I've gotten new pressure and return hoses, and found the kit to reseal the Saginaw power steering pump aand think I have all the possible parts I need to complete rebuilding most of my steering system.
The DD steering shaft is frozen inside the Steering column. There is no real good way to hold it and apply enough pressure to either push it deeper or extract it.
I unbolted the steering column from teh floor in order to pull the coupler off the gear's splined input shaft which I needed to do to get the old gear out.
I then cut apart the old coupler in order to get a gear puller on it to remove it. It was largely held in place by the Loctite red I used back in 2009.
My master cylinders over the years have wept brake fluid on the areas below, removing the paint and allowing rust to start and fester. I suspect this is also the cause of the frozen DD steering shaft inside the column and I am annoyed as the first leaker was at the seam on the reservoir, the second one seems to be leaking from under the caps, which appear to be larger than necessary, and loose.
At first I was thinking I could just cut the DD steering shaft and then be able to get it out, but then realized if I could not get it out, I'd need a new steering column, so i cancelled that plan.
Also, the Pitman arm did not want to come off. I have a pitman arm puller, and an 18 inch breaker bar, and was right at the limits when metal bends, threads strip, when i stopped and busted out the propane torch heating the arm evenly, slowly. I was braced for it to pop off but it still alarmed the s#it out of me when it let go.
My phone laptop bluetooth connection is not cooperating or I'd have some more pics to share. Next update will include them.
The Lucas power steering stopleak is thick and red, when new, and what came out was thick and brown but did not smell burnt.
The many many reports of NOisy crappy rebuilt steering pumps convinced me to reseal my existing nice and quiet one, but I wonder if it is worn and was being helped along by the super thick Lucas PS stop leak. I guess if it has poor assist at hot idle with new thin PSF, I can always do the turkey baster thing and return the PS stop leak, but the thicker oil has to be eating up some % of crank horsepower over the standard much thinner PSF.
Eric the car guy's videos on his Saginaw pump have been helpful.
But, I'm kind of wondering if I should just bite the bullet and get a new, not reman'd pump. Guess I've got to try to reseal my existing first, and if new is required, so be it.
The PS pump has 30 years of grime on it and brake cleaner barely made a dent in it, or perhaps wally world brand brake cleaner spray, is crap.
Removing the pulley from the PS pump shaft went pretty smoothly with a Snap on Pulley removal tool, but then getting the round pump portion removed from the reservoir housing was not easy. There was lots of rust in the seam, and I spent a while with a sharpened dental pick and some PB blaster, and eventually got it apart.
There is a metallic sludge inside of it, and the magnet, a disc, not a donut, was also caked with black ferrous paste, more than I've ever seen on any magnet, but for a junkyard differential with 250K+ miles on it.
This disc seems to not have a proper receptacle, jusy kind of rests up against the inlet to the spinning vanes, likely blocking some flow. I need to get in there and clean some more. It's a mess, and it got late, and excuses excuses.
The pulley had a fair amount of surface rust on it. I hit it with a wire brush on an angle grinder, then the dremel with stainless steel wire brushes, then scrubbed it with OSPHO and a green scotchbrite pad.
There's something about scrubbing rusty and rustless and painted metal with Ospho that is both cathartic, and annoying. Paint does really stick well to a properly treated surface. the V groove appeared all rusted and caked with crap, but the osphoed scrubbie cleaned it so well it looks near perfect. My old PS belt's underside is all cracked, I can't remember when last I changed it, at least 11 years, perhaps 15 ago.
The PS pumps's shaft, there is rust on it inbetween teh pulley and the seal, about 1 cm wide, and it is a bit raised and rough. I don't want it ripping up the new seal, once I remove the old and install the new, which is looking to be my next curse fest
WTF did chrysler, in their infinite wisdom have almost all the bolts which hold water pump and timing chain cover and accessory brackets penetrate the water jacket???
To get my PS pump off I had to loosen up its bracket. and nearly 2 gallons of coolant pours out these holes.
One of these bolts is also holding on the bracket for the Air pump. it is 6 inches long, and only 1/2 inch of bolt threads are grabbing the block. Only 1/2 inch worth of threads to seal the water jacket..... Old worn out bolt with too thin threads.....
The other bolt holding the PS pump bracket is only 3.5 inches long, but it too penetrates the water jacket. This one seems OK.
I wirewheeled the bolt threads and permatex'd the threads and sent both bolts home waited a few hours, filled the radiator and ......
Drip drip drip.
Where's my sledgehammer? I need to break something.
No 3/8-16 7 inch bolts apparently exist within 100 miles in any direction. I've ordered some.
Expedited shipping, my keester.
Redhead gear installed. PS pump resealed. New PS filter hardmounted on new return line, new High pressure hose. Watch it too leak.
Yip...back when I had Mopars I kept a bottle of Permatex thread sealant handy at all times! Looks like them threads was dipped in marshmeller fluff! lol
Nate Breece -------------- 1993 Chevy G20 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
I decided to Order the Permatex High temperature Thread Sealant for the new 7 inch bolts I also ordered, and it quickly made its way to a regional sorting center, and then sat there for 5 days only arriving today, day 5.
Day 4 I walked to Napa, saw they had it on the shelf, and bought it. Giant tube for 15$.
Marshmellow fluff is right.
I added some more threads to the 7 inch bolt as only the last 1.5 inches was threaded, and then cut off 1/2" off the end of the bolt which would just be sticking into the water jacket doing nothing. I found another bolt highly suspect, and cut a 5.5 inch bolt and threaded it.
