Power steering pump?

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com.

Here are the directions from Alldata for removing and replacing the pump. The attached pictures correlate with these directions. Let me know if this helps or if you have other questions.

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REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION
REMOVAL
1. Remove the (-) negative battery cable from the battery and isolate cable.
2. Remove the wiper module (unit).
3. Raise the vehicle.
4. Remove the drive belt splash shield.
5. Remove the pressure hose routing bracket bolt.
6. Lower the vehicle.
7. Remove cap from power steering fluid reservoir.
8. Using a siphon pump, remove as much power steering fluid as possible from the power 9. Disconnect the pressure hose from the pump.
10. Disconnect the fluid supply hose from the pump.
11. Remove the three front mounting bolts through the pulley
12. Remove the pump (with pulley) through the engine compartment rocking it over the aluminum bracket.

INSTALLATION
1. Install power steering pump back in vehicle using the reverse order of its removal through the engine compartment of the vehicle.
2. Install the power steering pump on its mounting bracket.
3. Install the 3 front power steering pump mounting bolts. Tighten the 3 front power steering pump mounting bolts to a torque of 54 Nm (40 ft. lbs.).

NOTE: Before installing power steering pressure hose on power steering pump, inspect the O-ring on the power steering pressure hose for damage and replace if required.

4. Install the power steering fluid pressure line into the pressure output fitting of the power steering pump. Do not fully tighten tube nut at this time.
5. Install the power steering fluid supply hose on the power steering pump supply fitting. Be sure hose clamp is properly installed.
6. Raise the vehicle.
7. Install the routing clip on the engine for the pressure hose and tighten fastener.
8. Install the serpentine drive belt.
9. Install the drive belt splash shield.
10. Lower the vehicle.
11. Tighten the pressure line to pump pressure fitting tube nut to a torque of 31 Nm (275 in. lbs.).
12. Install the wiper module (unit).
13. Connect the negative battery cable on the negative battery post.
14. Fill and bleed the power steering system using the Power Steering Pump Initial Operation Procedure.
15. Inspect for leaks.
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Take care,
Joe

how do you dis assemble the metal pressure power steering hose from the power steering pump?

You cannot disassemble the high pressure hose, it is crimped on. To remove it, remove the flare nut from the pump, remove the nut from the steering rack and remove the hose. You will have to jack the vehicle up to access this hose.

120,000 on my Caravan, runs good. Changed steering rack about 10,000 miles ago as old rack would clunk when driving along the road. would also lock up first time you turned steering in the morning .

OK all was well but now the power steering pump sounds noisy, and steering judders especially if you turn the wheel when stationary.

Ideas?

Hi Scaleracing. Welcome to the forum. The symptoms all point to air still in the system. It should have bled out by now but since it hasn't, the service manual suggests driving onto an incline with first the left side higher than the right, then the right side higher, and turning the wheels from lock to lock a few times. Any air in the rack has to exit at the spool valve where the hoses attach to the rack.

caradiodoc

We didn't have any problems all day. We went to leave a restaurant and didn�t have any power steering. Once we backed up and straighten the van out and pulled away power steering was restored. This has happened maybe twice before in the last year and a half leaving the driveway. It was cold and wet (upper 30�s). Parking surface was flat (our driveway has normal incline). I checked the reservoir and it was at the full level. The van is a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport V6, 3.3L, FWD and has 124,000 miles. I not sure if it�s the power steering pump maybe it needs a flush (contaminates) . I�m going to change the fan belt out (has never been changed) any ideas or tips that could help me figure it out would be appreciated.

The next time it acts up, speed the engine up just a little. If the power assist comes back, it's likely a weak pump. If it steers hard in only one direction, there's worn seals in the rack and pinion assembly.

caradiodoc

Thanks, I'll check for that when it happens next. It did happen again yesterday and it was wet again.

Noise coming from power steering pump (fluid level ok) and noise is not belt.

a noise from the power steering pump is from either the front pulley bearing or the gears it has internally, it is a common problem, it does not go away, if it does not affect performance of the steering, it can make noise for quite a while, if it keeps on getting worse, your going to have to replace it and the fluid. ok?

I need to change my steering pump but do not know how to even loosen the belt. I just bought this vehicle and have not bought a service manual yet.

This is kind of involved for a do-it-yourselfer.

The belt is tensioned by a spring-loaded tensioner pulley. If you can fit your arm in there far enough to pull on the belt, you should be able to see that pulley move. That's the one you need to move to release the belt tension.

