PS Pump Replacement

[Andyba20]

Came outside a few days ago and there was a 1/2 quart of ps fluid on the driveway (truck was idling). Ordered a brand new pump with reservoir from Napa and having a guy install it this week. Did I read something on here one time about a vacuum pump seal having to be replaced along with replacing the PS pump? Also, can’t say I fully I fully understand the hydroboost system, are there any considerations my mechanic should know while he’s doing this job? I’ll be keeping the old pump as a backup and rebuilding with a seal kit, just didn’t have time to fool with it right now so bought a new one. Any tips I can pass along to this old guy would be appreciated. Goal is to get another 300K from this new pump.

[Silverwolf2691]

Hydroboost more or less is just the same as the vacuum booster on a gas vehicle. All it does is adds force to your pedal effort. The hydroboost and brake master are completely separate systems still.

 

There is a seal inside the vacuum pump that seals the engine oil inside the vacuum pump instead of leaking out the coupling are for both pumps. In order to get the seal out I think you have to disassemble the vacuum pump and essentially rebuild it. Its been a while since I did mine so my memory is a bit foggy on that.

[Mopar1973Man]

First thing is to flush the system before pulling the old pump off. Make sure to get all the dark fluid out or any metal particles out. Then you can install the new pump.

 

As for flushing and priming is the same thing. 

 

You want to jack up the front axle so the tires are just off the ground. This makes turning the steering wheel easier. Now remove the steering box return line from the power steering pump and cap the port on the reservoir. Route the return line to waste contain on the floor. Now turn from lock to lock slowly and it will naturally pump the fluid out of the system into the waste container. Keep adding fluid to the reservoir and keep going till the fluid clears up. 

 

Replace the pump at this point. 

 

Now with everything back in place EXCEPT the return line. Now do one more round to draw fluid through the pump and some what prime the system. Then return the return line back to its port on the reservoir and refill. Now continue the lock to lock till no more air is seen in the reservoir bubbling up. Once that is complete you should be able to start the truck without any issues and have power steering instantly.

[Andyba20]

Kind of in a pinch here. The PS pump came and my mechanic called and said it’s bent all to hell. So the truck is up on his lift, a replacement is at least 48 hours away. Between Napa, Oreilly, Autozone, and advance what is my best bet for finding a seal kit? Can someone tell me the exact kit I need? The Napa guy here couldn’t find it. 

[Mopar1973Man]

19 minutes ago, Andyba20 said:

Between Napa, Oreilly, Autozone, and advance what is my best bet for finding a seal kit?

Seal kit to what? Steering box? Vacuum pump? 

[IBMobile]

Not hard to find.

Gates Part #350390 or

https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/chassis---steering/power-steering/steering-seal-kit---pump/6d9b69569080/v/a/1985/automotive-truck-2000-dodge-ram-2500

[Andyba20]

Thank you. That’s the one I got, just double checking since I’ve already held this guy up enough this morning. Not happy with Napa, and there is a vendor this website promotes that has been stringing me along for a month on a $20 part and it still hasn’t arrived. Keep calling and getting contradicting “updates”.

[IBMobile]

2 hours ago, Andyba20 said:

there is a vendor this website promotes that has been stringing me along for a month on a $20 part and it still hasn’t arrived. Keep calling and getting contradicting “updates”.

Tell us who it is.  They may have a good reason or not.  If more members start to post complaints about service from them then their sales can be negatively affected.

[Mopar1973Man]

6 hours ago, IBMobile said:

Tell us who it is.  They may have a good reason or not.  If more members start to post complaints about service from them then their sales can be negatively affected.

I'm curious too. Scratchging my head the only other vendor I use but don't exactly support is RockAuto... (Guessin')

[wil440]

On 12/29/2021 at 3:24 PM, Andyba20 said:

Thank you. That’s the one I got, just double checking since I’ve already held this guy up enough this morning. Not happy with Napa, and there is a vendor this website promotes that has been stringing me along for a month on a $20 part and it still hasn’t arrived. Keep calling and getting contradicting “updates”.

One thing my radiator saga has pointed out is that suppliers of everything are having real supply problems due to Covid, I had 3 Mishimoto radiators cancelled and one was a month after order and payment.

I use 8x4 sheets of 5mm aluminium for tipper truck floors when they are on Tarmac for roads, has to be a specific grade so the tar doesn't stick, not available and been like this for over a year, the big companies snap it all up and none left for anyone else.

They may not be messing you around intentionally and to risk reputation for $20 is rather stupid 

[Andyba20]

I’m extremely sympathetic to issues a lot of business’s are facing right now, and patient about it. I had to call 4 times, and each time it was a new contradicting story. The truth was it’s a $20 order that they or the usps messed up and they’ve got more profitable things to do. 34 days since placing the order and “they’re sending out another one asap”. I’m not ready to blast them on the internet yet, not my style. They didn’t “screw me” it’s just frustrating to get lied to. They’d be much better off with me by saying “aah man we messed it up, gonna get you taken care of asap and here’s a 15% code for your next order” 

[wil440]

4 hours ago, Andyba20 said:

it’s just frustrating to get lied to.

