Saginaw Pump Overflows (1 Viewer)

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This pump has always been caused a mess (new 15 years ago), and for whatever reason I just noticed that with the fluid cold and the engine on or off, turning the wheel up against the stop in either direction causes the PS fluid to overflow at the lid. I used to think it only did this when getting to hot so several years ago I added one of those generic PS coolers to the radiator.

I had the front tires off the ground and messing with my steering and noticed the fluid level was low enough I could see the pump inside. I filled it to the "cold" level on the lid dip-stick then with the engine off had my kid turn the wheel from one stop to the other. At both stops it would overflow out the top. I figured maybe it was because the engine was off. Nope, engine on and still overflows at the stops.

Is this common or is something wrong with this pump?
 
With the engine running, when you turn the steering wheel from stop to stop, the pump should be circulation fluid throughout the pump/gear box system, with no spillage out of the pump. That is in fact how you fill the system, circulation the fluid until the reservoir is full (sort of self bleeding out the air from the system) Evidently your system has some blockage or defect of some kind???
 
With the engine running, when you turn the steering wheel from stop to stop, the pump should be circulation fluid throughout the pump/gear box system, with no spillage out of the pump. That is in fact how you fill the system, circulation the fluid until the reservoir is full (sort of self bleeding out the air from the system) Evidently your system has some blockage or defect of some kind???

That sounds reasonable, but it steers just fine (albeit the box is a bit loose and needs to be tightened up). It doesn't do the overflowing thing while turning back and forth, only when held at either stop. Weird.

I wonder if when held at the stop something is getting blocked off so the pump is pumping the fluid into the reservoir and not down the lines. So instead of circulating to the box there is a block and it is pulling excess fluid from the system and overfilling the pump. Something like that. I have no idea how it should work so this is all speculation.
 
Don't know, when you are at a steering stop in the gear box you are stalling the pump. When the pump stalls, the belt slips on the pulley- - -that is the squeak/sound you hear when at a steering stop with the engine running. At that point you still should not over-flow if the pump and gear box are fully blead (air blead out), and you are not over-filled with fluid?????
 
Don't know, when you are at a steering stop in the gear box you are stalling the pump. When the pump stalls, the belt slips on the pulley- - -that is the squeak/sound you hear when at a steering stop with the engine running. At that point you still should not over-flow if the pump and gear box are fully blead (air blead out), and you are not over-filled with fluid?????

It will overflow right before the pulley stalls and while it is stalled. It is filled to the "cold line" on the lid dip-stick and when everything is cold. I assume it is doing it at lower fluid levels too since I couldn't even see fluid in the reservoir prior to filling it. Maybe I'll just have to replace it.

UPDATE:

I have no idea why this was happening, but I replaced it with a new reman unit and the problem is solved. The new pump does not overflow. No more mess!
 
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