Power Steering issue, any ideas?

[Bin_jammin]

Is there a way to burp the power steering system on my car? Since I've had the whole engine compartment apart including all the lines I seem to have air in the system, as it doesn't work.

Basically this means I have no power steering assist. It's a non-servotronic car, I've had a vacuum pump on it to remove all the air (this burped it quite nicely, lots of air came out) but still no PS. Am I missing something here, or has something broken here?

Power Steering isn't supposed to be difficult damnit.

[pong]

this is the same thing that happened to me a few days ago...

i removed the pump and opened it up...
there is a rubber seal in there that broke in pieces...
and the broken pieces jammed into the small fluid passage way...

an easy fix thing... assuming u can lift d car so that u can easily
access it...

---- for some reason... no one answered my post regarding this....

[ironie]

Hum..I sorta wonder how you had a vacuum pump connected.
The normal (and messy way) is to crack the lines on steering unit loose, get them working freely so you can open and close them easilly. Then bleed them from there. with the engine running (and many rags spread around :ATF is both flamable and not good for paint) turning the wheel slowly and bleeding the air out. You should also know from how hard it comes out weather you have proper pressure or not. You should only be cracking it a little, just enough to let the bubbles get out. Though franly, unless you have replaced hoses or the power steering unit, you shouldn't have any air in it. As best I know the pump is self bleeding.
Hope I have been of some small use.
good luck
Ron

Ah I see I forgot why you had them apart..no problem

[genphreak]

I've burped a small amount of air after changing the lines by simply turning the wheel form lock to lock and putting pressure on it until the resovioir burps. Doing this carefully one can avoid any spillage- one just needs to watch the fluid level as it bubbles up and over very quickly once the pump is cavitating with air bubbles.

This is the wrong procedure though, it takes along time (had to do it twice too).

From what I can see, there seems to be a drain plug (allen key) on the bottom of the PS pump, surely one can simply drain from there... it'd be best to check the TIS for the right way procedure IMHO. :) nick

[ironie]

From the bently

To fill and bleed power steering system
1. With the engine 011. fill the power steering fluid reservoir
with clean fluid.
• reservoir with dipstick: fill level to the "MAX· mark on
dipstick.
• reservoir without dipstick (cars with LAD): fill level
to approximately 25 mm (1 in.) below the reservoir
rim.
2. Start the engine. Then slowly turn the stee ring wheel
from lock to lock two times.
3. Turn the engine off and check the fluid level, adding fluid
if necessary.
4. On cars with self -levelling rear suspension (LAD). raise
the rear of the car until the drive wheels are off the
ground. Wait two minutes and check the fluid level. The
level should be no more than 25 mm (1.0 in.) above the
base of the reservoir screen. Correct the level as necessary.

This is basically what I ment by self bleeding.
Any hydralic system can be directly bled from the lines though.
It is messy and just as easy to get air back in as take it out. But it works
And in many systems is is the only way. Even brakes can be bled from the lines. and often are.
Regards
Ron

[genphreak]

Ahh true so it's easier on an e34 than an e30, though I can't tell the diff in the system except for the rack which clearly makes a big differnce...

[Bin_jammin]

Hum..I sorta wonder how you had a vacuum pump connected.
The normal (and messy way) is to crack the lines on steering unit loose, get them working freely so you can open and close them easilly. Then bleed them from there. with the engine running (and many rags spread around :ATF is both flamable and not good for paint) turning the wheel slowly and bleeding the air out. You should also know from how hard it comes out weather you have proper pressure or not. You should only be cracking it a little, just enough to let the bubbles get out. Though franly, unless you have replaced hoses or the power steering unit, you shouldn't have any air in it. As best I know the pump is self bleeding.
Hope I have been of some small use.
good luck
Ron

Ah I see I forgot why you had them apart..no problem


Vacuum pump was easy to connect, I had an evacuator bottle run inline, so that the pump wouldn't suck any fluid. I made a sealing cap to go over the PS reservoir, started the car, turned the pump on, and all the air got pumped out of the system. We use a similar type of tool for bleeding cooling systems called an Airlift. Puts the whole system under vacuum, removes all the air bubbles. Keep it closed under vacuum, throw a valve, and it sucks coolant in. All fluid, no air, very handy. Figured the same trick would work on a ps system, but I must have something else wrong, I've got a spare pump, I'm going to try that next. Worst case scenario I have a spare box from my e32 parts car I can use too.

