Yet another Hydro assist bleeding question

[1-tonmudder]

I am working on the hydro-assist on my M-1009 and cant get it right.I am running X-over with hi-steer and a Hydra-boost unit.I put on a new unmodified hydraboost pump with a rad hose extension on the res.I also have a PS cooler.

The problem is that it has very little to no assist,in fact the steering seems less than it was before.Turning the wheel to the right after about the second revolution it seems to have some assist,but none going the other way.

Everything I have read point's to air in the lines,but it also says their will be air bubbles in the fluid.Mine has no bubbles.The pump makes no noises at all,and this is being done with both tires off the ground.I have cycled the wheel back and forth probably 50 times with the engine running.

So what's everybody think,do I still have air in the system or have I overlooked something.What is the "correct" way to bleed the system???

I know the hydro-assist/stock hydra-boost combo working together is a 50/50 deal.

This is starting to piss me off.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

Here is the correct way to bleed the power steering system (as previously posted by gmc4cw)

" you need to do the majority of the work with the truck not running. if you try and bleed it running the pump will take any air in the system and just turn it to foam and you will never get it all out.

This is how to do it with a completely empty system, the method is the same for one that already has fluid but constantly has bubbles. this way will also alert you to leaks before they become a big mess.

jack the truck up so the tires are off the ground. unlock your steering. with the reservoir full and the truck not running turn your tires slowly all the way to one side. the level in the reservoir should have dropped significantly. fill it back up and slowly turn the tires all the way to the other side. you will see a lot of bubbles forming in the reservoir. this is the air coming out of the side of the ram that is closing.

you will need to cycle the steering back and forth lock to lock a few times while adding fluid, you want to work slowly to keep the bubbles down. synthetic foams a lot less the regular steering fluid. its worth the extra money.

once you can turn the tires lock to lock and no more bubbles come out of the system its time to run the truck. leave the truck jacked up. start the truck and let it run for a minute. is anything leaking? if not turn the wheel all the way to one side. you may get a lot of foam but if you were patient you shouldn't see much. If its foaming like crazy you rushed the first part. go drink a beer because its gonna take awhile for the foam to settle.

if its not foaming slowly turn the wheel to the other side. Foam? the level in your reservoir will be lower when your ram is fully extended, this is normal and is because the closed side of the ram has less volume due to the fact that the piston takes up some volume in the ram. This is why you need an extended reservoir.

This is a much easier process with 2 people. one in the engine bay and one behind the wheel. that way one of you can turn the wheel while the other adds fluid. Remember, the object is to get the air out. if the fluid is foaming you need to walk away and let it settle. if you keep messing with it you can ruin the pump and trap air in the system. "

I'm betting that hydroboost is your problem.

 

[Mtndewblazer]

Hydro boost bad

It sounds like you may be getting hydro lock. I ditto the guy above on how to bleed plus the whole hydro boost is more like 70/30. I have hydro assist and it took a while to work out the kinks. So dont give up cuz its totally worth it. What size pump are you running? what size of resivor do you have?

 

[boz42]

I did mine w/out the truck running. When I crank it & all the air wasn't out the resivior boiled over. You might should do the WTO pump mods. There is a detailed how to on their website.

Or if you bought your hydro assist parts from a dealer call them see what they recommend.

 

[1-tonmudder]

I think I have it straightened out now.After about two hours of sawing on the wheel I gave into the notion that I might need to modify the pump.

I copied the pump mods off of WTOR's site and pulled my pump apart.The internal parts in my pump didnt come out in the sequence that WTOR had pictured.

I had an old pump laying around and pulled it apart to check the order that the parts were in,and sure enough my "new" pump had been assembled wrong.

Put the pump back together with the parts in the correct order,reinstalled the pump and after about 10 mins I had full assist

 

[boz42]

Sweet, sucks you had to tear it down. Cool it was a simple fix.

 

[1-tonmudder]

I was just glad I found it.Im trying to get it together to go to Harlan the 20th.

 

[Mtndewblazer]

nIce

Glad you got it fixed. Now you can enjoy the world of Hydro. Bummer about the pump, guess you cant trust everybody.