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Old 06-19-2018, 08:28 PM   #1
jcaligood
 
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Ongoing power steering problem...

About a month and a half ago, I completed my cam swap. Upon my first test drive, the steering wheel was very hard to turn, and I could hear the PS pump whining very loudly.
I realized oh crap, when I disconnected the fitting, I didnt refill the fluid. So I topped off the PS pump fluid with Dexos. Turned the wheel lock to lock for about 10 minutes, the air bubbles would not work out, and the pump was still whining.
So I decided to check all the fittings. The O-ring on the fitting that goes into the rack appears fine. All fittings are tight. Still didn't fix the problem.
So last weekend, I drained the PS pump reservoir and refilled with Lucas PS stop leak. It seems like it has gotten worse since then.

I'm trying to avoid swapping out the PS pump, which i guess would be my next option.

I'm also wondering why there's a line that goes into the radiator, but not a return line? Does anyone have a diagrahm of all the PS lines?

Why am I still having this problem? Is there still air in the system somehow? Or is this a defective pump? Just hard to believe it went out while I was doing a cam swap, and not operating it.

Sorry for the long write-up, any help is greatly appreciated.
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Old 06-19-2018, 08:42 PM   #2
gringo
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Did you raise the front wheels before doing the "lock to lock" bleeding procedure?
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Old 06-19-2018, 08:42 PM   #3
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Did it drain all fluid completely during the cam swap? Not a big expert, but did you have the car running when you "locked" it? I think I read that it has to be ignition, but not running.
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Old 06-19-2018, 09:19 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gringo View Post
Did you raise the front wheels before doing the "lock to lock" bleeding procedure?
Not the first time, but I did try this for maybe 2 minutes.
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Old 06-19-2018, 09:20 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordy87 View Post
Did it drain all fluid completely during the cam swap? Not a big expert, but did you have the car running when you "locked" it? I think I read that it has to be ignition, but not running.
The fluid drained when I had to remove 2 of the lines.
And yes, I've only tried this while the car was running, I have not tried to bleed it while just ignition, because the pump would not be running. Maybe worth a shot, I'll try this as well.
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Old 06-20-2018, 05:37 AM   #6
Rock-It Man
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The power steering fluid serves to lubricate and cool the pump bushings.

Running it without fluid can destroy the pump.
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Old 06-22-2018, 11:28 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcaligood View Post
About a month and a half ago, I completed my cam swap. Upon my first test drive, the steering wheel was very hard to turn, and I could hear the PS pump whining very loudly.
I realized oh crap, when I disconnected the fitting, I didnt refill the fluid. So I topped off the PS pump fluid with Dexos......

Why am I still having this problem? Is there still air in the system somehow? Or is this a defective pump? Just hard to believe it went out while I was doing a cam swap, and not operating it.

Sorry for the long write-up, any help is greatly appreciated.
It is not a defective pump and it didn’t just go out while you were doing a can swap and not operating it. By your own admission, It went out when you had the pump running and realized that you had not fill the pump back up with fluid. You burned the impeller thus ruining the pumping capability of the pump. More than likely, you have also scarred the bearings from lack of lubricant. Replace the pump is the only way I think to fix the problem.
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Old 06-23-2018, 12:16 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SharpOldNo7 View Post
It is not a defective pump and it didn’t just go out while you were doing a can swap and not operating it. By your own admission, It went out when you had the pump running and realized that you had not fill the pump back up with fluid. You burned the impeller thus ruining the pumping capability of the pump. More than likely, you have also scarred the bearings from lack of lubricant. Replace the pump is the only way I think to fix the problem.
Agree, it only takes a short time running a 'dry' pump to damage it, I know from experience, hopefully you didn't also damage the rack.
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Old 06-23-2018, 10:02 AM   #9
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Why did you fill it with Dexos?
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Old 07-01-2018, 10:53 PM   #10
jcaligood
 
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Update

Ordered a new pump, swapped the pulley, and replaced the pump. Filled reservoir with Lucas power steering fluid.
Steering is smooth as butter now. Still a tiny bit of noise, but nowhere close to how it was before. I'm sure it will go away.

New pump seemed to fix the problem.

Thanks everyone
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