Help! I rebuilt my p/s pump and now it's crazy.

jwetzel1492 · Post by **jwetzel1492** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:41 pm

So my p/s pump has had a leaky seal for a while and I finally decided to fix it. Took it apart, replaced seals, back together without too many problems, put it back in truck, filled with Type-F.

Now, when I start it up, here's what happens:

- No power steering at first.
- Starts to make a quiet whining noise, gets louder, as it gets louder I get more power steering. So I try to turn the steering fully to one end.
- It hickups fluid out the top of the dipstick tube once or twice while turning the wheel. Loud whining noise. Not very much power. Takes about 30 seconds to go all the way.
- Now, I try to go back the other way. It may or may not do this. It might just sit there with no power. If I turn the engine off, it overflows a massive amount of foamy fluid onto the ground.

I read through all the earlier posts I could find on here, and it kind've sounds like I've got air in the system. That's why I've been trying to go back and forth with the wheel. But it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I've gone back and forth maybe 5 times now. (It's about a 3 minute process, plus I've been letting it sit sometimes to get the foaming down.)

Is it possible that I put the pump back together wrong? Is there a better way to get air out? Is it time to bite the bullet and get a whole new pump?

Thanks for any help,
Joel

heep70 · Post by **heep70** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 11:44 pm

Are the hoses connected to the right connections on the pump?

jwetzel1492 · Post by **jwetzel1492** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:34 am

Yes, to pull it out of the truck, I disconnected the hoses from the steering box and left them attached to the pump. Hooking them back up to the box, there was only one way they could go.

jwetzel1492 · Post by **jwetzel1492** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:35 am

Is it possible to get the internals put back together wrong and still get it all to fit (and to pump, sort-of but not well)?

It looked like all the parts inside only went one way, or if there were two ways they could go, they were symmetrical so it didn't matter.

Post by **FORDification** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:23 am

I'd say you simply have air in the system that must be bled out. Normally this is easiest to do by getting the front end up off the ground, so when you work the steering wheel back and forth you're not fighting the friction of the tires on the ground. Then just turning the wheel lock-to-lock a dozen or so times will do it enough to bleed out a majority of the air. Normal driving will take care of the rest.

jwetzel1492 · Post by **jwetzel1492** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:05 am

Is there a good place to put a hydraulic jack to lift the whole front end safely? I've only ever lifted one corner at a time.

Thanks,
Joel

spartman · Post by **spartman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:11 am

Just jack one side up then block up the frame, let the jack down and do the same thing on the other side.

Simple. No?

jwetzel1492 · Post by **jwetzel1492** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:52 am

Great! Thanks for all the help. I'm leaving town and won't get a chance to lift it until next weekend, but I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks,
Joel

jwetzel1492 · Post by **jwetzel1492** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:40 pm

So I finally got the chance to put it up on jackstands. I turned the wheel lock-lock about 12 times. The first few times, it spat up a lot of fluid, but that eventually died down. I topped her off, dropped her to the ground, and...

No power steering.

Damn.

It's pretty close to impossible to turn the wheel while stopped. Once I get going, it can be turned, but takes some manhandling. I used to be able to drive with one finger!

I'm just about to bite the bullet and buy a whole new pump, but I don't want to start over at square one if there's a simple fix.

-Is it possible I re-assembled the pump wrong? Is it possible for ANYONE to re-assemble one wrong? There really seemed like only one way to do it...

-Is it possible that I damaged the pump by trying to turn the wheels while they were still on the ground?

Thanks,
Joel

390Nut · Post by **390Nut** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:31 pm

jwetzel1492 wrote:Is there a good place to put a hydraulic jack to lift the whole front end safely? I've only ever lifted one corner at a time.

Thanks,
Joel

If it's a 2wd truck, the crossmember under the engine will be perfect for lifting the front of the truck up. If you've got a decent floor jack, you can lift it far enough to get both tires to turn. If not, then use jack stands (or blocks of some sort, if you're feeling brave

) and block one corner then the other as mentioned above.

Post by **FORDification** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:39 pm

Jewl: I just posted a factory service manual that might be helpful in diagnosing your problems:

http://fordification.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=121149

Good luck....hope this helps.