power steering pump problem

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QuintinMotorCompany

QuintinMotorCompany

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Hi., My dad and I are having problems with the p/s pump. last year we were out of state when all of a sudden we had no power steering. we parked it for the rest of the summer and then winter we saw that a ps pump return hose was kinked. we replaced the hose and still nothing. we went and got a new pump and about 5 miles down the road I could smell rubber so he pulled over and we saw that the pump was stuck and burning hot! (could not even touch it) . , It also burnt down the belt a bit. , well I got a new pump and belt the other day and made it two miles before I heard squeaking and then we had no power steering. We pulled over again and the belt was burnt threw and laying on the battery. and the pump was smoking hot again and froze up. I have another pump and belt but I don't want that to happen again so.......... does anybody have any idea whats wrong?

PLEASE HELP! Im trying to make it to foster motors all mopar car show on Sunday.

By the way the car is a 1966 dodge coronet

any help appreciated :sign3: :banghead:
 
I don't believe your problem is the pump. Instead it is in the steering gearbox. It is filled with ball bearings and one or more of them probably got stuck and/or smashed (simplisticly speaking). Time for a rebuild or replacement I'm afraid.
 
i think 68gtxman is right sounds like your steering gear box has gone bad. you can or should be able to get a rebiuld kit for it or buy new or rebuilt steering box from auto zone or other auto parts store
 
well,I went ahead of my dad and started to fool around with it. I took all the lines off and flushed them and then started to take apart the box. as I got into it everything looked fine. I went and got 2 new belts and a new p/s pump and it worked............. for about 5 min before it started to get hot again and start pouring out fluid. every time I turned the wheel the pump was moving.. well ,I wont be able to make it to the show this year with this one. oh, welll Thanks for everything
 
Why is it that people ask for help, get the answer and still dont listen, Im amazed.
 
When you replaced the pumps, did you prime the system? With the front wheels off the ground, engine off, turn the wheels lock to lock about 10 times, not fast. Then start it up, wheels off the ground and turn it again lock to lock 10-20 times nice and easy.
Also, since you have cooked the system a couple times I would very definitely change the fluid in it.
C
 
Why is it that people ask for help, get the answer and still dont listen, Im amazed.
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WOW! really? why is it that some people are so rude???? I know that the box has to be rebuilt , ever herd of trial and error???
 
I just replaced a steering box with one of the firm feel boxes I bought off a member here . If you rebuild see if you can rebuild it to the firm feel specs , big difference ,
Good luck
 
One of the usual telltale signs of a Mopar power steering box that is in the process of going belly up is that it won't steer to the left very well (major loss of power assist), but it will steer to the right OK. Was that happening with your car?
 
I agree that it is probably not the pump. The pump is a positive displacement type, so if anything stops the flow, it will build up tremendous pressure and stop turning, i.e. your symptoms. You should have continuous flow thru the spool valve on top of the steering gear. The valve just proportions the pressure between the two sides of the piston, so the piston follows your steering input, similar to how a brake booster works. I think the problem is there. Either the spool is jammed, or something is clogging your hoses and tubes. It is easy to remove the spool valve with the gear in the car. I did that in my tight early-A w/ V-8, and you have inches more in your B-body. Also check the return fitting since most (all?) have a spring-loaded check ball in there that could block flow.
 
tqfastfish said:
WOW! really? why is it that some people are so rude???? I know that the box has to be rebuilt , ever herd of trial and error???
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trial and error won't fix anything, the anwser is here; I think BillGrissom hit the nail on the head with the correct anwser. replacing belts and trying it again will just lead to another belt broke!
 
trial and error won't fix anything, the anwser is here; I think BillGrissom hit the nail on the head with the correct anwser. replacing belts and trying it again will just lead to another belt broke!
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we broke the belt and then we rebuilt the power steering box and cleaned it and then we tried again
 
I agree that it is probably not the pump. The pump is a positive displacement type, so if anything stops the flow, it will build up tremendous pressure and stop turning, i.e. your symptoms. You should have continuous flow thru the spool valve on top of the steering gear. The valve just proportions the pressure between the two sides of the piston, so the piston follows your steering input, similar to how a brake booster works. I think the problem is there. Either the spool is jammed, or something is clogging your hoses and tubes. It is easy to remove the spool valve with the gear in the car. I did that in my tight early-A w/ V-8, and you have inches more in your B-body. Also check the return fitting since most (all?) have a spring-loaded check ball in there that could block flow
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Thanks for all the info, I ordered a new box,pump and belt , we'll see what happens
 
There were many times in my life that I didn't know the specifics of how a system worked, but I used the "replace every part till it works" method. This is much better when you have a supply of free used parts because otherwise it can get expensive, but regardless it generally works in the end.

In this case, you have replaced the pump TWICE, replaced the hoses and the belts and flushed the system, so using the "replace everything till it works system", logic would dictate that it HAS to be the steering box. Id go with everybody else's opinion on that too.
 
^^ If you read the above post I already determined and ordered a new one.

and for everybody who says that I just replaced every part till it worked is true but not true. first the belt whipped off so I just maybe thought it was the belt. so I got a new belt and it happened again so I then determined that its not the belts so I then flushed the lines and took apart the box and cleaned it from all the gunk and tried it again. It didn't work so I now just ordered a new box and pump.
 
What kind of fluid are you putting in it?

I have the best luck using hydraulic fluid , tried it back when I was a forklift lift mechanic.

After all it's just a hydraulic pump
 
GEO said:
What kind of fluid are you putting in it?

I have the best luck using hydraulic fluid , tried it back when I was a forklift lift mechanic.

After all it's just a hydraulic pump
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I've been using nothing but ATF since I've started driving, works perfect and less chance of a leak
 
66plyValiant said:
I've been using nothing but ATF since I've started driving, works perfect and less chance of a leak
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Mopars don't use atf, they use power steering fluid, which hydraulic oil is a great substitute for and a lot cheaper.

ATF will make the seals leak and doesn't have much lubricant to it flush the ATF out and put in PS fluid or hydraulic oil.
 
GEO said:
Mopars don't use atf, they use power steering fluid, which hydraulic oil is a great substitute for and a lot cheaper.

ATF will make the seals leak and doesn't have much lubricant to it flush the ATF out and put in PS fluid or hydraulic oil.
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been running it for over 10 years in my truck, and not an issue. also the plow truck uses ATF to lift the blade, guess i should drain that to? lol:fart:
 
I've seen similar in rack and pinion steering too. Most notable was 89 SVO Mustang.
They had a special self locking fitting in the line connection, just snaps together.
Replace the hose with new, steer all the way right and the hose would blow off spraying fluid EVERYWHERE !
I wanted to lay fault on the new aftermarket hose... Wrong, bad rack was the cause.
 
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