Can someone do me a favor....(powersteering related)

[Letsride]

Just completed a GTE swap and everything is fine except the power steering. The same pump was used with the GTE resevoir and I dont know if the lines from the resevoir are backwards because the steering is now hard as a rock to turn. Can someone take a pic of the lines from the resevoir to the cooler for me please?

Thanks!!

.

 

[CyFi6]

Large line should be going directly from the reservoir to the pump, then the pressure line from the pump to the rack, then from the rack to the cooler, then from the cooler to back to the reservoir

 

[Victor Charlie]

the Pump has a different pulley size on the GTE, but the racks are interchangeable, provided the car has the same power steering option - PPS or not. There are only minor differences in the racks between models, aside from PPS. It would be difficult to accidentally mix up the hoses, so something else is probably wrong. It sounds like you have no fluid pressure, and presumably the rack and pump were good before the swap.. I think it is possible to swap pulleys or just use a different belt and use the vane pump from the GE if you want a shortcut to troubleshoot the system.

 

[Letsride]

Would being overfilled have anything to do with it? I am using the same pump and rack that was in the car prior to the swap. The only thing that changed was the resevoir.

Thanks for the replies guys....

 

[Victor Charlie]

you have to follow the procedure to bleed air out of the system. I haven't read it in a while, but this works for me: turn to the extreme right and hold, to the left and hold, repeat until no foam or air in the fluid. I have overfilled by mistake and it didn't cause hard turning, but its easy to remove some fluid to be sure.

 

[GrimJack]

What Victor said... and... you did use ATF instead of power steering fluid, right?

 

[Letsride]

Yes atf.... I was wondering if I had connected it to the wrong side of the cooler line. I will try to remove some of it and then bleed it again. Thanks guys....

 

[Inygknok]

While we're on the PS subject, is the PS cooler line a MUST?

 

[thevork]

Although this is maybe not the very best example (I was exchanging the hoses for new ones and the aren't the right size yet in the picture) but this will depict how the hoses SHOULD be run

 

[Letsride]

Thanks. It looks as though I have the line coming from the resevoir on the wrong side of the cooler. I was following the TSRM so....thanks a bunch for the pic.

 

[CyFi6]

Are you getting any noise or assist at all? Is the fluid churning in the reservoir?

 

[Victor Charlie]

I really think your belt tension is off and you are not getting enough spin on the vane pump pulley to reach full pressure. Even a little slipping of the belt can give you very stiff steering. If you have the GTE vane pump, try that with the NA rack, or check the belt length. The adjustment nut should be in the middle of the adjustment range, not at the extreme limit, and you need to get some leverage to get the right tension on the belt, which isn't easy without a tool that fits well, or two people working on it.

 

[Letsride]

OK....well that may be it.....I'll check that again in the morning.

I am not getting any noise.....just the usual groan when you lock fully either direction.

Another question....or really verification....the vacuum line on the valve on the pump......one end goes to the metal tube that runs in front of the timing belt and the other side goes to the bottom of the accordian tube...right?

 

[xzeror]

What Victor said... and... you did use ATF instead of power steering fluid, right?

are you not supposed to use power steering fluid o.o?

 

[Letsride]

No...the system uses ATF!

 

[xzeror]

No...the system uses ATF!

could that explain why my steering started to become stiff?

 

[Letsride]

It could ....meaning the heavier fluid may have worn the vanes earlier......leading to early pump failure...

 

[xzeror]

It could ....meaning the heavier fluid may have worn the vanes earlier......leading to early pump failure...

sooo, any way i can reverse this? or just start using atf now?

 

[thevork]

start using atf asap

 

[Letsride]

Well replaced the pump and same outcome. Now for the kicker....if I use the ge resevoir....the powersteering works like normal. Blew out the gte one and retired it.....same thing. Time to buy a new resevoir I guess....