I wasn't sure if people were widening the housing or not.
2003 LX: SAS...or Sell (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter saucebox
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- Thread starter
- #62
Man, I'm kind of crap at updating threads. But it's been running great, no issues at all...until recently. The feel of the steering has just felt off for the past couple of months, slightly more resistant to turning at any speed/condition/terrain. And then...
She finally blew up in a parking lot not far from home. I drove it home anyway, and that killed the pump.
It's had a slow leak for basically forever because I did a bunch of (admittedly janky) adapters way back when to get it running and I just never fixed them. I also couldn't keep the fluid in good shape, basically mirrored @OwnerCS 's symptoms (Another Power Steering Pump - 4 Month Program - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/another-power-steering-pump-4-month-program.1261687/).
She finally blew up in a parking lot not far from home. I drove it home anyway, and that killed the pump.
It's had a slow leak for basically forever because I did a bunch of (admittedly janky) adapters way back when to get it running and I just never fixed them. I also couldn't keep the fluid in good shape, basically mirrored @OwnerCS 's symptoms (Another Power Steering Pump - 4 Month Program - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/another-power-steering-pump-4-month-program.1261687/).
- Thread starter
- #63
Being unsatisfied with all the weird tube connections to get from AN fittings to JIS tube, I decided to rip everything out and start over. New pump, new reservoir, added a cooler inline, and new hoses to connect everything. I wanted to test if deleting the idle up circuit had any effect, but didn't get the chance before it puked its guts. So I deleted it and hoped for the best.
Autozone pump (new, not reman) because I ordered OEM on that 25% sale and it didn't ship. In between starting this project and completing it, my wife was t-boned and the priority for getting the LX back on the road....shifted.
So far, so good. No leaks (finally!), and in probably only 25 miles of driving...the idle up steering vacuum damn those plastic nipples thing is not needed, at least for me.
Like OwnerCS, I think the problem was my steering gear all along. All I could pour out of it was a little ATF and a ton of sparkle. New OEM pump is still on the way, so I'll think about replacing this one later
Autozone pump (new, not reman) because I ordered OEM on that 25% sale and it didn't ship. In between starting this project and completing it, my wife was t-boned and the priority for getting the LX back on the road....shifted.
So far, so good. No leaks (finally!), and in probably only 25 miles of driving...the idle up steering vacuum damn those plastic nipples thing is not needed, at least for me.
Like OwnerCS, I think the problem was my steering gear all along. All I could pour out of it was a little ATF and a ton of sparkle. New OEM pump is still on the way, so I'll think about replacing this one later
Looking back at my problem, I could have detected I had a fluid obstruction problem by knowing the fluid temps were way above normal earlier in the game by using an IR thermometer to find the temp on the high pressure banjo bolt. I remember touching the banjo bolt and getting a seering burn like I had touched the exhaust manifold. The plastic powersteering reservoir would melt from the extreme temperatures. I got into a timing jam and had to pay a shop a to replace the rack and PS pump. They used a cheap $300 rack from eBay that worked. I saved the OEM rack hoping to find someone who could take it apart to find the obstruction problem. I would check the PS pump temperature at the high pressure banjo bolt just to know if the temperature.Being unsatisfied with all the weird tube connections to get from AN fittings to JIS tube, I decided to rip everything out and start over. New pump, new reservoir, added a cooler inline, and new hoses to connect everything. I wanted to test if deleting the idle up circuit had any effect, but didn't get the chance before it puked its guts. So I deleted it and hoped for the best.
View attachment 3715365
View attachment 3715366
Autozone pump (new, not reman) because I ordered OEM on that 25% sale and it didn't ship. In between starting this project and completing it, my wife was t-boned and the priority for getting the LX back on the road....shifted.
View attachment 3715367
View attachment 3715369
So far, so good. No leaks (finally!), and in probably only 25 miles of driving...the idle up steering vacuum damn those plastic nipples thing is not needed, at least for me.
Like OwnerCS, I think the problem was my steering gear all along. All I could pour out of it was a little ATF and a ton of sparkle. New OEM pump is still on the way, so I'll think about replacing this one later
- Thread starter
- #65
Your thread top to bottom was all I needed, honestly. Before replacing the box (and reservoir, and adding a cooler), I also burned myself on the banjo. Nothing serious, but it was definitely hotter than it should ever have been.
I can't get anything over 150º now, measured using a similar gun (again, thanks to your threads for bringing that to my attention as a diagnostic).
Thank you for letting me know. Maybe we will find an answer to this mysterious puzzle. I ordered a new OEM rack during the recent parts sale. I'm cringing at the thought of installing it. I didn't want to move the aftermarket rack from the wrecked LX. Experience with past aftermarket items is they are suitable for 3 to 5 years at the most.
- Thread starter
- #67
That was basically my experience with aftermarket racks. Replaced it, then replaced it again under warranty, and it was already not very good by the time I stripped and cut everything for SAS. Jack up the drivers side of the engine...only sane way to do it in my opinion.
