So my steering sucks, it feels like my power steering is non existent. I bleed the crap out of it and nadda. I took off my pump and saw that the pump was installed without the vacuum valve. I'm running on propane so it would get capped off anyway but would the absence of a plug in this vacuum hole cause my steering to suck or pump to fail?
Ive never driven apart from off a trailer and around the house so the steering has always been sloppy.

 

It could just be that the pump is worn out.
The power steering idle air control valve does little to help your power steering.

These pumps are a simple vane style pump. Vane blades get worn out. One simple thing to try is to disassemble the pump and "flip" the vane blades around so the worn edges are facing in vs. out.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the tip. Im going to ask this pump to turn 39.5 irok tires without hyrdo assist so ill just slap a new one in for reliability so youre answer is exactly what i needd to justify my purchase. Just wanted to be sure cuz this thing is nickle amd dimmen me.

 

I put a new pump in today and the steering still doesn't feel to well, on jackstands with no tires/wheels. It got better but theres still a bit of resistance in the wheel. I have no leaks, after running the engine on for about 15 minutes in the garage, turning the steering from lock to lock about 40 times my ps pump, and box got to about 215 degress F. I have a thermo laser gun to point at them... Whilst my engine was only at around 188. Should a ps pump run this hot? The fluid was still quite foamy even after all this. I'm using ATF dex II rated fluid. Its connected to a coolant line that goes to the timing cover right under the distributor.My propane mixer also got over 200 after running for a while, should it get this hot? I'm thinking it gets got cuz the coolant line is soo close to the exhaust.
I also put in a spare idle up vacuum valve I had laying around and capped it off since i'm running propane.

Not sure which box I have as its a custom crawler that has never been ran and i'm just tryting to sort it all out to get it on the trail.


I should admit I pulled my knuckles to grease pack my bobby longs and the driver knuckle turned with slight resistance after putting it back on. I could move it by hand fine but it wasn't as free turning as the passenger. I have several shim's for the knuckles but am not sure which to use so I just put back what was already there.


Any help would be much appreciated.