power steering pump screams

[hondaridr24]

the power stearing on my 89 ranger screams its not low i have checked, any ideas on how to make it stop or just get a new one?

 

[se7en]

check you fluid color it might need changed. if not get a new one....good time to upgrade

 

[hondaridr24]

what color is it when its bad?

 

[Captain Ledd]

Put the pump resivuar (I know it's spelled wrong but I can't get firefox to recognize it) under a vacuum. Sounds silly but its cured alot of Ford pumps I've came across. Not many people seem to know about that trick.

 

[hondaridr24]

what do u mean under a vacuum

 

[Captain Ledd]

like, suction

me and my friend actually built a tool out of some lexan and an old piece of rubber sheet. I suppose plywood or anything fairly sturdy and flat can work, and even just a cork gasket material to seal it. Then had a ball valve hooked to a tube which we hooked onto a vacuum port on the intake that wasn't that vital looking and gradually did the normal bleeding procedure under a vacuum.

My mechanic friend found about that in auto shop at college while trying to diagnose a car that had been to several stealerships and replaced twice under warranty. A dusty old book way in the back had the answer and a picture of a tool (where we got the idea) and decided to give it a shot.

There's something about the Fords pump design or orientation that traps air where it just sort of doesn't really ever bleed out (hence the whine). And the vacuum helps suck it out since it's supposedly right where the fluid enters the pumping mechanism. But it worked brilliantly. And since we used Lexan we actually saw some air bubbles come out of the fluid.

I did a thing on it but I think it was on the old site... I'll have to give my friend a call and dig up that contraption again..

 

[hondaridr24]

ya if u can get a pic of it to show me that would be awsome so that i can get a better idea of how to make it cause that whine is annoying and kinda imbaresing lol

 

[se7en]

the fluid will look and smell burnt when it is bad...and if you do alot of wheeling the power steerin will always be loud cause it gets air in it from rough driving

 

[hondaridr24]

it doesnt look burnt or bad is there a way to get the air out of it besides the vacuum thing that other guy was talking about cause i dont realy understand what he means

 

[a-5 freak]

Yegh my pump whines too... i would really love to see that contraption you were talkin about. Did you mean pull a vaccum on the opening to the resevuior itself?