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General Information => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: Smokey Eddy on October 19, 2008, 12:24:13 am
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I did a belt change as my first job as a major n00b and i wacked the power steering pump for what ever reason (dont ask why i thought it had something to do with getting the belts off. I didn't realize how the tensioner worked.
anyways the pwer steerin slowly dissapeared that very day only working at high rpm.
It ceased to work at all so i changed the pump and filled it full of fresh fluid. Still no go....
Im thinking its something to do with the valves in the actual uhhh .... i dont know the names but the part of the steering where 1 side will get filled to turn right and the opposite side gets filled to turn left.
like it isn't flowing from 1 side to the other. its fairly difficult to steer and if it has less fluid its easier to steer. I topped it up when i changed the pump though and haven't bothered to change it.
I realize that this is probably damaging (driving with fluid when it doesnt work) but if there is a common problem and easy fix to this issue that others have experienced all and any input is appreciated.
the whole steering aparatus is FILTHYY
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The valves are in the steering rack, not the pump.
Have you confirmed that the PS pump is turning? And the proper direction? I don't even know if you can hook it up backwards though.
Does it work if you leave the cap off the resevoir?
Is the belt tight enough?
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You do have to give the power steering pump a wack, but after you loosen the adjusting bolts on it.
But I agree with Tyler, check the tension on the belt. It should be spinning at idle.
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The valves are in the steering rack, not the pump.
Have you confirmed that the PS pump is turning? And the proper direction? I don't even know if you can hook it up backwards though.
Does it work if you leave the cap off the resevoir?
Is the belt tight enough?
I know they're in the rack.
Yes its turning, you can't put it on backwards?
It doesn't work ever, at all, no matter what i do.
It's a replacement pump I'm using.
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did you just install the replacement one? maybe its defective...
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Yeah it very well could be. I got it from the junk yard. It was still full of atf, gear oil, pwr steer oil what ever you wanna call it.
Should i take my old one apart, i still have it..
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If the old one isn't working then take it apart. I don't think there is anything fancy or complex in there.
Do you have power assist with both front wheels up in the air?
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Uhhh?
I never .... tried....
You mean to run the car on jack stands and see if there is power steering with the wheels off the ground?
How would i tell anyways. they're so easy to turn with no weight on them
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Yeah exactly. I don't know how you would tell, I've never tried. A friend suggested it to me when I was having PS problems. I never got to try it though because I found a loose belt was my problem.
Maybe if you can find a helper, get them to turn the wheels while you are looking at the PS pump pulley. See if it slows down any. The car will need to be running and on the ground.
When the car is running, is the fluid in the resevoir moving? The power steering is an open loop system so the fluid should be moving whether or not it is required
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I looked for that and it looks like there is no flow so it's gotta be the pump/belt.
the belt is super tight. Possibly too tight and wrecked it?
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It should leak before it craps out due to a tight belt. You just kill the bearing/bushing. Usually...
You might have a clogged line. I don't know if air locks are possible on these pumps, but take the return line off and let some fluid drain out of the pump and then hook it back up and try again
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well i drained it when i changed pumps obviously.
AWWW crap
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
I think the belt is way way way way too tight and i broke my water pump at the same time...
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh no!
I'm so ruined....
sighhhhhh
you guys may not hear from me in a while. im gonna go cry in a corner.
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AWwww frick
I just bought an aaz head and i have 185$ left and an uninsured jetta. I hope i get hired at one of the 5 places i applied and i don't fubar my self doing this head job... guess i need a water pump now
I noticed odd leaking yesterday when i drove it into the garage on the pulley side
anyone know what/where i should pay/buy one? =(
or if i can replace parts in it to work again? I'll check the impeller if that's an option and see if it's still good...
augh this explains my hissing expansion tank... i probably didn't even need a new head.
Im such a moron...
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hey i see you live in abbotsford i live in chilliwack i would go to lordco they have rebuilt pumps for cheap or maybe pick a part in chilliwack and see what they have
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yeh, hehe i got a lot of crap from pick a part
pwr steer pump
big "euro"bumpers
lock nobbies
one of thsoe caps that go over the seat belt (near the roof)
shift linkage
the list goes on.