That is the worst, as you say much better to own up to messing up

I ordered a rebuild kit for my P/S pump, luckily I'd also ordered a pump too as being in the UK and the truck being my work tow truck parked waiting for parts isn't an option, good job I did the drive tangs were very  badly worn to the point where I wasn't happy using the old pump.  At the time my truck had done 165k ish, seemed to me to be a lot of wear for just 165k.

I wondered if the pump had been replaced before at some point and the drive and shaft was new and MIC  out of rice flour, it just seemed way too much wear for a OEM part at 165k

 

Mike will say "large tyres"  

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Yup. 315 tires does put a lot of stress on the PS Pump. You should only be using a standard ratio steering box, no quick ratio, if you have a quick ratio that adds stress to the pump too which are intended for smaller tires. Power steering fluid should be flushed every 30k miles. I got 350k out of my first OEM pump.

[wil440]

21 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Yup. 315 tires does put a lot of stress on the PS Pump. You should only be using a standard ratio steering box, no quick ratio, if you have a quick ratio that adds stress to the pump too which are intended for smaller tires. Power steering fluid should be flushed every 30k miles. I got 350k out of my first OEM pump.

I probably would have got more miles out of mine before it leaked if I hadn't been dumb and put atf in it but the wear on the drive tangs would have killed it anyway

[Mopar1973Man]

1989 to 2002 was all PS fluid...

 

2003 to current is all ATF+4... Why? Because Dodge swapped out the Saginaw steering box for Ford Steering box and Ford hydro booster and then swapped over to ATF+4. 

 

When you talk to several steering box rebuilders and learn what will work and what won't work. Between wrong fluid used in the pump, oversized tires putting added stress on the pump, yeah its not going to last long. 

[Tractorman]

6 hours ago, wil440 said:

the drive tangs were very  badly worn to the point where I wasn't happy using the old pump.  At the time my truck had done 165k ish, seemed to me to be a lot of wear for just 165k.

 

I had the same issue with the drive tangs on my OEM pump during the same repair (mine at 176,000 miles) on the vacuum pump. Like you, I thought that kind of wear was excessive and premature.   At that time the steering gearbox was a 4 1/4 turn from stop to stop and the tires were stock, so there was no additional stress on the power steering pump.

 

- John

[Mopar1973Man]

10 minutes ago, Tractorman said:

At that time the steering gearbox was a 4 1/4 turn from stop to stop and the tires were stock, so there was no additional stress on the power steering pump.

 

Hmmm... Fluid flush been done or not at all? I know lot of people don't realize that PS fluid has to be changed every 30k miles and as the fuild wears out then no longer lubing good and added stress on the pump when the debris loads up in the screen. I've got my old OEM pump still I'm pretty sure it failed from a donor steering box that was full of debris. Now Some day I'll pull it apart and look... 

[wil440]

39 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

 

Hmmm... Fluid flush been done or not at all? I know lot of people don't realize that PS fluid has to be changed every 30k miles and as the fuild wears out then no longer lubing good and added stress on the pump when the debris loads up in the screen. I've got my old OEM pump still I'm pretty sure it failed from a donor steering box that was full of debris. Now Some day I'll pull it apart and look... 

Drive tangs are on the outside and nothing to do with oil side are they not ??

55 minutes ago, Tractorman said:

 

I had the same issue with the drive tangs on my OEM pump during the same repair (mine at 176,000 miles) on the vacuum pump. Like you, I thought that kind of wear was excessive and premature.   At that time the steering gearbox was a 4 1/4 turn from stop to stop and the tires were stock, so there was no additional stress on the power steering pump.

 

- John

It appeared to me as though the shaft/drive had been made out of totally the wrong steel more like chocolate or the piece that drives it was too hard

[Mopar1973Man]

Pressure turns to load on the shaft. If there is restriction that is abnormal it will put more load on the tangs of the shaft wearing them out. Most of the time the pump should be in bypass mode being as you drive you barely cracking the power valve in either direction. But if the fluid was fouled and debris was high the screen could plug up some inside and then pump is under constant pumping force and wear on the tangs could possibly happen. 

[wil440]

In fact the tangs should be square mine were pointed, one edge was like ground off to 45 deg

1 minute ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Pressure turns to load on the shaft. If there is restriction that is abnormal it will put more load on the tangs of the shaft wearing them out. Most of the time the pump should be in bypass mode being as you drive you barely cracking the power valve in either direction. But if the fluid was fouled and debris was high the screen could plug up some inside and then pump is under constant pumping force and wear on the tangs could possibly happen. 

Plausible