How to easily remove air from your power steering pump & steering rack

[fast_dave]

Are you experiencing "shudder" after replacing your P/S Pump or Steering Rack?

Here's a fast, simple and proven method to bleed air from your Ford P/S Pump & Steering Rack.
I live in the PRK where HEAT is a KILLER of P/S Pumps and Racks, and have been using this for 7 yrs.
As cheap insurance, I change my synthetic p/s fluid every year; this method gets out all the air in about 5 minutes.

1) Go to Harbor Freight and buy one of these:

2) Go to your local hardware store, and buy a rubber stopper that will fit (but not get sucked into)
your power steering fluid pump's filler neck.

3) While at Harbor Freight or your local Hardware Store, buy a barbed brass air line connector
that will go completely through the rubber stopper.

* Drill a hole through all the way through the center of the rubber stopper, and insert the barbed brass air line connector.

* Connect one end of the vacuum pump air line to the barbed brass connector, and the other end straight to the Vacuum Pump.

* Remover power steering pump cover/dipstick, make sure your p/s fluid level is full, and insert the rubber stopper into the neck of the pump.

* Start the engine, pump up to about 10 - 12 inches of vacuum on the vacuum pump,
and then turn the steering wheel full lock left/full lock right while watching the gauge on the vacuum pump.

* If air is present in your p/s fluid, you will see the needle drop on the vacuum pump as you go lock to lock.
Also, as you remove air, you'll will hear a pleasant change in your p/s pump noise as you lessen "pump groan."

* When you get the air out of your pump & rack, the shuddering effect will stop, and the p/s system will be quieter.

* When you remove the rubber stopper, you will see little air bubbles on the top of your p/s fluid in the pump reservoir = SUCCESS!

* Through the years, you might have to do this once in a while if you sense p/s shuddering.

* NOTE: If you turn your steering wheel w/o the engine running, you can introduce air into your p/s system.

Hope that helps!

 

[my98nnj]

Um, no.

Back out of your driveway and turn the steering lock to lock 2 or 3 times, then drive to work.

Job done, cost $0.00 PRICELESS!

 

[fast_dave]

The issue of air in the Ford P/S system is a topic that comes up regularly on this forum.

More times than not, your method will not work, because the people experiencing these problems and posting to the forum for solutions have replaced the rack, the pump, or both the rack and pump.

So when a post on steering shudder makes it to this forum, typically the person has been driving for days to weeks with the condition. During that time they are turning the steering wheel lock to lock, but the problem persists.

This is because there are a lot of places in the Ford P/S system for air to become trapped, and a vacuum is necessary to remove it, hence my spreading what is a quick and reasonably priced solution.

Of course, YMMV

 

[gavin]

Um, no.

Back out of your driveway and turn the steering lock to lock 2 or 3 times, then drive to work.

Job done, cost $0.00 PRICELESS!

depends on how much air is in the system and where it's located.
FSM procedure calls for a hand-operated vacuum pump and rubber stopper, exactly what fast_dave posted.

It's possible simply removing PS reservoir cap and turning wheels lock to lock a few times can remove the air, but it's possible that just isn't enough and you need to actually "suck" the air out of the system.