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Power Steering

villanex

New member
Ok, I shoudve asked this awhile ago. My P/S pump is groaning and chattering, it's been doing this since I had a mechanic put it on, mind that it was brand new when he did this and it did this as soon as he put it on and I drove it. The initial problem wasn't even the pump, it was a wobbling pulley on the P/S pump that needed to be changed, BUT HE SAID I needed a pump so I replaced it... funny thing is the retard changed the pump to the new one, and actually put the wobbling pulley on the new pump, so could that have damaged the pump? Could that be the reason for the noise? P.s. the wobbling pulley was removed by the mechanics boss and replaced, the pump makes No noise and gives No resistance when cold, but after warming up it chatters and groans when turning steering wheel.
 


Yes, I've even changed most of it out with the Turkey baster method, it got a little quietbut it's back to it's loud groaning self.
 
How did the fluid look? And if I was you I'd take it back and to the place and let them know nothing as been fixed.
 
It looked like the standard ps fluid but dark and grainy, the new fluid was.... new. It's been a while since the pump was put on, like 7-8 months ago, I'm just now understanding how the pump works and what not, I'm more if an electrical /electronics guy when it comes to cars... but yeah it's to late to return the pump or get my old one back.
 
The mechanic told me that it was air in the system it was going to work its way out eventually, 7 months later apparently it's still in there, (sarcasm)
 


what was wrong that you had a new pump put on? symptoms when it first acted up?

this could be a dying rack and pinion.

and you only get air in the system when you change the rack, not the pump, hes lying to you. air in the pump is out kinda instantly. the rack you work the wheels back and fourth about 15 times, lock to lock, air can burp out the p/s pump and such.

it also sounds like they bent your pulley somehow. at least they changed it.
 
Idk if it's the rack, I turn the steering wheel and I feel the steering wheel vibrate at the same frequency as the groan from the pump. The groaning and the chattering in the power steering pump only happened when it was changed from the old 1 to the new 1. It only makes noise when the engine is warm when the engine is cold everything's quiet, and the steering wheel turns fine, only when the engine is warm does the steering wheel give me resistance and the pump make noise.
 
Sounds like a bad pump, probably a sticky vane. Inside the pump there is a rotor with either ten or twelve slots in it. Each slot is precision ground to 0.04995" - 0.05035". Then a hardened vane is put into each slot and the vane needs to freely slide in and out of the slot every rotation of the rotor. What I suspect is happening with your pump is that one of the slots is tight; smaller than the 0.04995" lower limit, and the vane is hanging up. The result is a pressure ripple that can be measured, felt, and heard in extreme cases.
If the pump is truly a NEW pump, which means purchased from a GM dealer or if you're a GM employee picked up direct from a GM SPO facility, then there is a two year warranty on the pump. These NEW pumps were made in Saginaw Michigan on the same equipment that the original pumps were made on and each pump is tested for this specific defect before it's shipped to GM SPO.

Edit: My avatar is your power steering pump with arms, legs, and safety glasses. It's the "mascot" of Nexteer Automotive Plant 3 where the pump used on the GM W bodies is made. Nexteer Automotive was formerly known as Saginaw Steering Gear and dates to 1906.
 
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