Power steering pump, or air in lines?>

[Tennessee80]

Hey all,
Hope the weekend has been relaxing for the mud members here and abroad...Upon starting my truck yesterday and seeing power steering fluid pour out from underneath, I realized that a hose in the system had become disconnected (???). Anyhow, I reattached the hose and topped up the fluid reservoir. Today, the power steering is very tight and makes a loud groaning noise when I steer, especially when parked. My neighbor said it is either air trapped in the lines, or a pump failure. Any ideas??? To me it is the former, not the latter, but that is my pocketbook talking.....

Cheers,
Joel

 

[Lka1988]

I would think there is air in the lines, from being disconnected the other day.

Check the fluid in the reservoir. If the fluid is foaming, then there is most likely air in the lines.

 

[AppleTech]

Yes you have air in the lines. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR TRUCK LIKE THIS - you risk ruining your pump $$ or your power steering gear $$$$$. You need to check all the connections on this system and bleed. Here's the way I bled mine and it took care of all groaning, except at full lock, which is normal.

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to bleed, do this: fill the system to proper capacity, jack up the front end, slowly turn wheel from lock to lock about 10 times (engine off). Watch the fluid level to make sure you don't suck in more air. Put the lid back on lightly and let it sit for an hour or so. Repeat this process like 3 times. Have a friend watch and once you get to the point where there are no air bubbles coming up in the reservoir and the fluid level remains constant, you can be pretty sure you've bled it properly. It should be OK to drop it and start the engine now. Turn the wheel lock to lock a couple times and listen for moaning.

 

[Tennessee80]

Simple procedure....thanks guys. Without that technique I might have jumped to the conclusion that I needed a power steering pump. When I do, its nice that Romer just added it to the FAQ.

cheers
Joel

 

[AppleTech]

Simple procedure....thanks guys. Without that technique I might have jumped to the conclusion that I needed a power steering pump. When I do, its nice that Romer just added it to the FAQ.

My initial though was a new pump and I actually ordered one and then realized that I hadn't properly bled the system. Once that was done I realized I was all good.

-Phil

 

[ratsack]

Yes you have air in the lines. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR TRUCK LIKE THIS - you risk ruining your pump $$ or your power steering gear $$$$$. You need to check all the connections on this system and bleed. Here's the way I bled mine and it took care of all groaning, except at full lock, which is normal.

-------------

to bleed, do this: fill the system to proper capacity, jack up the front end, slowly turn wheel from lock to lock about 10 times (engine off). Watch the fluid level to make sure you don't suck in more air. Put the lid back on lightly and let it sit for an hour or so. Repeat this process like 3 times. Have a friend watch and once you get to the point where there are no air bubbles coming up in the reservoir and the fluid level remains constant, you can be pretty sure you've bled it properly. It should be OK to drop it and start the engine now. Turn the wheel lock to lock a couple times and listen for moaning.

Just want to say thank you! I just replaced my steering box earlier in the week and was having a hard time trying to bleed it all. Followed these steps and could see the fluid slowly dropping. By the third round you could tell it had been bleed. However, after my previous attempts to bleed with the car running, not running and driving it, I wasn't hopeful.
Started the car at the end and could tell the noise was gone from the system. Did a couple of lock-to-lock's with it still in the air, but running. Dropped it on the ground and confirmed it was all good, finally!

Thanks again!