rovers1973

My power steering pump leaks like crazy and I was wondering what people's thoughts were on rebuilding vs replacement vs perhaps upgrading. I talked to a steering shop today and the guy said the factory pump isn't really good enough when running bigger tires. Says it will probably fail again. He mentioned adapting a Saginaw pump?? This is my second pump (used) and just wanted some idea's before committing.
Thanks
ps
I've found a great writeup on rebuilding the pump on here and I'm pretty sure I can handle that if I go that way.

Brad.

Mine leaked and screeched for a while, went with replacement, no more problems, worth it.

eric-the-red

If it's just leaking I would try a rebuild yourself, the seal kit is cheap and it's not a very hard job. I just did mine last month. Mine was noisy as well as leaking and it didn't help that the noise at all though, so I'll probably end up replacing it anyway.

rovers1973

Thats the way I'm leaning right now. I'd just never heard of using a Saginaw pump. Apparently they're pretty cheap used, but I don't know what would be required to mod it for a toyota.

sb5walker

First I would try a more viscous fluid - some of the ATFs are pretty thin and leak more.

There are three Dexron III compatible fluids that are more viscous than most and are often recommended for power steering. Any of them would be a good choice for a pump that's making noise or a pump that is leaking fluid:

Red Line Synthetic Power Steering Fluid - has a zinc high-pressure additive and is probably the best all-around choice:
http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=79&pcid=27
http://www.redlineoil.com/content/files/tech/49.pdf

Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF):
http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp...s_ImportMV.pdf

and, CHEVRON MULTI-VEHICLE ATF:
https://www.cbest.chevron.com/genera...DS27291691.PDF

I'm sure you know all the following, but for those who don't:

When changing the fluid, be sure to not allow the reservoir to run dry. When running, the pump can empty the reservoir very, very quickly. Here is a good how-to on changing the fluid in a Camry that doesn't require running the motor - I imagine the same technique would work for our trucks:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=19334

But if that technique doesn't work, you can always do the following:

1. Remove as much fluid as possible from the reservoir using a (clean, dry) plastic pump or a turkey baster.
2. Pull the fluid return hose off the pump and route it down into a drain bucket. Plug the fitting on the pump.
3. Refill reservoir with your new fluid.
4. Start the engine and immediately turn off. Refill fluid level. If none has gone down, repeat this step and turn the steering wheel a little bit while the motor's running, but BE CAREFUL! The fluid can go down very quickly, and as I'm sure you know, running it dry = not a very good idea.
5. Be mindful that the fluid, once running, might continue to siphon fluid out of the reservoir, in which case you just need to keep refilling it.
6. Continue the cycle of very brief running/fluid refilling until you've used about a quart and a half of ATF.
7. Make sure reservoir is not above the proper fill level for cold fluid and reattach the fluid return line, then top off reservoir if needed.
8. If you allowed the reservoir to run dry, you probably introduced air into the system, and will need to bleed the system per the fsm. You will find this is no fun, so best to avoid.

If a different fluid doesn't help, x2 on the seal replacement so long as the pump is still pumping okay.

rovers1973

Thanks for the info on the different fluids. Since I'm doing the timing belt, cam seals, crank seal etc, I took the pump off anyway, and will rebuild it. I will definitely try one of those fluids when I refill. Not looking forward to bleeding it once it full but......

bugs1961

The rebuild isn't too hard. Here is a writeup on my rebuild:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...riteup-183622/

rovers1973

Exactly the one I bookmarked and printed out