Hey all, while I’m sorting through my tuning woes, I figure I’d fix the power steering leak that has plagued my driveway, but I had a few questions regarding all aspects of it.
I noticed a small leak from the front, so I assumed the large O-ring was bad, however I removed it and the O-ring was completely intact, no rips or anything, and was not brittle, seemed to be in good shape. The reservoir casing has no deformities, so I was wondering if there was a trick to get a better seal or if the new O-ring will perhaps work. I also had wondered if a very light coat of grease to seal the O-ring, or a small bit of gasket sealer above the O-ring could help.
I spun the pulley while the pump was empty and had it out of the car to check if it had too much resistance, and I heard some clicking. It sounded like valves opening and closing as there was a hollow sound to the clicks, just wondering it that was normal.
When I got it apart, as you can see in the photo, the pump had a decent bit of light surface rust, just enough to stain it but really not give it any rough texture. I also found that a small lip near where the large O-ring goes had an odd dent in it, and was wondering if that somehow was creating a small leak.
Lastly, I found a small magnet in there, you can see in the photo. Is that normal to have, to collect metal dust or something? When I pulled it out, it was covered in a grey goo, about the consistency of the fluid, but mixed with some metal dust.
A dent in the O ring lip could definitely cause a leak. But I replaced several O rings on mine before finally figuring out the leak was in the front casting around the shaft. The fluid ran down the front casting and dripped off right where the can met the casting. Had to replace the casting with a NOS one in order to finally seal things up.
A bit of grease on the O ring will be helpful in getting the can to slide over the O ring without pinching or rolling it out of its groove. I would avoid any kind of sealer - that’s the job of the O ring.
There are a bunch of spring loaded vanes in the pump that make the clicking sound when you turn the shaft by hand.
Alright, well I’ll see if I can straighten out that spot on the lip there, and hopefully with that, some grease, and a new O-ring it’ll seal up. I assume no magnet, perhaps the previous owner thought there was some reason to do that, but I don’t see any reason. Thanks.
There is a paper gasket around the pressure fitting that protrudes through the reservoir on the opposite end. That paper gasket, it it leaks, will seep and cause a drip to form under the front of the reservoir, as if the O - ring were the cause of it.
Well I’ve got a whole kit with all the seals so I’ll be replacing that seal too. When I took the pump out, that paper gasket was dry on mine, and seemed to be pretty evenly squished, but I’ll be sure to look out for that when I test it, since I originally thought the drip was from the rear due to some fluid running down the hoses. I should see by tonight if all goes well.
