes more sense that that's what it could be. It's too dangerous and stupid to drive like that though right? My drive involves mountain roads and a mountain highway that's notorious for accidents.

Does anyone have a good way I can test things out to determine if it’s the pump itself or the lines? Run the car, shake the steering wheel and try to look for a leak? Anything else? I have a stethoscope now I can try to use to find issues. Would you keep all the same lines or should I replace them if I’m doing this work? Also, wondering if there’s a less expensive but suitable fluid that can be used and how much the system requires to fill.

 

Overfilling the reservoir is not going to kill the pump, just a coincidence. The tank is not pressurized so if you were to fill it to the very top, you may push some fluid back out through the cap, but I doubt it caused the pump to go. If the pump is failing, normally you should hear a change in the noise as you turn the wheel. Now that you have the steth, verify that it is the PS pump that is whining.

Then find the leak. If the tank dropped to half full in just a couple of days it should be pretty clear where the trouble is. Check around the pump itself and the connections for the pressure and suction lines. Also crawl under the front and check the big nut that holds the pitman arm on the steering box. If the box is leaking, you're probably dripping fluid from this area. If you're not sure, post a few pics.

Assuming it is the pump, the one you linked should be fine. I don't remember if that's the same vendor, but it looks just like the one I installed several years ago, no issues yet. I would not bother with new lines now unless that's where you find the leak.

let us know what you find.

 

Whatever you do, don’t get this steering pump from eBay seller powersourcepartsllc out of Jacksonville, FL. The pump I bought from them was professionally installed by a LR garage and it crapped out after 3 months. Even with all of my receipts, The seller never honored their warranty stating a real LR dealership should have installed it correctly.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322282292267

I've been thinking of going with a Chevy S-10 steering pump but I’m not sure if it will properly fit our D2 Thor engines like it does on the D1 GEMS engine.

 

Chevy S10 will not fit, it is thicker along the main shaft axis and will not fit in the D2 bracket.

 

Good to know. Thanks @Extinct !

 

Thanks everyone - I’m glad to know I didn’t ruin that pump. I don’t know if the original is still in there and didn’t know these were fairly generic like starter motors and alternators (I hope the alternator isn’t whining too).

I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been able to get into this more. I’ll need some things to pull the fan and pump and more time to research if I can use any type of fluid with a pump like the one I found on eBay or I’ll still need to use only the genuine juice. AB sells this - https://www.roverparts.com/steering/...luid/STC50519/

I’ll need to learn how to flush/bleed the system properly, as well. If anyone has any of the answers here, I’d appreciate it.

Is it bad to try to refill the half-full power steering tank with generic fluid and see how it does on a short drive? The whole engine bay is pretty oily from all sorts of things in the past and I haven’t cleaned it so it’s a bit hard to see what’s going on, but I didn’t see it spitting out tons of PS fluid when I ran the car yesterday to look with someone turning the wheel and pushing the accelerator while the car was in P. I didn’t hear the engine whine. Would it need to be in drive to get the noise if it’s the PS pump?

Would you just leave it sitting til it’s fixed or would you drive it if you needed to get around a bit? The tank still has half the fluid and PS is working, just a bit creaky. I was going to add the rest of the bottle of fluid I’ve got and see how it does. It didn’t look like any of the lines were leaking, just really greasy around the pump itself so I’ll probably just order that pump on ebay (seller looks like a really good one) and try to see what happens after. I’ll probably get the recommended o ring(s) just in case and maybe the rubber hose in case it’s old and should be replaced before there’s another problem there.

Happy turkey day

 

Do you use this fluid?





https://www.autozone.com/brake-and-p...E&gclsrc=aw.ds


or this one?





https://www.autozone.com/greases-and...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

I’ve always prefered the green colored fluid CHF-11s like the green colored cold climate fluid recommended by Land Rover.
I’ve known people to use ATF in the PAS with great results too.

 

Hmm, I don’t know if I live in a cold climate - the mountains get chilly in the fall/winter/early spring, but it’s pretty moderate weather overall.

I might have misunderstood, but I think there’s some confusion about using ATF fluid like Dexron III in the Discovery Series, which I don’t think is right in the D2.

I also just can’t keep from wondering if adding a bit of regular gas station power steering fluid ruined the pump when I decided to top it off. The coincidence seems uncanny. I guess I’m in for it either way now, so I want to know what I should and shouldn’t do in the future.

I’ll have to read a lot more this weekend from the archives and hopefully stickies in power steering pump replacements, flush and fluids, so I feel like I know enough to get through this job. I bet it’ll take me a few hours since I usually run into some kind of problem that holds things up for a while until I manage, but it’s satisfying getting through it!

 

Does anyone know how I could be sure this is the pump rather than the steering box? It seems oily by the pump but it’s oily everywhere and I need to clean it up to see where it’s actually leaking, if possible. The car complains when you turning the wheel and it whines when increasing the throttle. To me, that sounds like the pump. What do you think?