Been an incredibly wet few weeks here. Finally the sun came out last weekend, and
@KurtECV made the trip up for the weekend. Kicked it off on Friday night with a killer concert for The Warning, then broke out the wrenches early Saturday morning. We tackled the Sag pump swap!
After flushing the system with clear steering fluids, it was flushed again with a full can of Kooler Kleen, then compressed air. Now it's clean dry install.
Propped the hood with an extra prop, Took the belt off, removed the 4 bolts and harness connectors for the A/C compressor, lifted it slowly, and hung it from the hood out of the way.
After removing the return line and 3 bolts for the bracket, the bracket with the pump still on, it was lifted enough for a nice easy access to the high pressure line removal. Carefully manipulating the assemble around the AC line, it comes right out easy peasy.
Having the bracket on the table, made it easier to use the impact to remove the pulley. Now the pump comes off, and thrown off a mountain cliff, and into the pits of hell.
The bracket was a dirty mess, so it was cleaned up and set into the bench vise. The top ear gets cut off as shown in the sag kit directions.
It's not a straight cut, as I went around the bolt boss to keep as much meat there as possible. Used an angle grinder cut off wheel, and smoothed it up with a flap disc. It will Chooch!
Back to the work table, and the adapter plate gets bolts on like this...
Flip the bracket over, and this spacer plate.....
Sits like this...
Now the new Sag pump bolts on with bolts from behind, with that spacer between the pump and bracket.
With the pump now on, Swap the stock pressure unit from your old pump to the new pump. Follow the kit directions here carefully! The assembly now goes back on the engine. This resi bottle sits on the side, not behind like the stock bottle did. The AC line will seem like it's an issue (in the way), but it's fine. Get to that in a minute. With the 3 bracket bolts installed, put the high pressure line on with a stubby 18mm ratchet box wrench, and do not forget the new nylon ring gasket on the flare nut! To avoid "Rolling" the new ring, use a pick with a shot of lube, and thread it on all the way to the shoulder bottom.
Now it's time to get the pulley back on. I went with the smaller 4.5" PSC alum pulley for this mod. The reason for doing the pulley at this stage, is because you have to take your time, and slowly press it on, and line it up with the other pulley's perfectly. This was the hardest part of the entire job. Once happy with alignment, slap the belt back on. At this point, the intake tube can go back on. Install is done!
You can see how much room there is now behind the new pump with the resi on the side on the pump.
The AC line was "Moved" by hand by bending the elbow behind the pump. Not much, just a smidge to create a bigger gap at the plastic resi bottle.
A rear view, taken thru the wheel well.
Fill with Merc V (per kit directions) to the cold fill line. With the rig on jack stands and front wheels off the ground, it's time to bleed the system.
With engine OFF..... Turn steering wheel close to lock one direction, then close to lock the other. Now do this about 50 times. Seriously. It helps to have someone watch the resi bottle as this is done. They can see air bubbles rise up in the fluids as you bleed it. The see thru bottle really helps here! Once no more air bubbles are seen, start the engine. Now go lock to lock another 50 times. Seriously, 50 times. You will hate me now, but thank me later.
If no leaks are found, and the belt looks good, take it off the jackstands, and take it for a test ride. For us, the install and bleed procedure was a one & done.
Ok, so it's been a few days now, and I can gladly say.. this mod was well worth it. It is 100% silent, and sooo much easier to turn the wheels. The smaller pulley was an added expense, but for oversized tires, it was worth every penny. It turns them big meats on pavement like butter over hot bread. In loose gravel/dirt, even easier.
Parts #'s
Sag swap kit: Proquipped P1 adapter kit
https://proquipped.com/shop/ols/products/p1-adapter-kit
Sag pump Napa #: PS 381314N (2006 Jeep Liberty V-6)
PSC pulley #PP2401: 4.5 Inch Power Steering Pump Pulley, 6 Rib Serpentine
for Type II/CBR/CBX Power Steering Pump
Resi cap was a Dorman brand for the Heep Lib, as it's not included with the new pump for some odd reason.
It's not a cheap pump swap, but if your tired of a weak sauce whining Ford P pump, then the costs of this will not bother you at all. I'm happy its done, and happy I had help doing it. Plan on half a day!