I'm getting ready to rebuild my power steering pump, but having second thoughts. $345 for new OEM pump.... or do I use the Gates rebuild kit I already have, the new bear, new OEM gasket?? Will the Gates rebuild kit fail soon? anyone have any experience with it?
Is This Thing a Death Trap?
- Thread starter SaturnAscends
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I rebuilt my pump with the Gates kit. I'm pretty sure that was mid-2017 and it's still working great. Gates is one of the few aftermarket brands I'll happily use.
I'm at a real quandary - buy a new pump for $270 from McGeorge and just 'send it' since all hoses are getting replaced, then rebuild my pump and sell online for $100 or so.... or take the time to rebuild while the truck is down. It's my DD right now and I think I'm going to buy the new pump..... how long did rebuilding the pump take, and did you need to use a press for any of it (I don't have a press)
You don't need a press. You need a vise, and you need some sort of soft jaw for the vise so that you don't damage the gear teeth when you're removing it. I used some plywood scraps.
I don't remember how long it took, but it was one of the first things I tackled when I bought my 80. Come to think of it, it took me awhile not because the rebuild is difficult, but because I (slightly) damaged the woodruff key removing it and waited on a replacement. Maybe have one on hand before starting the rebuild.
- Thread starter
- #45
Ok, so I was a little dramatic with this thread title, lol.
Anyway, I plan to troubleshoot my hard brake pedal issue tomorrow to determine if it's just a vac line, valve, or the booster itself.
The pulling to the right issue is not nearly as noticeable after an alignment, but occasionally it's still there, particularly when I apply the brakes firmly when coming to a stop. The steering just feels vague overall and not very responsive, but I have no baseline to compare this with, so I'm not sure if it's an issue or not. None of the calipers appeared to be sticking when the new pads and rear rotors went on.
I also tried troubleshooting the TRE and bushing condition to the best of my ability as described earlier but may have missed something. They seemed ok, not in the best condition but not totally unserviceable either.
Anyway, I plan to troubleshoot my hard brake pedal issue tomorrow to determine if it's just a vac line, valve, or the booster itself.
The pulling to the right issue is not nearly as noticeable after an alignment, but occasionally it's still there, particularly when I apply the brakes firmly when coming to a stop. The steering just feels vague overall and not very responsive, but I have no baseline to compare this with, so I'm not sure if it's an issue or not. None of the calipers appeared to be sticking when the new pads and rear rotors went on.
I also tried troubleshooting the TRE and bushing condition to the best of my ability as described earlier but may have missed something. They seemed ok, not in the best condition but not totally unserviceable either.
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You could have a piston on the caliper not moving making only oneside engage. Also one side cloud Have a collapsed rubber hose.
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- #47
I didn't notice this while inspecting the brakes but again I could've missed it.
It only happens occasionally, usually at slow speeds and always to the right.
You may have a bushing out allowing one of the axles to move a little during certain braking? Something worth checking
- Thread starter
- #49
also on the steering fluid leak, is it best practice to start with resealing the reservoir and low P hoses, then moving on to the pump if needed?
Below is the reservoir and attached hose: is this likely to be the main culprit?
Below is the reservoir and attached hose: is this likely to be the main culprit?
- Thread starter
- #50
I wasn't able to see that but I'll try again tomorrow with a little help from my friends
In my opinion, not really. I would advise you to buy Gates low pressure hose, the Gates 'paperclip' steering cooler, and Gates rebuild kits for the pump and gear. If anything is leaking, it's probably all leaking, unless part of the system was refreshed recently. All those seals and hoses are old and degraded.
The hardest thing about rebuilding and replacing everything for me was finding the fasteners under all the years of leaked oil and accumulated filth.
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- #52
Ok
Forgive me if this was mentioned already, but all the resealing you suggested wouldn't require a rebuild of the steering gear itself, right?
Yea I read somewhere the leaks usually come from the reservoir but all bets are off with the age of all the seals.
