UPDATE: Power steering pump

[Cadman-iac]

The next step is to place the pressure plate spring in the groove on the back of the plate.
Install the second O-ring in the next groove, on the inside of the pump body, (its the second one from the top of the body. The very top groove is for the retaining ring). Coat this one with ATF as well before you install the end plate. This will have to be pressed in on your vise or in your press. Make sure that you don't have the shaft end against anything because it will push back against the end plate and you won't be able to get the retainer ring in. Use the piece of pipe on the shaft side. I've got a piece of, I think it's 6" pipe, (I'll try to remember to measure it and get a picture for you), that's just long enough to clear the end of the shaft when it's up against the front of the pump body.
Then using a socket against the end plate, press it into the pump body. Put the retainer ring over the socket before you start to press it together, as you won't be able to get it around the socket if you forget and try to get it in position after you have it pressed in place. The ring won't spread to go over the socket if you forget.
This is all a bit tricky trying to hold all that and keep it all lined up as you tighten the vise. You might want to enlist some help at this stage. On a press it may be easier as everything is face down and you're not fighting gravity.
  Once the ring is installed, you can release the pressure on the end plate and  the spring should push the end plate back against the retainer ring after the pressure is off.

[Cadman-iac]

  At this point, the pump is ready for the reservoir. Just follow the steps in the earlier post for that.
I will mention to be sure you replace the O-ring on the pressure fitting before you install it. This one is a standard type of O-ring, not like the square cut O-rings that go between the pump body and the reservoir.
 After the reservoir is installed, install the bracket, then your pulley.
 And then you are ready to install it on the engine.
 I think I've covered everything you need to know. If you've got any questions, please ask, and I'll be glad to try to answer them.
 I hope this helps you get that problem solved.
   Rick.

[Steve W]

At this point, my question or concern is, my pumps don't have studs holding the pump together. The only thing that threads into the pump is the pressure union (I think its called...the thing that the high-presure line screws in to). So how is this pump and reservoir held together? Just by pressing them together over the O-ring?

[Cadman-iac]

At this point, my question or concern is, my pumps don't have studs holding the pump together. The only thing that threads into the pump is the pressure union (I think its called...the thing that the high-presure line screws in to). So how is this pump and reservoir held together? Just by pressing them together over the O-ring?

Hi Steve,

Sorry about the confusion. I showed the studs and those really short bolts for a Chevrolet pump just for reference because I don't have either of the Cadillac bolts handy.
Cadillac used the two longer bolts that go through the bracket, through the reservoir, and into the pump body.
Those small square cut O-rings are what seal the holes in the reservoir that the bolts pass through.
Just disregard the studs and the short bolts reference.
  On a Chevrolet the stud is used to attach the pump to the bracket and acts as a pivot point on some. And the short bolt has a thin head on it for clearance of the bracket.

Yes, the reservoir just slides over the pump body, but it will have some resistance from the large O-ring on the front of the pump body. The other O-rings on the back of the pump seal the 3 holes in the back of the reservoir.
To make it easier when you are installing the reservoir, you can use two extra long bolts to guide it into place and to keep the two small square cut O-rings in place at the same time. The only O-ring that you need to watch is the about 1" diameter one that seals around the hole that your pressure union goes into. But it's easy enough to see and position as you're installing the reservoir. Just make sure that it's in the proper place before you install the pressure union.
I kept referring to this as the pressure fitting, but the manual calls it a union for clarification. Sorry about the discrepancy in terms.

Once you have your union in place, you can remove the long guide bolts and install the bracket with the correct bolts.

Does this answer your questions? If not, let me know and  I'll try to clarify this for you so you can do it yourself.

Rick

 Edit: just to make a correction about what that notice said about the "X" stamped on the front of the pump body if it had the deeper recesses for the O-rings.
 I've got 6 pumps with the deeper recesses, and not one had any marking on it. So not sure where they got that information from, but don't rely on that to identify a pump with.

[Steve W]

OK..well...it's gotta be me! I sent all the leakers back, got my refunds...went to NAPA and bought a remanned pump WITHOUT the reservoir. Took my old reservoir off and cleaned and painted it, then mounted it to the new pump. made sure I has all the orings in place, mounted it to the bracket, installed it in my car...and it leaks! I *THINK* its leaking at the high-pressure connection, but I'm not sure. Just woke up this morning to a big mess on the garage floor. I dont know what I'm doing wrong.

And here's another thing that perplexes me, After installing it, with the car still on jackstands, running the steering wheel lock to lock about 15 times, then starting the car, and running the steering wheel back and forth 15 or so times...to bleed any possible air... then lowering the car off the stands, topping off the fluid (didn't need much at all), getting ready to move out of the garage and into the street...every time I turned the steering wheel at low speed...this "new" pump was making the same groaning noise as the old pump!!!

So, I asked my long-suffering girlfriend to sit in the car and tun the wheel...and as I was touching various compontents to see if I could pin-point the groan...when I touched the PS pump...nothing out of the ordinary...but when I touched the high pressure line...LOTS of vibrations. All I did was pull up on the hose and the noise went away! (In 2010 I had replaced the high-pressure hose...about 5,000 miles ago). Seems like it was vibrating against the inner fender wheel well? I don't know.

