Questioning the strength of 'Power steering pully installation/removal kits'?

[Creager]

My ps pump was shot (it had been leaking around the pressure hose for a little while), and i have been driving around with manual steering for about a month now. Finally the pump locked up last friday, totaly seizing the belt train, leaving me stranded not but 3 miles from my home. about a half mile from my girlfriends house, No biggie.

I bought all the parts saturday, took it easy sunday, and monday i decided to start the job.

Today i replaced my power steering pump and pully. It was a relativly easy task, except the tool napa loaned me didnt just seem 'durable' enough for the job.

I removed the old pully fine, no problem there. But when i went to go installed the new pully on the new pump, the small intermeditate screw (which screwed into the pully shaft, and held the cork screw on) kept breaking, in half, long ways.

I made sure to keep the end of the cork screw (1/2 box wrench) and the pully (oldBelt + vice grips) from turning while i torqued the nut, because thats the only way i could think of that would made it break. That little screw just couldnt hold up to the torque i HAD to put on that cork screw to press that pump on. Ball park, 200-400ftlbs of torque.

After the first screw broke in half i tried to keep in mind to loosen that screw up after a couple turns. That helped but again i broke another one.

At this point i was freaking out because the 'pully press kit' that came with the reman'd pump also failed (that thing was WAY to small to ever press that pully on... I warped the NUT!)... And i had pretty much destroyed this Kit from napa... But! The best part about is the fact i pressed the pully on BEFORE i put it in the bracket on the engine... hrmm... when it doubt read the directions? hehe oops..

i was able to pull the new pully off with out a problem (or i mean i fixed my MAJOR, PAIN IN THE ASS, boo boo pretty easily). Then I attached the pump to the bracket and proceed to once again venture into that crap. So this time i use BEARING greese to help aid operation, good idea? Yeah i thought so for about 20 minutes. My last screw was holding up great; i got that pully about half way on and.. oh ohoh SNAP.

This point i wasnt even thinking. I grabbed one of the longer screws that snapped, sawed the broken head off of it and used it to assist in getting the pully the rest of the way on (i got lucky in the sense that the pump shaft and the cork screw 'tool' had the same size inner threads). It worked. damn right, i got i got the whole thing buttoned up in 20 minutes from there, i had to go watch some fireworks...

But now im stuck with this KIT that is destroyed because it was in no way suited for the job... NAPA probably isnt going to take it back... Any ideas? I can make that $95 bucks go a lot further then my trash can

 

[Brock94]

Can you go to the harware store and get some bolts that fit and return those with the kit?

Another idea-- Harbor Frieght tools has a Pulley Intaller /Remover Kit on sale for $9.99 right now-- order that and swap in the parts you need.

Option 3 would be to go into the store and tell them their kit just broke while you were using it normally and you don't think you should be responsible for it since it was obviously damaged by the guy that used it before you, because it should have never broken like this.

 

[Creager]

Can you go to the harware store and get some bolts that fit and return those with the kit?

Another idea-- Harbor Frieght tools has a Pulley Intaller /Remover Kit on sale for $9.99 right now-- order that and swap in the parts you need.

Option 3 would be to go into the store and tell them their kit just broke while you were using it normally and you don't think you should be responsible for it since it was obviously damaged by the guy that used it before you, because it should have never broken like this.

I like Idea one and two... If i cant find anything at lowes tonight, ill buy that harbor fright one... shoot i might buy two, one for just-in-case haha.

i mean shoot, 9.99 - 95.00!! 85.00 back, better then NOTHING!

Actually, this is the SECOND kit they gave me...

the first one they rented, the cork screw was all goobed up on the end (someone pounding on it with a BFH). I had them exchange it with a BRAND NEW KIT, which i destroyed. Personally i think they should take the two broken kits, and put them togeather to make one functioning kit. (if you can call it functional)

 

[wycowboy]

I don't know how NAPA runs their program but at Autozone, where I work, it doesn't matter if you hosed the kit or not. You get all your money back. Our loan-a-tool pully puller/installation kit is only a $40 deposit too and I have never seen one of the bolts in it break.

Chris

 

[Creager]

I don't know how NAPA runs their program but at Autozone, where I work, it doesn't matter if you hosed the kit or not. You get all your money back. Our loan-a-tool pully puller/installation kit is only a $40 deposit too and I have never seen one of the bolts in it break.

Chris

thats pretty much what the guy at advanced said. Tuesday night i went by Lowes and found the right bolts, but they were all the wrong lengths... so i went to advanced and he told me the same thing you said. But when he looked at my kit he was like 'oh damn, they should expect that to brake, we dont even use that kit..."

im going to run by northern hydralics today and see if i can get some replacement 'threaded rods' and return it.