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hydro assist broke....

gonefishin

gonefishin

1/2 ton status
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Carthage tx
I went wheeling this weekend and after about 20 min the when I would turn the wheels the pump sounded like it was low on fluid, but it wasn't.

It then started to only turn the wheels if I revved the engine up to over 2000 rpm.

then it got to where I could only turn the wheels about 1/4 of the normal amount. and I was having to rev the engine hard to get that much.

the power steering pump and all hydro assist parts have less than 700 miles on them.

does it sound like my pump died? or something clogged? isn't there some kind of a screen in the pump that can clog up?

also what kind of rpm can those stock pumps handle? I was hitting 7200 rpm in one of the holes I was in.
 
Crap on the belt or the pulley (I'm assuming serpentine) or god forbid, the pulley came loose, so the pump couldn't turn at full speed?

Fluid foamy? Maybe heat? Got a cooler?

-- A
 
I have a huge transmission cooler that I am using for it. the fluid wasn't foamy either. the system was hot but I didn't think it was excessive. the belt was good I didn't check if the pulley came loose but it was a tight fit when I pressed it on the shaft.. I didn't know they could come loose.

yes serpentine belt. and I ended up throwing the belt while I was wheeling too, but I don't know if it was related.
 
Go to the parts house, ask for a pump seal kit. Rebuild the pump, that's your problem. I was looking into HA but a $14 seal kit fixed my (screaming for help) pump proplems.

37's, no assist needed not even sitting still on dry pavement.
 
I'm curious, has anyone ever actually measured the "assistance", or tried unhooking their drag link just to see how much output (force) they are getting from the ram alone?:dunno:
 
not sure about exact figures, but I could have my blazer laid over in a rut with a welded front d60, and with it idling I could turn the wheel with 1 finger. it would move the whole truck it was so strong when it was working properly.
 
Before you added the HA did you try just a fresh pump, or did you just add the assist at the first sign of weakness? I'm curious about a "control" (baseline) vs with assist.

I've seen a ton of threads about hydro assist, and people wanting to boost their pump pressure and such, but nobody says anything about a fresh pump not being enough....

It SEEMS to be overlooked by many for some reason. Big tires alone add a lot if strain on the pump, adding extra lines and a ram adds more. I would think steering pump rebuilds would be about as common as oil changes LOL.:dunno:

I was just happy $14 was enough to fix my steering issues.
 
AR_K5 said:
Before you added the HA did you try just a fresh pump, or did you just add the assist at the first sign of weakness? I'm curious about a "control" (baseline) vs with assist.

I've seen a ton of threads about hydro assist, and people wanting to boost their pump pressure and such, but nobody says anything about a fresh pump not being enough....

It SEEMS to be overlooked by many for some reason. Big tires alone add a lot if strain on the pump, adding extra lines and a ram adds more. I would think steering pump rebuilds would be about as common as oil changes LOL.:dunno:

I was just happy $14 was enough to fix my steering issues.
Click to expand...

When you're bound up in the rocks there's no way the stock steering is going to help. I've been in the position many times wheeling where I wish I had hydro assist just for that reason. Being on pavement and being stuffed at full lock in the woods is a totally different animal.
 
Talking about pumps and rebuilding, I saw a thread on Pirate where a bunch of the parts store rebuilts were "car" type (low output) pumps in truck reservoirs.

It may be that the only guaranteed way to get a high output pump is to get one of the aftermarket pumps, PSC or AGR or that.

-- A
 
dremu said:
Talking about pumps and rebuilding, I saw a thread on Pirate where a bunch of the parts store rebuilts were "car" type (low output) pumps in truck reservoirs.

It may be that the only guaranteed way to get a high output pump is to get one of the aftermarket pumps, PSC or AGR or that.

-- A
Click to expand...

what seems to be the best value in the aftermarket high performance pumps? I am broke and just wasted money on this one so I want to get the best bang for the buck.
 
Did you do anything to the stock pump? Pressure or flow mods?

I know quite a few who have issues with messing with pressure on the stock pumps
 
Nope after reading bad stuff about the mods I decided not to touch it. It worked great for about 3 months of very limited use.
 
Three months from when?

I'm serious about the seal kit. All it takes to rebuild one of those pumps is a few O-rings.
If you do it yourself you'll know it's done right and it's clean inside. Who knows what your getting when you get a rebuilt one from the parts store. It's really not hard, just try to keep from dropping the little blades (?). If you do just put them back the right way.

With the seal kit rent or buy the special pulley puller.

There are instructional YouTube videos. And when it's done, you'll have one more skill to save money and be proud of.
 
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