[ironie]

If you ran the pump for any amount of time under vacuum you have a good reason why the pump no longer works. if the vanes in it were dry for any amount of time they will have scarred the cavity they run in
I am familar with air conditioning evacuators. The air conditioning pump doesn't use the fluid you are sucking out of it for lubricant.
It is a bit overkill. sorry

[Bin_jammin]

If you ran the pump for any amount of time under vacuum you have a good reason why the pump no longer works. if the vanes in it were dry for any amount of time they will have scarred the cavity they run in
I am familar with air conditioning evacuators. The air conditioning pump doesn't use the fluid you are sucking out of it for lubricant.
It is a bit overkill. sorry


I'm not exactly sure what you mean here, but the pump was never run without fluid, it just never built any pressure. I used an electric vacuum pump to remove air from the system while it was running, but the system still had plenty of fluid in it, filled it and primed it with the car cranking and ignition disabled.

[ironie]

The pumped worked before. you gave it fluid and hooked a vacuum pump to it and ran it. Now it doesn't work. But you don't think that vacuuming the system starved the vanes for lubrication.
Maybe you are right, maybe you just sucked it's seals out
Ok mate. I only tried to help.
Good luck. BTW were I you I wouldn't hook a vacuum pump to a self bleeding system again

[Bin_jammin]

Don't think I was snapping at you brother :) I was just saying I didn't understand what you meant, and I do appreciate the help, believe me. I looked at an exploded view today, and I don't recall seeing any seals that could be blown out to the point of not giving me pressure. The only real seal I remember was the shaft seal on the nose of the pump. Any other ideas, please, share!

[pong]

when i opened up the ps pump... there are 2 seals there... a big o-ring and rubber seal that somehow looks like an hour glass... mine broke resulting in air in the system constantly.... and worse... it clogged the line afterwards...

[mamilapon]

You guys are complicating things!! Just make sure there is enough fluid in the reservoir, leave the cap undone, jack the front of the car until wheels are off ground and gently take the steering from lock to lock about 10 times. There may be a breather hole in the cap which may be blocked so check that too.

[Bin_jammin]

Been done, no good. I've got to get off my arse and put the thing on the lift and take the pump out to inspect it, or possibly swap it with another one I have.

[Master Shake]

Hi all. My wagon hangs up at about three points, and only while turning right. I have had a slow leak and refill the reservoir frequently. By hangs up, I mean it becomes almost frozen. Think this is air in the system or I was slow in topping off the res and killed the pump? I hope not... Strange that it is only while turning right.

[Bin_jammin]

Hi all. My wagon hangs up at about three points, and only while turning right. I have had a slow leak and refill the reservoir frequently. By hangs up, I mean it becomes almost frozen. Think this is air in the system or I was slow in topping off the res and killed the pump? I hope not... Strange that it is only while turning right.

Is the belt tightened properly? If it's slipping that will make the pump not operate. Also if you have air in the lines it will do what you're describing. You need to start by fixing your leak.

[Master Shake]

OK, heres the problem with my BMW's steering. I finally figured it out. Had nothing to do with worn ball joints. The engine mounts are oil filled, which I recently learned (DUH). When they gave out and blew up (leaving the nasty stains in my driveway) the motor settled lower in the engine compartment. The exhaust manifold came into close contact with the lower universal joint on the steering column. It now rubs the nuts on the u-joint twice on every rotation of the steering wheel. That is why it hangs up and sticks and is getting worse. As the mount gives more and more, the u-joint gets more and more pressure and hangs up.

New motor mounts are on the way.