Power steering frustration

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briwill70

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Got my 65 Dart running well and driving before the power steering pump blew a hose and started making terrible noises. It's a TRW pump so no chance in finding a replacement. Found a rebuild kit and went through the process which seemed to go ok. Now the pump is quiet but turning the wheels back and forth makes horrible pulsing groaning noises. Even at idle you can feel the high pressure hose and it pulses and vibrates even at idle. Does not seem right. I've worked the wheel back and forth to purge the air out of the system but does not seem to fix. Too much pressure in system? Could the problem be in the power steering box itself? At this point I'm ready to throw it all away and buy a Borgeson system.
 
Could the problem be in the power steering box itself?

Quite possibly. If you had a long return hose, you could run the pump supply and return into a can with a bunch of extra fluid to keep the return submerged and see how the pump runs. The box is the only restriction.
 
Got my 65 Dart running well and driving before the power steering pump blew a hose and started making terrible noises. It's a TRW pump so no chance in finding a replacement. Found a rebuild kit and went through the process which seemed to go ok. Now the pump is quiet but turning the wheels back and forth makes horrible pulsing groaning noises. Even at idle you can feel the high pressure hose and it pulses and vibrates even at idle. Does not seem right. I've worked the wheel back and forth to purge the air out of the system but does not seem to fix. Too much pressure in system? Could the problem be in the power steering box itself? At this point I'm ready to throw it all away and buy a Borgeson system.
Is it a slant or v8?

Jake
 
A lot of times ps noise is the pump sucking air. Make sure there is enough fluid and return hose is tight & good shape.
 
A lot of times ps noise is the pump sucking air. Make sure there is enough fluid and return hose is tight & good shape.
It has enough fluid and both hoses are new. Not my first rodeo. Rebuilt PS systems before and they usually just work. I suspect a valve inside the pump or in the steering box is the culprit.
 
Your steering box may be leaking internally.

Mopars on Steeroids

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If the fluid gets aerated it takes a while get the air out.

Contact the rebuild kit maker and ask for assistance.
 
I will try to work the air out a couple more times and see what happens. What concerns me is that the pressure hose is pulsing. Even at idle you can feel the hose and it is vibrating with pressure. I don't recall ever noticing this on another system. Is that normal? Afraid it's going to blow when I try to drive it.
 
That behavior indicates air entrainment. What you are feeling is the air bubbles scooting on by. Once the air comes out. it will settle down.
In the picture (post 8) you can see the left and right turn power-chambers, where the air collects. it will come out as you drive.
Do not hold the steering all the way over on the stops, which heats up the oil.
Do not overfill the pump, as when the air gets hot it will expand and puke the oil over the top, making a mess. Just put in enough oil to cover the pump at the bottom of the filler tube, then keep adding oil every few miles to keep the level about there, as the air comes out. After all the air is out you can top it up.... HOT. If you top it up cold, it will puke oil after it heats up. Run at the bottom until it stabilizes.
 
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Thanks for the feedback! I've never had such a hard time bleeding air out of a system but finally have it behaving normally. I jacked up the front so the tires were barely touching the ground. I started the car, slowly worked the wheel from stop to stop, turned off the car and checked the fluid. I waited until all the air bubbles were gone in the reservoir and repeated. I had to do this 8-10 times but finally got the air out!
 
Power steering can be a pain. My wife’s Chrysler Town & Country was making horrible power steering noise. Replaced the reservoir & it went away for awhile. Then it came back. Went to a dealer near me & the told me the rack & pinion and pump needed replaced. Big $$$.

Went to another dealer & the service advisor told me to warm it up good and then fill it to the top, ignoring the fill marks. I did that and the noise went away. He told me that the fluid is so turbulent that air gets mixed in and that is what causes the noise.
 
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