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Dump the Pump
Classic American issue 170
Although we all love our cars and trucks, spending money on them unnecessarily is something none of us want to do. Unfortunately there are occasions we have no choice, if we want part A then we must buy part B as well. Other times a saving will just slip us by, but then is that so unusual in this throw away society. Have we just got into the habit of replacing entire components instead of just replacing what is necessary? For those of us who either don’t want to spend unnecessarily or simply don’t have the money to do so, there are ways to make savings. Take power steering pumps for example. There is a number of GM, Ford and Mopar vehicles out there with a power steering pump that is integral to the fluid reservoir. When one of these pumps needs to be replaced more often than not, when ordered, it will come with a new reservoir. Now for that little fact that not many people know, the pump can usually be removed from the reservoir and replaced. This obviously saves the cost of a new reservoir. So how do you go about finding out if you have the type of pump that you can do this with? Well the easiest way is to simply call your parts supplier; they should be able to tell you. The next big question is how do you change the pump? Well it should be said that the instructions that come with some of these replacement pumps leave a lot to be desired. They are usually badly printed and read as though a chimpanzee has written them. Unfortunately this is not encouraging, but once again we shall come to the rescue and try to guide you through what is in fact a relatively simple procedure.
Once you’ve discovered that you can replace your power steering pump without replacing the reservoir. You need to place your order with you your parts supplier and wait for the part to arrive. Most new pumps will come with some kind of instruction sheet and a selection of new seals, see fig 1. Our new pump even came with a simple pulley installation tool for interference fit pulleys. Before you jump in and start pulling things apart it is worth just casting an eye over the power steering hoses. It is recommended, by most pump manufacturers, that you replace any steering hoses that have been on your vehicle for longer than two years or any hoses that are beginning to lose their flexibility. Old hoses can contain various residues that build up on the inside of the hose. These residues can cause damage to the internal workings of a new pump and possibly cause pump failure. Now, because steering hoses tend to rot from the inside out, this can make detecting damaged hoses extremely difficult. So if you are in any doubt at all about the condition of your steering hoses then, don’t think about it, just replace them.

Fig 1. The new kit.
Now for the fun part, fitting the pump. Without wanting to sound too obvious the first step is to remove the pump and reservoir assembly from the vehicle. We won’t talk you through this part of the job here as this will procedure will vary depending on vehicle. With the pump assembly off, see fig 2, the next step will be to remove the pulley. Most GM and Mopar pulleys are an interference fit and simply need to be pulled from the pump shaft. We used a special power steering pump pulley-removing tool, fig 3.

Fig 2. The old pump and reservoir.

Fig 3. The pulley removal tool.
These tools are only a few pounds and certainly make light work of removing the pulley, fig 4 and fig 5. Although we haven’t shown it in the pictures, it is recommended that you either have someone hold the pump assembly for you or you use a vice.
Otherwise you will find your pump sliding around your workbench like Torville and Dean.

Fig 4. Remove the pulley.

Fig 5. Still removing the pulley
With the pulley removed you will now want to remove any mounting brackets, hoses and mounting bolts still fixed to the pump,
fig 6 and fig 7.

Fig 6. Remove the hoses.

Fig 7. And the fitting bolts.
Finally remove the pressure hose fitting, fig 8, from the back of the power steering pump. Take care when removing this fitting, as there is a spring, fig 9, and small valve, fig 10, just behind it. These do have a habit of dropping out and doing a Zebadee around the workshop. You are now ready to remove the pump from the reservoir. This step actually sounds a lot easier than it actually is, but all that is required is care and perseverance. Using a block of wood, gently tap around the nose of the old pump, fig 11. This is where the perseverance comes in. Keep tapping the pump will eventually come free from the reservoir. Care should be taken here not to clout the reservoir and distort it in anyway. This could lead to leaks when the pump and reservoir are reassembled.

Fig 8. The pressure hose fitting.

Fig 9. A spring.

Fig 10. Pressure fitting valve.

