welly Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Car is a 2001 Legacy 2.5 l, 107,000 miles. At 100,000 miles had both head gaskets done (slight external leak in one). Since then car has been fine. For the last 5000 miles or so I noticed a slight squeek at idle that would disappear (?hidden?) as revs picked up. Never got any worse and could only be heard at idle. Car always ran fine and steering had no issues. Tonight went down the road about 0.5 mile and I noticed the engine kick a bit almost like a miss fire then I noticed steering was heavy. Turned around and drove home - no power assist at all. I have checked the belt and it is fine it runs and all the pulleys including the power steering one are turning OK. What I notice now is that there is no squeek at idle. Fluid in PS reservoir is spot on, no obvious leaks in rack etc. So I figure that the shaft in the PS pump has sheared? Is this possible, with no increase in the sound ? Was the noise I heard the PS bearings going out? Aside from the difficulty in steering would it be OK to drive it as is to my local Subaru garage or should I get it transported there? I am mechasnically inclined so is this any easy fix for a competent home mechanic - replace PS pump? If I do this myself any other issue to consider - its not driven by the timing belt so I assume it should be a fairly straightforward job. Are PS pumps liable to failure at this sort of mileage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Doubt if the shaft sheared. Any possibility the pulley is freewheeling on the shaft? If you remove the reservoir cap I would think you can see the power steering fluid circulating, if the pump is working. Has to be some sort of control block in the rack. Maybe it has failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Things break. That squeek could have been a bad PS pump bearing, and a sign of impending doom. Remove the belt, (prbbly a good idea to replace it) and turn the pump by hand. See if there is any resistance. Pumps usually dont go bad this early, but things happen. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I had a p/s pump go bad on a 91 Leggie. Prolly a bearing on mine, as belt got real loose and floppy. For about $25 bucks, I replaced it with one from a wrecking yard. It was a simple swap out, ez to do. Never had any more p/s trouble after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 When my pump died, it died with a plethora of strange noises!!! For a few days, it sounded like a dog barking from under the hood. I had no idea what it was and couldn't localize the sound. The night it died coming home, I heard squeals, pips, quirks and other assorted sounds. But when the pump seals blew, and fluid went everywhere, it was obvious what part was bad! I would suggest a pump from the local junkyard/pull-a-part. They are lots cheaper than dealers/ auto shops and are not too difficult to replace. Good Luck! Please reply back and let us know what it was. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welly Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 Thanks for the replies guys. Tried a bit more poking about last night but too difficult to see in the dark using a torch. Will investigate further tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welly Posted December 14, 2008 Author Share Posted December 14, 2008 Right had a closer look today. Took the drive belt off - its fine no issues. Turning the pulley on the end of the PS shaft makes no noise and turns smoothly, also tuns the shaft. However I am able to pull the pulley forward and is brings the shaft with it. I cant pull it all the way out because the top radiator hose fouls it. But I wouldnt think the shaft should just pull out like that should it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 Right had a closer look today. Took the drive belt off - its fine no issues. Turning the pulley on the end of the PS shaft makes no noise and turns smoothly, also tuns the shaft. However I am able to pull the pulley forward and is brings the shaft with it. I cant pull it all the way out because the top radiator hose fouls it. But I wouldnt think the shaft should just pull out like that should it? noooooooooooooooooooooo it used to be attached to the pump. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 They are easy to change. If you can draw all of the fluid out of the tank it makes a cleaner job, otherwise use lots of rags. Pull the belt - you've done that Crack the front line bolt a little There are 3 12mm bolts you can get to through the holes in the pulley, remove them. Remove the bolt on the rear bracket if you have one Remove the bolt from the front line Remove the clamps from the rear hose and pull off the pump If you are getting a used pump: Replace the o-ring between the pump and the tank (access the bolts from the tank) Clean the tank while you have it off Install the pump in reverse order Fill to the correct level Run the car and turn the wheel stop to stop to bleed any air out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welly Posted December 15, 2008 Author Share Posted December 15, 2008 Although i havent taken it out fully spoke to a few mechanics and the consensus is that the shaft has sheared. No one in UK does recon units (apparently these new style ones on the legacy cant be rebuilt as new shafts not avaialbe separately) so I need to hope I can get a second hand one. Dealer wants $750 for a new one! I see that a new one in USA is only about $400. Anyone got a second hand one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 IMO, I think buying a good used p/s pump from a wrecking yard near you in the UK is the way to go. $750 if that is in USD is outrageously priced. The USD exchange rate to UK Pound is bad these days. Does earning UK Pounds, spending UK Pounds makes the purchase of a new one more reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welly Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 Even earning pounds its still outrageous - £460, a lot of money whichever way you cut it. I have now located a used one which is on its way to me. Over here there arent as many Legacy models as in USA so s/h spares not easy to come by - at least not PS pump for my model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Glad to hear that you found a used one. Swapping out old for new is very easy on a Subbie. Only took me about 20 minutes of work, no special tools needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welly Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 Are there any seals I should replace when I do the swap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 When I did the swap, I don't remember any seals. It was simply unbolt old unit, rebolt new unit, hook up hoses (I think there are hoses), and tighten the drive belt. No seals involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Replace the two o rings at the end of the hoses. Not a biggie. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.