steering turns hard on '00 6 cyl.

[03DROPTOP]

2000 3.8L. Replaced steering pump. That eliminated creaking noises when turning wheels. But, now have steering pump noise like air in fluid, or no fluid and still hard to turn. (wheel does not return to straight by itself after turn like it should). Had ball joints checked - ok. When on jack wheels turn freely.
No accidents, rack looks ok.
My next move is to drain fluid overnight, then refill. If this doesn't fix it, then I will return pump to advance auto for another one (I think these things are remanufactured, and I could have gotten a bad one).
Question 1: Anyone have experience with this problem??
Question 2: Are the struts/shocks supposed to show any movement at the top in the tower area under the hood when turning the steering wheel??
thanks.

 

[wmburns]

First check for crimped/bent/damaged PS lines. Any restrictions in the PS lines can cause problems like you are having.

How did you install the PS pulley? Did you press it on with the correct tool? If you hammered on the pulley even once, likely that has damaged the pump.

So what did you do to purge the air from the pump? Are you seeing any bubbles in the reservior?

You will continue to have problems until ALL of the air is out of the system. Draining the fluid will simply re-start the purging process at square one and not really solve anything.

I have always been taught that once air bubbles get into the system, that continued operation will create ever smaller bubbles thus making the problem worse.

So if you see bubbles, turn the car off and let the bubbles settle. Repeat.

The other thing that help is to get the weight off of the front wheels. Move the wheels from lock to lock. Do not allow the pump to work against the steering stops. The idea is to circulate the fluid without working the pump too hard (untill ALL of the air is out).

OBTW, there is a Ford TSB dealing with a creak while turning the wheels near the limit of their travel. The problem occurs when the rack shifts (as designed) on the bushings and rubs the rack mounting points. The fix is new/updated rack mounts sleeves.

Another option is to switch to stiffer bushings and lub them well.

To the last question. Were any suspension changes made during the repair? If not, is it reasonable to look there for problems? Some movement of the the struts at the limit of their travel is normal.

 

[03DROPTOP]

Thanks for the info.
We used the proper pulley puller tool on the pump and didn't damage it during install. Parts store is willing to take this pump back for free swap replacement so I'm considering that. It's still whining after a week on the car. The hard steering was caused by bad ball joints. Seems to be a very common problem on most fords (no grease fittings from factory). Replacements I put on have fittings. Unfortunately, I didn't use the KISS principal (keep it simple stupid) and ended up installing a rack that i might not have needed.

 

[Mike97gt]

moved to v6 tech

 

[jprx]

00 mustang power stering pump

Yeah the presence of bubbles was right! i returned my car back to econo lube and they have to FLUSH it 3Xs until the bubbles disappear. After that, Everything was back as it used to be. Smooth and QUIET!!! Price to replace p/s pump and pressure line plus labor is ~ $ 300+...

First check for crimped/bent/damaged PS lines. Any restrictions in the PS lines can cause problems like you are having.

How did you install the PS pulley? Did you press it on with the correct tool? If you hammered on the pulley even once, likely that has damaged the pump.

So what did you do to purge the air from the pump? Are you seeing any bubbles in the reservior?

You will continue to have problems until ALL of the air is out of the system. Draining the fluid will simply re-start the purging process at square one and not really solve anything.

I have always been taught that once air bubbles get into the system, that continued operation will create every smaller bubbles thus making the problem worse.

So if you see bubbles, turn the car off and let the bubbles settle. Repeat.

The other thing that help is to get the weight off of the front wheels. Move the wheels from lock to lock. Do not allow the pump to work against the steering stops. The idea is to circulate the fluid without working the pump too hard (untill ALL of the air is out).

OBTW, there is a Ford TSB dealing with a creak while turning the wheels near the limit of their travel. The problem occurs when the rack shifts (as designed) on the bushings and rubs the rack mounting points. The fix is new/updated rack mounts sleeves.

Another option is to switch to stiffer bushings and lub them well.

To the last question. Were any suspension changes made during the repair? If not, it it reasonable to look there for problems? Some movement of the the struts at the limit of their travel is normal.