Hey guys, my power steering went out last night while maneuvering out of my garage (stupid side entry combined w/ builder putting the houses too close together). Pump has plenty of fluid, belt fine, pulley turning, no hoses burst, no leaks. Happened when I cranked the wheel all the way to the stop point, and wasn't accompanied by any noise. Just... gone.

Appreciate your thoughts and guidance.

 

Tap pump and gearbox with rubber mallet?

 

It sounds like the flow control valve in the pump is stuck open.
As suggested , tapping on the pump may free it up , for now .
For a more permanent fix , consult the 1964 Oldsmobile Shop Manual .
It's available on line here ;
http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/membe...ections_8A.pdf

 

Thanks guys. Just back from vacation, will give this a try and then investigate further.

 

Dammit, no amount of tap-tap-tapping worked. Guess I'll have to pull the valve and clean it up. Never the easy fix (even if temporary) for me.

Charlie, thx again for posting the link to the shop manual. Will print off the relevant pages when I do the job, as well as pre-ordering new o-ring seals for reinstall when done. Hope Fusick or someone still makes the seal.

 

The problem was indeed a stuck flow control valve.

As is typical for me, I did more than I needed to do in order to execute the repair. I followed the advice that Charlie had given, went to the service manual link, and started removing according to the instructions. My issue was that a magnet would not pull out the valve after I had removed the union. The valve was stuck in there! So, I took the whole pump out, shined a flashlight down the hole, and saw that it had a big slot in the head of the valve. Grabbed a big screwdriver, turned it back and forth a couple of times, and POW! Out shot the valve. Save yourself some time if you have this problem, and leave your pump installed in the car and insert a large screwdriver.

Since my car has never had a formal restoration and the engine compartment has plenty of old caked-on grease and oil, I took the opportunity to degrease the pump and brackets.

Attaching pics below. Should also note that the flow valve has a screen on the end of the plug that should be thoroughly cleaned. I used a stripped bread bag wire tie to clean out the holes, too. Probably the first time the pump has been off in 30 years or longer, and the fluid had lots of debris in it.
Back of the pump after taking it out of the car and pre-degriming.
Union, disassembled valve, and spring.
Here's the slot in the end of the valve that you can use a screwdriver on to wiggle back and forth if yours is stuck in the pump.
Screen on end of valve plug. Note that you can see the pinhole jet in it, make sure you clean thoroughly.
Union also has a small jet in the side of it that should be cleaned with a small gauge wire. The o-ring is still in good condition, so will re-use.

 

Glad it worked out for you .
Isn't it great , when you can fix something , and not have to toss a ton of money at it ?

 

 

So much for being fixed. Same problem this spring, going to take the valve out and see if it's stuck / clogged up again.

 

You may have to pull the reservoir off and clean everything out .
You may have debris or sediment in the reservoir .

 

Well, at least you know how to do it easier this time!

 

Revisiting this thread again, since I've not had power steering at all since this began. I am going to replace the pump, or send mine out for a rebuild. The pump does not build any pressure to give the power steering assist, so my questions now are:

• Send out for a rebuild, or buy from one of the sources out there?
• Would a rebuild solve the problem?

I am aware that the issue could likely be a combination of contaminants and air leak / fluid leak. The flow control valve is clean (checked that again)

I know Fusick requires me to send mine in, but are there any other vendors out there where I would receive the proper pump for a 64 without sending mine in?

 

Is your return line kinked by too sharp of a bend? I've had this happen. Are you sure all the air is out of the system?

 

Always rebuild the OEM parts. Don't turn in the OEMs for cores.
Send the pump and the box out to Marty. Have the box converted to a quicker ratio.

Marty suggests Delco PS fluid or Dextron trans fluid. Do not use the clear crap or the general-purpose stuff from 7-11 or a will-fit parts store.
Fluid pn...GM #19329448, aka Delco 10-5073 or equivalent thereof.
"The fluid recommended for these pumps and gearboxes is Automatic Transmission fluid. Dextron III or Ford type F. This is what these units were designed for".
Words directly from Marty Preuss owner of PowerSteering.com. He bought out and was trained by "Chip".

 

Yes, Eric, I've followed the lock to lock procedure to get the air out of the system a few times. No kinks in the hoses. I think it's time to freshen it up, and I'm not the type of guy to just throw money at a fix without exhausting trouble-shooting first. I thought for sure it was air in the system still, so I have had the front end in the air multiple times running thru the lock to lock process. Still no joy.

I will give Marty a call, thanks for the lead Doc. I would rather not pull the box, too, but will see what Marty has to say.

 

I've had this happen before. Check the pressure control valve under the outlet fitting at the back of the pump (item #2 in the photo). On mine the nut came loose and I lost all pressure.

 

Thanks, Joe... I will double check that. As I said, I like to exhaust everything. Hence, coming back and asking the forum again.

Has anyone ever rebuilt one of these old pumps themselves? I'm not sure how the reservoir separates from the pump, and I certainly don't want to use arm instead of brain and mess it up.

 

Try doing a lock to lock repeated slow bleed with the wheels hanging.

Good luck!!!

 

I've rebuilt them, but it's almost cheaper to get a new pump. The sheet metal reservoir comes off after you remove the through bolts and outlet fitting that go through the back of the reservoir. Note the square cross section O-rings that seal these holes (mounting stud seal and body to union seal in the diagram). They can move out of position when you reassemble. I usually have to clamp the nose of the pump in a vice and use a hammer and block of wood on the flange around the outside to tap the reservoir off. Expect gallons of PS fluid to leak onto the floor. The rebuild info is in the Chassis Service Manual.

 

Sent my pump off to Marty, he finished the work and it will be shipping back to me tomorrow. Good to know that it wasn't a matter of bleeding the system incorrectly, or the nut at the end of the pressure control valve. Instead, I had a problem that Marty said he had never seen before... the splines stripped off the end of the shaft. Here's the picture he sent me below:


My old shaft on the bottom, the replacement Marty used on top.

Now I need to get my act together and diagnose the top (add fluid, leak, bad rams, bad pump?) and possibly do some bodywork to address the paint repair that seems to be putting off any potential buyers.

 

Wow, that is crazy. glad to see you got it figured out, Jeff. Let us know how it works after you get back together.

 

Back where it belongs, replaced the rubber on the return line, bled out all the old fluid until it flowed clean, and we're back in business. Much easier to get in and out of the tight side-entry garage, too. Will be calling the local shop to see if they can get rid of my exhaust leak.

Highly recommend PowerSteering.com. Marty did great work at a very fair price, which includes a mild restoration. You can pay extra for a show-quality resto, but what was included in the price looks pretty darn good to me.