Many of these have a 1/2" square hole on the arm that will accept the drive end of a 1/2" breaker bar or ratchet. Others have a 15 millimeter bolt that holds the pulley to the arm. What worked best for me was to put the box end of a combination wrench on the bolt head, then hook another box wrench onto one tooth of the open end of the first wrench. This gives you more leverage so you don't have to tug so hard on the wrench.

Another tip, if you are not replacing the belt, is to keep tension on it by pulling it up from the power steering pump pulley when moving the tensioner pulley, then move it off the pump pulley and release the tensioner. Now, use a bungie strap to lightly pull the belt up and hook the strap to a hole in the bottom of the hood. This will keep the belt centered and in the proper routing on all the other pulleys.

If your new pump does not have the pulley installed, you will need to transfer the old one to the new pump. This requires a pulley puller and installer kit. Before removing the pulley, note how far the hub sticks out from the end of the shaft. This distance is critical. Installing the pulley mispositioned by 1/16" can result in an incurable belt squeal. New pumps and new pulleys from the dealership might come with a spacer that must be used with the pulley installer tool. There are three possibilities; a small spacer, a smaller spacer, or no spacer required if the hub of the pulley was flush with the end of the shaft. If you don't have the right spacer, a less desirable way to do this is to look at the inside of the pulley hub for rust. The rust will provide a "witness mark" to show how far to install the pulley.

Do not use a hydraulic press to push the pulley onto the pump shaft. Pressure on the shaft will break one of the rotors inside the pump. Some new aftermarket pumps come with a long bolt and nut to use as a pulley installer. Often, these bolts are not hardened and the threads can pull out easily. To avoid this, be sure to thread the bolt as far as possible into the pump shaft. If you need a spacer and one wasn't supplied, visit your friendly dealer. Many techs save the spacers that come with replacement pumps and pulleys rather than throwing them away. The spacers will usually work with the installer bolts supplied with aftermarket pumps.

hi i have a 00 caravan and my pump was leaking i replaced the pump but now the powersteering doesnt seem to work really hard to turn the wheel like if the pump is not getting fluid is there a bleeding procedure or anything that could cause this?

hard to turn even after replacing the pump suggests you may have a bad-replacement pump.... chrylsers are a pain in the ass to get the air out, but usually they will give a loud whine..... thats the air in the system.... pull the pressure line off the steering box then start the vehicle and quickly shut it off... (makes a mess) reconnect the line, top off the fluid... also, why did u replace the pump? you may have a bad steering rack....

i replaced the pump because i bought the acar used and there was apoxy around it as if it was patched up and i kept refilling the fluid everyday

Why does my air compressor sound like a power steering pump that needs fluid.How much oil does that compressor need.I had a leak in the system and all the freon came out .thats when it started.

When freon went so did some oil. Was the leak found and repaired? Or just put freon in? if yes then oil in system is carried by freon flow so in short your compressor is lunched.

Even though it still cools very well ,the compressor is bad?

It will be if you don't get oil into system. you can get an oil charge and add that may help. Also noise maybe coming from bearing on pully. If noise is constant then bearing. If only when comp on then comp

Steering problem
1999 Dodge Caravan 4 cyl Automatic 140,00 miles

The belt has come off 8 times in less than 2 months and especially when it rains. I have had the tensioner changed 2x's the power steering pump, and my mechanic is at his wits end. Please HELP

Make sure it is properly routed, the pulleys are aligned, and as far as the rain, make sure the splash shield under the vehice is not broken or cracked allowing water to hit the belt. That is a common problem with these in the rain.

Let me know what you find.
Joe

Steering problem
1996 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl Automatic 200000 miles

how much would it cost to replace the powersteering pump?