This project, which should be simple and straight-forward (after all, Ive don this before!) is making me lose what little sanity I had left!

I'm just baffled at this point. And I've got a mess to clean up in the garage again!

Help!!!!

[Cadman-iac]

  Hey Steve,
Let me ask you this, is that pressure union the same one you had in the first pump, or did it come with one when you got it?
If it's the same union, I would look at the brass seat that your line seals against for any kind of a groove, or gouge maybe from the line that may be causing the leak.
And then also check the flare on the end of your line very carefully, looking for any kind of damage, like a hairline crack in it, or a split where it's doubled over to form the flare. If your line has been laying up against something and the engine rocks a bit,(which is normal by the way), that can put pressure on the flared end of the line, as that's actually the only point that is clamped when you tighten the nut.
Also be sure that your pressure union is tightened correctly before you tighten the line. A loose union won't really move much when you tighten the line, but when you try to remove the line, the union will turn with the nut, and it can twist the line if you don't notice it until it's too late.
 It's just like the fuel line where it goes into the carb inlet nut. If the line is tighter than the nut, and a wrench isn't used on the big nut, when the line is loosened, it will turn the big nut at the same time, and the line tubing is twisted instead.
Also, the noise you mentioned, that can definitely be from the line making contact somewhere. The pump puts out a lot of pressure and it runs through a thin line, and it can produce that noise.
Now if it's really loud, like the pump is low on fluid, then you should double check the level after you turn it off and let it sit for about half an hour, that let's any air bubbles release. Low fluid will cause cavitation in the pump and it will "aerate" the fluid.
When you have the fluid at the proper level, and the wheels off the ground, start the engine and gently turn the steering wheel left and right, but don't "peg" the stops, that puts more pressure on the system and you're more likely to get it to aerate more if there's any air in the system that hasn't been bled out yet.
A couple of full sweeps of the steering and back to center, then shut off the engine again and check the fluid.
Maybe take a flashlight and shine it into the pump and see if you can see any bubbles. If so, let it sit another half hour before you check it again.

I'm sorry to hear about all the problems, but if you're stuck, shoot me your questions and I'll try to answer them for you.

Rick

[Steve W]

Thanks Rick. The pressure union came with the pump. And I check the fluid level constantly.

One thing I forgot to mention, but when I was putting it all together, the key that they provided with the pump was too big for the key way... or vice versa. I actually had to file down the key to make it fit!

The lower quality of parts these days is astonishing!

[Cadman-iac]

Thanks Rick. The pressure union came with the pump. And I check the fluid level constantly.

One thing I forgot to mention, but when I was putting it all together, the key that they provided with the pump was too big for the key way... or vice versa. I actually had to file down the key to make it fit!

The lower quality of parts these days is astonishing!

I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I know better, you're right. No pride in the work anymore.
Did you already turn in your old pump then as a core?
You could have pulled the key off of it and used it on the replacement pump. The keys for those were all the same size.
So if your new pump came with a pressure union, then really look at the line for damage or cracks in the flare. I'd also take a look at the new union just to be sure that it's in good shape.
 What happens to these over time and use is the flared end on the line is pressed into the seat, which is brass, and it makes an impression in the brass. It's done this way to make up for any little imperfections in the flared end of the line. Remember that the ONLY thing that is clamped tight when you tighten the  nut on your line is that lip of the flare. It's pinched between the line nut and the seat in the union.

Rick

[Steve W]

Did you already turn in your old pump then as a core?
You could have pulled the key off of it and used it on the replacement pump. The keys for those were all the same size.

I gave them the OLD old pump as a core. (The one that came with the car when I bought it in 2009). I still have the most recent pump and pulley that was on my car...the only one that DOESN'T leak. But it was making the weird groaning noise, that's why I wanted to replace it. (Plus I saw a bit of glitter in the old fluid when I was changing the fluid).  Now I wonder if that noise was ever the pump at all!

But as for the key...I did pull the key off of my most recent pump to try to use it...and it wouldn't fit either! The keyway cut into the shaft of the new NAPA pump was not wide enough to accept either key. Thats why I had to file the new one (the one that came with the pump). See...the new pump came in a box, and in the box there was a plastic bag filled with different type O-Rings and the key. Apparently, QC at NAPA didn't test fit the key in the keyway.

I'm going to replace the high pressure line now too.

[Cadman-iac]

I'm wondering if there was any chance that the shaft keyway was damaged by a previous owner, like the edges were burred from being clamped in a vice maybe. Hard to say without seeing it to know for sure.
But at least you were able to get it to go in and make it work.
  When you get your old hose off, I'd still look really closely at the flared end for the cause of the leak.
And if you are going to pull the pump off again to clean up everything, just take another look at the union too. See that the seat doesn't have any damage to it just to be safe before you reassemble everything. The rebuilder may not have looked at that either if they didn't catch the keyway issue.


Rick

[Cadman-iac]

(Plus I saw a bit of glitter in the old fluid when I was changing the fluid). 