I'm maintained pretty even by returning parts of equal value so i'm not doing too bad.
the bumpers were a straight trade.
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i didn't think it was possible to get the power steering belt on that tight... my tension adjustment is all rusted shut so i have to remove the whole ps pump to get the belt off :lol:
i could send you an old water pump. it has about 100'000km on it and looks good... its for an ALH TDI, but i believe they are all the same. should work just fine if you want it. can anyone confirm? i'll take pics when i get a chance.
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ya i have to go to pick a part once a week not for my car but for fun! lol
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ya i have to go to pick a part once a week not for my car but for fun! lol
HAHAHA!!
We are a sick bunch no?
Going to the PnP for fun..
I do it as well when I can.
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i love thryre commercials
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i didn't think it was possible to get the power steering belt on that tight...
WELL, what ever it is, my pump leaks at the pulley :evil: .
I pull the head today. I hope my shipment from prothe is on the way...
thanks for keeping me in good cheer guys
and jtanguay
PM SENT :lol: :lol: :lol: :D :D :D :D :!: :!: :!:
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on your car is the WP on the same belt as the PS? my PS has a dedicated belt on the outside. the other ones are the problem :evil: :lol:
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it shares a belt with the PS i think.
Sort of unrelated but possibly related?
When i turn full lock one way or another very loud thump can be heard from the passenger strut area before it reaches full lock...
if this happens when driving it will steer in the direction the direction i full lock'd it. if i go back the opposite way it will make a similar noise and the tracking will be corrected.
Is this related to my pwr steer issues?
It normally drives dead straight (i can terrify my friends on straight roads by staring at them with no hands on the wheel :oops: probably shouldn't do it but we've all do it from time to time if we know the road like the back of our hand!)
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Well it could be rack related but I would lean towards a strut bearing first.
Can you get someone to turn the wheel so you can watch front end pcs?
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When its in the air it won't make the noise so you're right about strut bearing i think...
What should I do about it?
I've been driving it like this for ... oh ... at least a year. When it pops out i just curse silently to my self, steer the other way till it pops back and go on my way.
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replace it, they are CHEAP new and I'll bet from a PnP they are way cheap.
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yep sounds like the strut bearing... worse i've had was a broken spring that made some terrible noise when turning the wheel :shock: :lol:
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uhhhh pardon my mental defficiencies, what is the strut bearing?
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uhhhh pardon my mental defficiencies, what is the strut bearing?
it allows the strut to turn with the wheel. its right up top where those two caps are. when i replaced mine they were pretty bad, but still useable. felt really good when they were replaced :wink:
edit: the strut needs to come off to replace it, and some might argue that an alignment is necessary afterwards, but you can simply scribe the position of the strut before removing it, and then re-installing it using the mark.
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I took the driver side strut off (the one that doesn't make the noise)
and putting it back on i just lined up the marks where the strut isn't dirty/rusted/corroded
holy was it ever difficult though... i need an impact gun
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You don't need to take the strut off the car on a mk2 or a mk3. Not sure about other years. Just jack the car up, loosen off the upper strut mount, force the wheel down and you will be able to finagle the old strut bearing out and the new one in. Just watch your fingers
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You don't need to take the strut off the car on a mk2 or a mk3. Not sure about other years. Just jack the car up, loosen off the upper strut mount, force the wheel down and you will be able to finagle the old strut bearing out and the new one in. Just watch your fingers
oh cool good to know! i did it by taking off the strut because i changed out the suspension anyways. didn't think there was that much room to play in there.
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I need to do the same as i too am putting shorter, stiffer springs on.
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Ok, so i finally found time to poke about the power steering.
I took the pump off, there was a bolt that was very loose that hold its onto the mount....
more importantly it was VERY easy to spin with my fingers... i can just spin it by hand...
its full of fluid so there is a bit? of resistance but i can really just spin it freely ....
should i take it apart? I have a second one that didn't work either (this is the replacement that doesn't work).
If i take it apart could i fix something in it? anyone know about these pumps?
I can't afford a new one :(
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There's not much to them.
Take it apart to see if the vanes are all moving freely.