Forgive me if this was mentioned already, but all the resealing you suggested wouldn't require a rebuild of the steering gear itself, right?
I'm not sure what you're asking. I "rebuilt" my steering gear using the Gates kit. I didn't replace any bearings. I didn't do the beam-type preload procedure specified in the FSM. I think I added 1/8 turn of preload and called it good. ~3 years later it's tight enough for a 28 year old rig that's coming up on 300k miles.
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- #54
Yea sorry I've never actually seen a rebuild/resealing taking place so I'm not sure what it looks like or what to look for. You didn't happen to take any pics of your "rebuild"?
Check the back of pump. If damp, its likely leaking. This is a very common problem with the 80 series. Either rebuild or replace pump.
With mine we replaced pump and high pressure line, reused gear. I don't know what is mean by rebuilding the gear on the pump. Either you reuse or replace.
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- #56
@cvenom96 mentioned earlier on the thread mentioned they can be rebuilt if you send them off to a specialist in Texas. I'm not sure how exactly this is done though, or what to look for to assess if such a measure is necessary.
I'm inclined to just replace the seals and reuse the pump itself as that part is $$$.
desmocruiser
SILVER Star
Apologies to jump in late to the party.
I would take a tactical approach with the drivability issues and prioritize those issues. If you can’t get the drivability to your satisfaction and you enjoy piloting an 80, the leaks are somewhat irrelevant. I think this is an echo of similar direction from other members.
Is the pull while acceleration, coasting, or under braking etc.?
When you changed the brake pads did put the truck on jack stands and determine the condition of the front end; bearing preload/condition, loose knuckle studs, excessive play in the tres, etc.? These can all lead to compromised driving and very unenjoyable experience.
Once you have the truck driving as an 80 with your mileage should drive then you can make an informed decision to keep and continue to improve or move on to something different.
I would take a tactical approach with the drivability issues and prioritize those issues. If you can’t get the drivability to your satisfaction and you enjoy piloting an 80, the leaks are somewhat irrelevant. I think this is an echo of similar direction from other members.
Is the pull while acceleration, coasting, or under braking etc.?
When you changed the brake pads did put the truck on jack stands and determine the condition of the front end; bearing preload/condition, loose knuckle studs, excessive play in the tres, etc.? These can all lead to compromised driving and very unenjoyable experience.
Once you have the truck driving as an 80 with your mileage should drive then you can make an informed decision to keep and continue to improve or move on to something different.
- Thread starter
- #58
There is usually a very slight pull to the right but I think that might just be normal with a SFA which follow the grading of the road; in other words it's usually not that noticeable. It's mostly under braking that it happens: not all the time, but occasionally when I brake from a slow speed to a stop it will pull to the right very noticeably, sometimes as much as 45 degrees. It's not hard to correct it back to straight usually though.
I didn't notice any excessive play in bushings or TREs when I was under it, and I asked a mechanic to inspect the front end when it was getting an alignment, and he told me nothing looked especially worn out.
desmocruiser
SILVER Star
Yes a pull to the right is not uncommon, however a stronger pull while braking is likely a sign of a compromised caliper. I would start with replacing both front calipers and rotors which isn’t super expensive and the front bearing preload/condition can also be verified at this time.
Then address your second most annoying issue?
Then address your second most annoying issue?
I didn't take any pictures worth looking at, but I'm pretty sure that I just followed the steps in this thread:
Steering gear box rebuild
This is the second time I’ve seen the inside of an 80 series gearbox. I bought a used box this summer and rebuilt it with the help of a good friend and Lexus mechanic. Then we swapped it onto the truck in place of the original box, which was leaking from the input seal. Unfortunately, I managed...
forum.ih8mud.com
Like I said before, *by far* the most difficult part is getting those damn recirculating ball bearings back inside. Putting some wheel bearing grease on them helped put an end to the Sisyphean task.