I wanted to mention earlier and forgot, (even had taken a picture but forgot to post it for you), but there should be a magnet inside the pump to hopefully catch any particles that can harm either the pump or the steering box, but a lot of rebuilders either lose or just forget to put it back on the back of the pump body.
Almost half of the pumps I have were missing this magnet.
Here's a picture of what I'm referring to. The magnet is the round black object on the edge of the pump backside.
If you think that the shiny bits are too numerous in your fluid, you can try to get at least some of it out of your system in a couple of ways. I'm not sure exactly how much fluid the system will hold, but at least half of it is inside the steering box.
The easiest way that would make the least mess is to use the return line. Before you attach it to the pump, if it's possible to route it downward to where it's aimed at a catch container and put a cap on the return nipple on your pump so it doesn't leak, is to turn the steering wheel slowly back and forth from stop to stop with the engine "OFF" so you're not spraying high pressure fluid all over the place.
Have the pressure hose in place on both ends, and keep the fluid in the pump to supply the new fluid that will replace the contaminated fluid as it's bled out of the steering box.
Getting the return line back onto the pump may be a bit messy with the pump full of fluid however.
  Another way that you can try it is to use a funnel and a piece of hose over the end of the pressure line, and pour the fluid into your funnel, but you would need an extra set of hands for that.
You will have to make the decision about how bad the fluid is and if you really want to attempt this. Both parts can operate with the shiny bits floating in the fluid provided they aren't too big or too many.
There are numerous parts that "shed" material as they wear, and it's not unusual to see it in your fluid.
The main thing to look for to determine if you should try to flush out the old fluid is the appearance and smell. If it looks really dark, and smells kinda burnt, (just like what a transmission does when in need of a service), then you may want to try it.
Otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much about it, just the process of changing the pump the number of times that you already have and starting and running the engine is probably enough to get most of the fluid exchanged.


  Rick

 
Edit: There is a check valve on the inlet side of the steering box that helps to keep the fluid from being forced back into the pressure line and therefore the pump whenever the steering wheel is turned while the engine is off.
 And to add, not all of the stuff in the fluid is actually metallic, some of it is the Teflon from the seals on the rack inside the gearbox.

[Steve W]

The OLD old pump that I turned in as a core did not have a magnet. The new remanned NAPA pump does have the magnet. I have not yet taken apart the one I am replacing to see if it has one. (I'm kinda scared to, cuz it's my backup, and it's been on and off the car 5 times with no leaks!)

My new high pressure hose just arrived, so... I'm going in! 

[Cadman-iac]

The  magnet isn't absolutely necessary, but it is nice to have just in case.

 I hope everything goes to plan for you. Good luck.

Rick

[Steve W]

Well, I installed my new high pressure line. Re-installed my ps pump that I was going to replace. No leaks, no noise, and the power steering works better than before.

At some point I will take apart the NAPA pump and the reservoir I put together and try to see where it's leaking from. I'm guessing one of the o-rings.

But for now, I have a power steering pump that doesn't leak and doesn't groan, so I'll take a break from this for awhile.

Thanks for all your advice and help. Greatly appreciated!!!

[Cadman-iac]

  I'm glad to hear that you got it fixed and no noises are present now.
I didn't think about the hose transferring the sound of the pump if it's rubbing against another body part. That's not something that you run across much. Most of the noise you have from a power steering system is from pump cavitation when the fluid is low, or there's actually a mechanical issue inside.
Good catch. I'm sorry you had to go through so much work to correct it though.

Rick

[Steve W]

I'm glad to hear that you got it fixed and no noises are present now.
I didn't think about the hose transferring the sound of the pump if it's rubbing against another body part. That's not something that you run across much. Most of the noise you have from a power steering system is from pump cavitation when the fluid is low, or there's actually a mechanical issue inside.
Good catch. I'm sorry you had to go through so much work to correct it though.

Rick

From all the pics and your very thorough posts, it almost seems like YOU actually did more work than I did! LOL! Thanks for ALL your help and insight! You really did a LOT to help de-mystify the power steering pump's workings and how they are put together! Without your help I don't think I would have tackled taking the res off my pump to put on another pump. Greatly appreciated!

[Cadman-iac]

  It was my pleasure Steve, I'm glad I was able to help out in some small way.
 You still had to do all the dirty work.
 If you have any other questions about anything, I'd be more than happy to try and answer them for you. And if I can't, there's always someone else here who can.

 Enjoy your ride.

 Rick

[Lexi]

Good job by all. Clay/Lexi

[Chopper1942]

A little late for a reply, but it is not that unusal for the transfer of noise from a hose to a body panel. This happens often with AC lines. Back in the day, many of the GM AC lines had foam around them to isolate the noise from the inner fender liners.  If you have an AC or P/S line touching the innner fender liner, the foam insulation for water pipes works great to isolate the hoses from the liners.

[Cadman-iac]

  I've seen that on a lot of vehicles, but never knew it was for noise. Because of where it was on the lines and hoses, I always thought it was for protection from rubbing on things that could damage it.
 It makes sense though, noise travels well through sheet metal.