Fig 11. Tap the nose, GENTLY!
Right, well done for getting this far, it should all be down hill from here, although before we begin the reassembling the pump there are a couple of things we need to do. First, get the old and the new pumps next to each other and compare them, fig 12. Do they look the same? It is worth doing this, as there are a number of parts suppliers who will not accept parts for return if there has been an attempt to fit them. Another thing to bear in mind, is the box that the pump arrived in. Many suppliers will require the old pump back, and as such you will probably have paid a small fee known as a core charge. This core charge is refundable on return of the old pump. Most companies will only refund the core charge if the old pump is returned in the new pumps box. A final pointer on returning your old pump, please clean it, even if you just wipe it over with an old rag, again some companies will not accept cores for refund if they are dripping with power steering fluid.

Fig 12. Compare the new and old pumps.
The next thing to check before we assemble the pump is the old reservoir, fig 13. Sometimes when removing the old pump the reservoir may receive the odd knock or two and this can mis-shape the lip that seals the reservoir to the pump. The white arrows in fig 13 show such a knock on our example reservoir. This dent must be put right before the new pump is fitted or it may not seal correctly and it will leak fluid. We used a small block of wood and a mallet just to reshape the lip.

Some manufacturers will place a small magnet inside the reservoir. This will collect any small pieces of metallic debris that may accumulate within the pump, preventing premature failure. Our example had a small magnet on the inside wall of the reservoir and is shown in fig 13 by the red arrow. If your pump has a magnet just make sure it is in place before you start putting things back together.

Fig 13. Check the old reservoir for damage.
With these couple of checks behind us we are finally ready to begin getting everything back into the reservoir. First thing we need to do is fit are the seals. You will be happy to know that a wide selection of seals should be supplied with your new pump, fig 14. The large seal obviously fits around the main body of the pump, fig 15. The remaining seals fit into the two mounting holes and the pressure-fitting hole in the back of the pump, fig 16. The seals you fit should sit just proud of the hole they are in, so when mated to the reservoir they prevent leakage in these areas. When fitting these three seals you may want to use a small dab of grease or oil just to hold them in place.

Fig 14. A bunch of new seals.

Fig 15. Replace all the seals.

Fig 16. These seal the pump to the reservoir.
Done? Good, you are now ready to fit the new pump into the reservoir. Just prior to this, take some fresh power steering fluid and smear it around the main seal, fig 17. This will help prevent leaks between the pump and the reservoir. Gently ease the pump into the housing, fig 18.

Fig 17. Smear steering fluid on the new seals.

Fig 18. Ease the pump into the reservoir.
Once we couldn’t push the pump in to the housing any further by hand, we used a piece of wood and gently tapped the housing down onto the pump, fig 19. Care should obviously be taken here so as not to cause any distortion to the reservoir. Whatever thoughts might go through your mind at this time don’t feel tempted to knock the pump into the reservoir. Never strike the new pumps shaft with a hammer, a piece of wood or a penguin in a hope to get the pump into the reservoir. Hitting the shaft could cause damage to the pump, not only that but the seals may fall out of their holes allowing the pump to leak. Whilst thinking of all this remember to make sure that the mounting holes and the pressure-fitting hole in the pump lines up with those in the reservoir, fig 20.

Fig 19. Gently tap the pump home.

Fig 20. Mkae sure the holes all line up.
You will now need to fit the spring, valve and pressure fitting, fig 21. You should have received new ones with the new pump. Using an appropriately sized spanner tighten the pressure fitting, fig 22.

Fig 21. Fit the new valve, spring and fitting.

Fig 22. Do not over tighten.
It’s now time to refit the pulley. If your pulley is an interference fit type, you will need to pull it on using a special tool, fig 24. As mentioned earlier, whatever you do don’t hit the pulley on with a hammer or use a press to fit it. Any ‘in or out’ pressure on the shaft could cause permanent damage to the new pump. With the pulley fitted all that remains is to refit any mounting brackets and then remount the pump to the vehicle.

Fig 23. Check the hose fits.

Fig 24. Fit the pulley.
Of course what we have talked about here would work equally well if you had a pump that was functioning perfectly but just need to replace the reservoir. With the pump back on sit back and think about how you are going to spend the money you saved by not buying a pump with reservoir or going to a garage to have the work done....mmm doughnut.