power steering mysteriously not working anymore
 

after doing some donuts in a field in my 86 22re, my power steering no longer works. i dont see any leaks and its still full of fluid so what could be the problem here? how can i tell if the pump has gone bad? i was going pretty hard on the truck but all the power steering stuff looks ok, i dont see anything wrong. what can i test or check to find what isnt working? as i drive it more and go in and out of my drive way ive found that sometimes it will work and sometimes it doesnt. its completely random.

Sounds like it's going south...

Is the belt on snugly?

Can try burning burping the air out of it, it's not designed for long hard cornering and may just have sucked in some air when the fluid was sloshed against the wall, could have been ran dry long enough to kill it also...

Edit: autocorrect got me.burb not burn.

the alternator belt is actually alittle loose, i already knew this though, its been making a slipping noise for the past couple days but i didnt think it would be related to power steering

how does one burn the air out? is there a way to actually check if ive killed it or do i just have to assume its dead and try a new one?

I was referring to the power steering belt

that belt is fine, not loose or anything, only a few months old

You can bleed the system by opening the cap on the reservoir then turning the wheels back and forth. When you add new fluid to the system (if you do) you should turn the wheels all the way left and all the way right a few times to get the fluid flowing into the pump and add more as needed (without the engine running). If you let these run dry it ruins them for good. I just replaced mine and had no issues with fill at initial start because turning the wheels gets the air out and essentially primes the system with oil to ensure it's not starting off dry as it tries to suck from the reservoir. If the pump is toast some of the seals may just need replacing in it but it could also be the vane assembly is worn or the bearing is shot in in which case a new pump would probably be easiest. there is a rebuild kit available at NAPA and basically all parts retailers but a reman pump is only 82$ at NAPA with core. just make sure if you get a reman pump that you check that the spring loaded flow control valve isn't stuck like mine was... because they paint the remanufactured pump housings some of the paint prevented the valve from opening and my pump was in bypass until I removed it and broke it free a bit, now my steering is like a hot knife through butter.

outdoorjunky so i bled the system and my power steering worked again for a few seconds and then it went out again. after i bled the system, i turned the wheel back and fourth to see if it fixed my issue and it only worked for the first couple turns and then it was out again. one of the lines from the resi is also very oily and greasy from the outside https://imgur.com/a/g1wWziU?s=sms , theres some pics i took. it has always had some grease or oil on it since i bought the truck but it was never that bad. i did not try new fluid yet, could that fix my problem? it sounds to me like the pump cant be shot because it still works sometimes, am i right or am i wrong?

i inspected the high pressure hose and i dont see any leaks anywhere. i think ill still replace the hoses just incase. would you by chance know the part number for it from napa? also i bled the system again and no air came out and there wasnt any bubbles in it when i took the cap off so i think by now its fully bled.

i inspected the steering box and i dont see a single leak or even drop of grease or oil on it surprisingly. im gonna test for sloppy steering in the morning and also see if the power steering is back then, its to late right now to run it, dont wanna upset the neighbors! what do you mean by veins? are those the metal lines?

lol. ok i see what you mean now. im gonna see how it is in the morning, if its not working then ill try new lines and after that ill try the new pump. wish me luckk

Good luck...