I left a blob on the wood table surface and 22 hours later was extremely dismayed to see it was still totally uncured. Turns out it needs to be on a metal to activate it. 24 hours to full cure at 72f. No way my engine got over 60f in the 28 hours subsequent.
I've not added coolant, and there is a little 200 watt heater below the water pump and some insulation to help speed the cure
I removed the AC compressor and replaced it with an Alternator. Found the original alternator 6mm out of parallel alignment with crank pulley. Been this way for years, but now is intolerable
Second alternator on old Ac bracket is within 0.5mm Cleaned the throttle body Osphoed the air cleaner housing and lid Will be draining my transmission through the drainplug and changing the external spin on filter Will be changing my differential oil as well, got 3 quarts of Schaeffers 293 75w-90 for my open Chrysler 9.25.
Been mounting a second alternator where AC compressor used to ride Cleaning throttle body Attending to old hard vaccuum hoses and broken vaccuum nipples on the Air pump/EGR/ charcoal cannister Solenoids. New Coil and wiring to it.
Lookee that red head steering gear poking out of there.
Looking forward to driving it, one of these days.
Those are HELLA 003427291 Vision Plus with Phillips extreme +140 H4/9003/HB2 bulbs installed.
They make an absolute mockery of regular sealed beams.
The stupid blue banding attenuating light output from the high beam filament, comes off with a sharp razor blade. Best high beams I've ever driven behind
Well the redhead steering gear is nearly as good as hoped for. The response to input is much much better, much easier to stay in the center of the lane as other faster slower vehicles and trucks pass on either side.
There appears to be more power assist than before. Likely as a result of new fresh fluid and a disassembled completely cleaned Saginaw power steering pump.
it is still quiet, and I do not believe any vaccuum bleeding of the power steering system is required, but I want a vaccuum tool anyway so will likely try it anyway.
If I had to do this steering coupler/gear PS pump thkng all over, starting with what I know now.
I would use Anti seize on teh DD shaft into teh steering column, and not use a large length of it into the steering column, only an inch or thee is likely required.
Taking the steering column off of the floor is simple. Just have a good way to hold it securely once the bolts are off, or it can fall and stress a bunch of wires and their connectors in teh area. Removing the steering column and lifting it a few inches, might make the whole task easier.
The quality of regular remanufactured steering gears is highly suspect. The redhead is basically 4 times as expensive, but the steering has never felt better or more responsive.
The flaming river coupler wearing out in 11 years and less than 40K miles, is kind of disappointing, but I think its wear was accentuated by the poor Apsco remanufactured gear which was so loose on day one and just got worse and worse. At the end it was bump steering. usually this is worn stereing components like tres or BJ's but mine are still tight. The master cylinder reservoir just above leaking on the coupler likely aided its demise by rusting the interior of the splines allowing more slop right there.
retightening the grub screws of the coupler, actually took a lot of the slop out of it, when i noticed slop in the coupler.
I used a fat tire bike innertube over the column, coupler and the input shaft of the redhead to protect it. Actually remembered to install it before lowering the steering column onto the coupler, which was the only part of this which required a second set of hands.
Anyway, while Awaiting the Permatex thread sealer to arrive, and for it to cure, I installed and nearly perfectly aligned a second 120 amp alternator, fixed a bunch of old hard leaking vaccuum hoses, and a bunch of other things. It drives better than ever right now, with some fresh fluids awaiting their new home. The transmission pan's drain plug it out right now, as is the external spin on remote filter.
The differential is getting new Schaeffers 293 gear oil as well
Hopefully I'll be done with teh major maintenance items for a while and can get nearly 18mpg highway. The vaccuum hoses went way too long without close inspection.
The cannister purge solenoid had two inlets snapped off and were repaired badly long ago then hidden with black rtv. There has been a vaccuum leak right here, for who knows how long. Freaking 70$ solenoid. I superglued the inlets backon then once that cured re enforced them with JB Weld.
Also I found that vaccuum operated door which diverts air from cold air snorkkel to hot air stove pipe from manifold, stuck to suck hot air from manifold always, as soon as the engine starts, even up to full temperature. The temp sensor inside the air cleaner is right on the shelf next to the unobtanium unicorn tears, apparently, but I got some feelers out, but will likely just remove and plug its vaccuum source for now.
Resealing the Saginaw PS pump, was pretty frustrating, mostly trying to get the pump body from teh reservoir housing. I also made a mistake regarding the position of one O ring. I'm blaming my dog for distracting me at that moment I needed to slide it over into the adjacent groove. This mistake caused a lot of cursing, but at least I did not have to remove pump body from reservoir housing again.
I've heard nothing good about remanufactured saginaw pumps, even though one at oreilleys is less than 50$ and I spent 2 days resealing mine. The vanes inside can be put in backwards and the sharp edge can be riding the interior of teh cam, instead of the slightly rounded edges. also the cam gear itself can be put back in upside down. I dont think jose Q employee at rebuilders anonymous cares if the vanes are installed backwards or the cam they slide against is upside down.
I'm glad the mystery of how power steering pumps work is gone, and I am glad mine is not leaking and the kit I bought to reseal it was correct and complete, but If I were to find a new quality pump under 200$, and could go back in time, I would.
I'd also go further back in time and not reuse some of the bolts holding water pump to timing chain cover to block.
The temp sensor inside the air cleaner is right on the shelf next to the unobtanium unicorn tears, apparently, but I got some feelers out, but will likely just remove and plug its vaccuum source for now.
Take a look at Ebay Item 363001121692
Nate Breece -------------- 1993 Chevy G20 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