Hello - I show several different 6 cylinder models. Please ensure you include all of your auto information so we provide the best possible answer. It appears that all are the same. I am not sure if you plan on doing it yourself. I have included the directions and a pic for you. As for the cost of the part, I show an OEM part number of 4684156, for about $197.00. But if you go to the dealer ensure you provide the VIN number to make sure you get the correct one. If you get one from Auto Zone it runs from 40 to 50 dollars and O'Reilly's from $47 to $171.00. Shop around and check for the warranties. Many places like Auto Zone, O'Reilly's offer lifetime warranties on parts. This is a great deal especially for brakes. Good luck and be safe. 1. Disconnect battery ground cable. 2. Raise and support vehicle. 3. Disconnect oxygen sensor wiring harness from vehicle wiring harness. 4. Remove catalytic converter from exhaust manifold, then the exhaust system hangers from brackets. 5. Move exhaust system as far rearward as possible. 6. Disconnect power steering fluid return hoses at steel tube connection and drain into suitable container. 7. Remove accessory drive splash shield. 8. Remove serpentine drive belt. 9. Remove power steering fluid supply hose and power steering pressure hose from power steering pump, then drain into suitable container. 10. Remove power steering fluid return hose from pump. 11. Remove rear support bracket to pump mounting nut. 12. Remove rear support bracket to engine mounting bolts, then the support bracket. 13. Remove pump to belt tensioner bracket mounting bolts, then the pump assembly from vehicle. Pump will fit through area of exhaust pipe tunnel in floor pan. 14. Reverse procedure to install.

Try this
Fill power steering pump reservoir to specified level. DO NOT use ATF. Raise front of vehicle. Key on engine off slowly turn steering wheel to left and right, lightly contacting steering stops in either direction.
Check fluid
Start engine and slowly turn steering wheel to left and right, lightly contacting steering stops in either direction
Stop engine. Inspect reservoir fluid level and add fluid if necessary.
Bleeding process may have to be repeated several times to completely bleed all air from system. Dipstick should read FULL COLD when fluid is at normal outside temperature or between MIN and MAX marks at normal operating temperature.

thank you

Steering problem
1996 Dodge Caravan Front Wheel Drive Automatic

I replaced the steel lines on my rack and pinion with home made lines old ones had a nasty leak.I put it back in van started it up and had no leaks . But when I turned the steering wheel it spun out of my hand and kept pulsing back and forth until I shut off van. I am completely at a loss and any help would be greatly appreicated thank you!!!!

I have had a lot of trouble finding the correct angle to fit the new pump past the CV axle/ other components in the way. I am trying to go through the passenger front wheel well.. I cannot fit it in there for the life of me. The only way I was able to get the old pump out was by bending the nipples on it. Please help me.

Welcome to 2CarPros.

You need to remove a portion of the exhaust. Here are the specific directions related to your vehicle. The attached picture correlates with the directions.

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1. Disconnect battery ground cable.
2. Raise and support vehicle.
3. Disconnect oxygen sensor wiring harness from vehicle wiring harness.
4. Remove catalytic converter from exhaust manifold, then the exhaust system hangers from brackets.
5. Move exhaust system as far rearward as possible.
6. Disconnect power steering fluid return hoses at steel tube connection and drain into suitable container.
7. Remove accessory drive splash shield.
8. Remove serpentine drive belt.
9. Remove power steering fluid supply hose and power steering pressure hose from power steering pump, then drain into suitable container.
10. Remove power steering fluid return hose from pump.
11. Remove rear support bracket to pump mounting nut.
12. Remove rear support bracket to engine mounting bolts, then the support bracket.
13. Remove pump to belt tensioner bracket mounting bolts, then the pump assembly from vehicle. Pump will fit through area of exhaust pipe tunnel in floor pan.
14. Reverse procedure to install.

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Let me know if this helps.

Joe

1996 Dodge Caravan 97000 miles

Needs new power steering pump. Every place I've called has refused the job due to difficulty. Is it even worth fixing?

Where are you located?????? done a few of them, they arent the easiest, but not the worst.If it just needs a pump, then in my opinion it is worth fixing.

Noises problem
1994 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive 200543 miles

Have 94 dodge grand caravan se 6 cylinder 3.3 . power steering unit possibly going out bad pulley noise, want to bypass . need to know if possible and what serpintine belt and new diagram

They all came with power steering that year, so there is no routing diagram without it. If you plan to bypass the pump, you will need to measure for a belt and determine the best way to reroute it.

For some reason, I am thinking that there is a serp belt on your car and a seperate V-belt for the PS.

no its just one belt . problem is it goes under shaft pulley over tensioner and under ps pulley then up and over alternator, dont know if tensioner wheel will create enough tension with smaller belt

That is a good question. I've never tried it. Have you considered trying to get a good pump from a salvage yard?

Yes i have! But have u seen where the pump is located? Damn near gotta pull motor out or take out right corner panel and wheel well just to get to it. I just want to make thats the actual problem before i do all that work and find out im wrong.

Yes, they are a pain.