power steering 97 GT

[BradleyMustang3]

i just replaced the power steering pump in my 97 gt and now after the swap i have no power steering and my brakes barely work and the pedal is super hard to push down. when i run the car at idle it doesnt make a sound but once i put the car in gear and begin to move the power steering pump screeches and still doesnt work. any ideas?

 

[wmburns]

Explain how the power steering pump was bleed. It sure sounds like there is still air in the system.

Are there any bubbles in the res? If any at all, there is still air in the system.

Note, if there are bubbles in the system, continued running will make the bubbles ever smaller thus making the problem WORSE and more difficult to purge.

Also try jacking up the front of the car and turning the wheels lock to lock.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

There's air in the system somewhere that needs to be purged. Pop the front end up on jackstands and turn the wheels from lock to lock, to work the air out. You'll probably notice the level go down in the reservoir, so have some more fluid on hand, in case you need to top it off.

 

[BradleyMustang3]

cool ill give that a try thanks guys

 

[BradleyMustang3]

Do you do this with the car running?

 

[trinity_gt]

Do you do this with the car running?

Yes, just idling. Keep an eye on the fluid level in the P/S reservoir while doing this. You may also want to work the brake pedal as you cycle the steering back and forth as well...

 

[BradleyMustang3]

so ive worked the wheel back and forth from lock to lock for at least 3 hours it looks like there is still air coming up to the top of the resivoir. i still have no power steering and the fluid leval has barely dropped at all. it seems like if i shut the car off for a while and wait 20 minutes or so and do it again more air comes out and then it subsides. is it possible i put on a bad power steering pump or am i going to have to continue bleeding it. i also heard that you can take the serpentine belt off and turn the pump backwards and it will purge the air from the system. thoughts, input, anything?

 

[wmburns]

How to bleed a power steering pump

What I do is to remove the belt and use an air wrench with an Allen adapter to manually spin the PS pump. Watch the reservoir for bubbles. STOP once bubbles are seen. Wait for the bubble to settle and repeat.

Using a tool to spin the pump also helps because it is not spinng as fast as the motor would spin it.

When no more bubbles are seen using the the tool, reattach the belt and start the motor. STOP as soon as bubbles are seen. Wait for the bubbles to settle. Repeat unitl no bubbles.

Doing this with the front wheels off the ground will reduce the pressure and thus make it easier. For cars with a hydroboost system (Mustangs), it will be necessary to work the brakes as well.

DO NOT run the pump backwards.

As I stated before, once bubbles form, continued running will just make the bubbles smaller. In effect homogenizing the bubbles into the fluid. While I can't say for certain if the pump is bad, I can say that once tiny bubbles are in the fluid it can be very difficult to get them all out.

Since you have stated running it for 3 hours, likely there are very tiny bubbles throughout the system. You should be able to get them out but it will take some patience.

 

[bdcardinal]

Guys you are missing a key element here. He stated he has no braking assistance, the pedal is hard. You need to bleed the hydroboost. There is a bleeder on the hydroboost unit, but be aware, it is under extreme high pressure.

I had the exact same issue when i replaced the rack on my 98 and bleeding the hydroboost was the cure.