Redbud40

DFW area. 72 Cutlass Conv. Not a show car but pretty decent mechanical and looks. More time on hand and tired of paying "the man" to fix. Power steering gear box old, leaking and groaning when turning. Thought I would replace. R&R went pretty smooth. Wider gap on pitman shaft than old one but from another post believe that is ok due to the taper of the spline. Issue: very difficult to turn at idle, almost impossible, however a little easier at higher rpm ( did not drive very far because of the difficult low rpm turn). Now wondering if the steering pump is bad. Don't want to waste time searching for something that might be obvious. Not a mechanical wizard by any means so be kind if I have overlooked the obvious. Any suggestions or quick checks for the pump....... Thanks
Mike

Olds64

If you already replaced the steering gear box have you checked the power steering pump?

You can use a mechanic's stethescope (or screwdriver) to check the bearings on your power steering pump. With the car idling, place a long screwdriver against the power steering pump. Place the handle of the screwdriver against your ear and listen to the bearings in the power steering pump. If the bearings are good there will be a steady "whir." If the bearings are bad you will hear a "grinding" sound. You can compare the sound of your power steering pump to your water pump and alternator if you're unsure about what you hear.

FWIW, please be careful when you do this. As we said in the Army "no watches, rings or dangly things."

oldcutlass

Check your hoses for sharp bends and leaks.

Redbud40

When I took the box off I was careful to keep old hoses in position to hook back up. No noticeable leaks or bends. I did the turning wheel bleed technique and the fluid went in system somewhere cause I had to fill several times. I'll try the screwdriver test on pump when I get back in town thurs. speaking of hoses, is there anyway I could have switched the two lines? Seems like the bolts are different sizes to not allow this error. Right now I have the longer hose with longer metal jacket (supply pressure) from lower pump hole to the inside attachment on gear(closest to engine)thanks

Redbud40

I started car to check the sounds on power steering pump and noticed steering was noticeably easier to turn sitting in garage. I did nothing from when it was almost impossible. I checked belt seemed normal. When I checked the fluid level I noticed the neck of reservoir seemed rusted. Lower down in the base of res seemed not rusted.. Felt side of res with little finger and I think some debris came off on finger. Could the reservoir be flaking off material causing blockage in press lines and or a filter screen somewhere in pump I could check for debris. Tomorrow I will test drive for a more realistic check of steering. I'm leaning towards replacing pump and two lines but like I said it did not sound bad with screwdriver technique. Thanks for any input
Mike

oldcutlass

You can take the pump off, drain and clean it, and then refill and bleed the air out of the system.

MDchanic

Your steering got easier because the air separated from the oil and rose to the top, and was pumped out of the system. That's why it usually takes several days to get the system fully bled.

Not surprising that there would be rust inside the reservoir above the fluid level - the surfaces are unpainted and it could have sat for years.

You can take it apart or replace it, or you can put a power steering filter in the return line if you're concerned about contamination (NAPA has them), or you can just ignore it.

- Eric

Redbud40

Thanks for input guys! I'm gonna give it a good workout tomorrow on road, then decide on clean, replace or ignore.
Mike