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power steering h-boost problems

neverendingproject

neverendingproject

1/2 ton status
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Jul 24, 2005
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Tulsa, OK
I finally fired up my rig after a full year of upgrading, and everything worked out except my power steering sytem. Im running crossover, hydroboost, with a cooler off the power steering and after I started it, added fluid, it worked fine for about two minutes. It steered like a cadillac and I had only bled the front brakes and they worked well, but then steering started getting choppy and then brakes and power steering stopped. I jacked up the front end and turned the wheel and hit the brakes thinking air was stuck in the system, but no luck. The power steeing sytem, even though it doesnt work, it is foaming up a bit in the reservoir. the master cylinder and booster are new and I rebuilt the pump.

Help?

please
 
Did you blead the power steering system? It sounds like you have air by how you described the foaming. You need to jack the front end up and turn lock to lock with the engine OFF 40-50 times then do the same thing with the engine on. And do it slowly, adding fluid as needed.
 
willyswanter said:
Did you blead the power steering system? It sounds like you have air by how you described the foaming. You need to jack the front end up and turn lock to lock with the engine OFF 40-50 times then do the same thing with the engine on. And do it slowly, adding fluid as needed.
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This didnt work, If I turned it slow, nothing happened, If I turned it fast, then I could hear air coming out of the sytem, but it spit fluid out too, and It continued to spit air out with no end in sight, like it wold spit out, and then suck it back in.

Anything else I should try?
 
Are you running a resivoir? You know to increase capacity in the ps pump?
 
It took me a very long time to bleed the air from my PS system. I am running HB with the pump mods and a cooler. Depending on how your cooler is oriented air can get trapped in it and slowly leach out. The rez keeps puking cause the air is trying to get out so it burps in a way and overflows. I did not bleed mine with the engine off I did it with it running the first time and then drove it for a week or two and bleed again it finally worked all of the air out.

Ira
 
ryan22re said:
Are you running a resivoir? You know to increase capacity in the ps pump?
Click to expand...

Sort of, I am running the bigger hydroboost reservoir on the pump.

My cooler I located with the in/out ports on top below my pump and box, so I dont think that air in trapped in there.

If I try to drive it, I dont have any brakes or steering, just me and e-brakes. I tried to flush it with the truck running but the fluid foams up and I dont think it helps.
 
I would bet that the ram is causing your problems when turning. Brakes should stop when the wheels are straight though. Or maybe because there isn't enough capacity in the PS resivoir, the ram sucks it dry, it aerates and then you have air in the system and no brakes.
 
ryan22re said:
I would bet that the ram is causing your problems when turning. Brakes should stop when the wheels are straight though. Or maybe because there isn't enough capacity in the PS resivoir, the ram sucks it dry, it aerates and then you have air in the system and no brakes.
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ummm... I dont have a ram...
 
Doh!

I read crossover and a ram, sorry about that.

I have found a pretty good way to bleed ps systems. Find a hand vacuum pump, and some way to attach it to the top of the ps pump and get it to seal. My vacuum pump came with adapters, but you can make something to seal up the top of the pump.

You want to have the pump set up so that it will apply a vacuum to the resivior on top of the fluid. Apply as much vacuum as the pump will allow. This puts the air that is trapped in the system at a higher pressure than the vacuum on top of the fluid in the resivoir. This will draw the air bubbles to the top of the resivoir. I used to let them sit a couple of minutes and then cycle the steering wheel/brakes, and repeat for tough systems.


Also, could it be possible that one of the seals was cut during the rebuild of the pump?

Second what kind and how is the cooler mounted? How is the cooler plumbed, on the return side? Have any pics of the cooler? May be that the placement or design of the cooler will not let the air out of the system.
 
The rebuild of the pump was fairly simply, and I dont see my getting anything wrong in there, though I could have. I mounted my cooler in such a way that it is below the whole sytem so air wouldnt get trapped in there, and the ports are both mounted up so air would get out.
 
Definitely needs to be bled. Double check all the lines to make sure they are tight and dry. Sometimes the HB take forever to bleed, sometimes they bleed very fast. You might just be unlucky with this one...
 
neverendingproject said:
The rebuild of the pump was fairly simply, and I dont see my getting anything wrong in there, though I could have. I mounted my cooler in such a way that it is below the whole sytem so air wouldnt get trapped in there, and the ports are both mounted up so air would get out.
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Ya it is pretty simple but if you put one of the thrust plates in backwards the system will not build pressure:o . One of the holes that secures the plate is elongated and has to be in a certain postition I can not remember the postition of hand but that was the hardest part of my rebuild as it is not elongated by much.

Ira
 
sandawgk5 said:
Ya it is pretty simple but if you put one of the thrust plates in backwards the system will not build pressure:o . One of the holes that secures the plate is elongated and has to be in a certain postition I can not remember the postition of hand but that was the hardest part of my rebuild as it is not elongated by much.

Ira
Click to expand...

But it did work for a little bit and then quit. I did notice that the pump no longer faoms but I do see fluid swimming in there. I also noticed this. My reservoir has seemed to move itself off the pump somehow. Its not leaking, but im thinking this could be a problem.

DSC00888.JPG
 
neverendingproject said:
But it did work for a little bit and then quit. I did notice that the pump no longer faoms but I do see fluid swimming in there. I also noticed this. My reservoir has seemed to move itself off the pump somehow. Its not leaking, but im thinking this could be a problem.
Click to expand...

The only way to do that is to not get the bolts on the back tight when putting the pump back in the rez. That could possibly cause some blowby back into the rez but if you are not moving the steering it will bypass anyhow. Mine did that and I put a seal kit into it and tightened the bolts down and have not had any problems.

Ira
 
Is there a way to bleed the hydroboost? I loosened up the pressure line from the pump and no fluid came out, this whole thing is frustrating.
 
neverendingproject said:
Is there a way to bleed the hydroboost? I loosened up the pressure line from the pump and no fluid came out, this whole thing is frustrating.
Click to expand...

Yep you have to pump the brakes slowly while you turn the wheel all the way left and right without letting it hit the steering stops.

Ira
 
sandawgk5 said:
Yep you have to pump the brakes slowly while you turn the wheel all the way left and right without letting it hit the steering stops.

Ira
Click to expand...

Hmm. I will try that this weekend.
 
I found out whats wrong. Seems like I didnt put the snap ring in all the way when I rebuilt it and the cup came out and let the pressurized fluid back into the reservoir. It worked for about five minutes or so and then slowly started not wroking, so I think I have some bleeding to do.

DSC00893.JPG
 
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