Hello all,

 

Help, I have a wookie in the power steering! Seriously, I know it's cavitation rearing its ugly head and I did have the top and back pump hoses loose to do the head gaskets with the engine in the car a couple of weeks back. I think the pump is shot and it seems to have been coming on for a while doing the "chewy" sound occasionally. Last night when my wife got home it was constant. I found nothing left loose and the fluid is showing suds and is at the proper level. I just figure it's the pump but I am willing to tap the infinite wisdom of the forum to make sure. No hose clamps are off or loose either.

 

Any idea on the cost of a rebuilt (or new) pump?

 

Thanks!!!

Cavitation happens when air gets into the system. That may be your pump ofr perhaps some air got in when you did the head work. Sit the car on jack stands and run it. while doing this open the resevour and turn the wheel from one side to the other. Go completely from stop to stop. Do this for a while and see if you can get the air out of the system. It may take a while, but you should be able to do it. If the foaming stops and the noise doesn't, then your pump is shot. Hopefully you can fine the source of the air coming in and fix that and be done with the problem

 

Good Luck

Thanks for the reply. I imagine that air is getting in and it probably isn't able to anywhere except for the low pressure suction piping. If it was on the pressure side there would be a leak and there are none visible. I could have over done the belt tightening since that might be easy to do on the idler pulley tensioning bolt. That may have pulled the input shaft enough to do it. Would loosening enough to take some load off of it that be worth a try?

Inspect the lines for cracks. I doubt that just loosening the belt will have any effect. You can try some LUCAS power steering stop leak and that may fix the problem.

I have seen a pump already on it's way get louder after the belt is reinstalled tighter. You might loosen it some to get it quieter for now but that's not a repair for the problem just a reduction of the symptom.

Only pumps that I know of that make noise even when they're fine are on Mercedes' or Fords. And at that the Merc pumps only make noise at start up, they quit after a few seconds, unlike Ford pumps which whine continuously even after warmed up. I would think that if yours is making noise and the fluid level is fine then it's probably on it's way own the drain.

(btw foaming will make the level appear higher, best to check it when the fluid has had time to settle)

Mine's started the chewy song too. It's leaking though. Is it easy/worth rebuilding with new seals or should I just replace it?

Easier to get a used one from the junkyard and just throw it in there.

 

Are you sure it's not the just hose that's leaking?

Easier to get a used one from the junkyard and just throw it in there.

 

Are you sure it's not the just hose that's leaking?

 

Thanks. I'm not 100% sure, but most of the crud and fluid looks like it's coming from the back of the pump. It could also be seals on the hose connections, but I haven't removed them.

WOO HOO!!! I think I got the Wookie out of the steering pump!!! I was all set to replace the pump with a rebuilt unit and had one over-nighted to my local NAPA store. As I was taking the other one off, I took the suction hose loose where the Torx head bolt mounts the elbow to the pump case. This has a double o-ring connection that pulls out of the pump body. I thought that right there was the ONLY place where I could have gotten air introduced into the pump creating the "Wookie" cavitation whining. I had gotten o-rings at my NAPA store before and took the old ones off with a dental pick to match up to new ones. One of them broke and they were both stiff and flat. Two o-rings cost me 50 cents! I placed them in the grooves and put the hoses back on the pump. After a test drive and a few slow figure eights in a parking lot, all is quiet once again!!!!

 

My wife and I even went out to lunch later in the car and still no noise!!!

 

This is a cheap fix and I do not have any other leaks. Hopefully this might save someone else some money like it did for me!!!

Glad you got it fixed. I told you you had a leak somewhere. Nice that you found it and didn't have to pay for a new pump.

That's one of those repairs that makes your whole weekend. That could be a good tip for the USRM.

Oh yeah! I am all about simple fixes, and it really DID make my weekend!

 

It's the kind of thing that gives a little boost to a guys mechanical machismo. A proper cheap fix instead of the duct tape & bailer wire is what it's all about. I have had it happen the other way around when a simple fix ended up costing me when I opted for the big part, like say, a new radiator, when it might have been just the cap or a hose leaking.

 

The cheap fix should be considered first although it's easy to be tempted to just forge ahead and do the pricey one for peace of mind.

Two o-rings cost me 50 cents! I placed them in the grooves and put the hoses back on the pump.

 

Awesome! I'll look into it.

about 98% of the time a power steering leak is due to that set of Orings at the fittings, not the pump.

Glad you fixed it for 50 cents.

 

maybe others with the same problem will go get the orings too.