U-Joints, PS pump, or rack?

[1AJeremyD]

Yeah, there was no belt squeal, so the starter thing does make sense... Cool- more parts to buy!

Awe don't say that lol was just thinking out loud for ya! Maybe get it checked at auto zone or something I think they do that sort of thing.

 

[OneLever]

If you do pull the starter check the wire terminals that connect to it. I had a four inch section of one corrode. As it so happens this same time last year my starter decided to give up the ghost. Made a whining noise continuously and the engine wouldn't crank.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I think the starter has always been aged to a 'senior citizen' of sorts... Even after a normal start, I can hear it release and wind down louder than any other factory Ford starter that I've listened to... I think I'm going to bench test that if it warms up, unless it fails...

 

[1AJeremyD]

I hear ya on the warm weather! Nothing like a little 20 degree weather to really put a damper on things. Trying to get a a stubborn tensioner out on a nissan altima is AWESOME with snow falling around you. Gotta love on site repairs

 

[OneLever]

Hot hands. Lots and lots of Hot hands.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Ok, so I started basting tonight, and noticed that there is evidence of a leak behind the pulley... Shaft seal? Worth a bottle of Lucas stop-leak PS fluid, or am I replacing the pump?

 

[gmanpaint]

The Lucas treatment worked for the 94 pump. I leaked a resv of fluid in about 2 days. The rig sat for a few months and the seal dried up. One bottle is all it took to swell the seal back and it still works fine to this day, and that was over a year ago. For $10, it won't hurt to try it.

 

[Joe Dirt]

<scampers off to the store while making THIS noise>

 

[windsors03cobra]

I would consider replacing the pump sounds like its on its way out, when you do that you will have a good opportunity to get the nasty fluid out. You would lost alot of it when you remove the reservoir to change the pump but then when done reinstalling run the little return hose that goes into the fender side of the reservoir into a jug with some extra hose and feed clean into the reservoir while it pumps the nasty out.
A helper to run the ignition switch while you hold hoses, jugs and feed fluid would be good and I suppose you would need to plug off the return port on the reservoir. You might even do it with the old pump before you fit the new one. I suppose a pump is a coll hundred bucks and a couple two tree hours to change.

The pumps are damn durable but stuff goes wrong from time to time. 204k on mine I think even the chocolate milk fluid is original. Yum.
Probably get to change that when I do my treaty timing cover gasket.

 

[gmanpaint]

<scampers off to the store while making THIS noise>

BWHAHAHA!

Exit stage left..even!

 

[sean99]

When turning, when I get to close to full turn, the truck seems to slightly bind.

When returning wheel to center after the turn, from 1/2 turn to 7/8 turn I get a small vibration in the wheel.

I get these symptoms on my 5.0 too...i thought that it might be the viscous coupling going out...these are the only symptoms that i'm getting. My binding never makes any noises and is only slight. It feels like i have a low tire. I'll have to stay tuned.

 

[OneLever]

Possible Source:
Aerated fluid.

If fluid is leaking out then it stands to reason air is getting in.

I would consider replacing the pump sounds like its on its way out, when you do that you will have a good opportunity to get the nasty fluid out.

If you're replacing the pump there's no a reason to pour Lucas in and let it circulate to the, presumably good, rack seals. I'd take off the drivebelt and put a mechanic's stethoscope up against the power steering pump and listen for signs of bearing failure while turning by hand. If the bearing is going bad replace the pump and don't use Lucas. If the bearing sounds fine do a thorough flush and use Lucas.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I just did that... Popped the belt off, and it sounded ok to me. So I figured what the heck- $25 to try to save it is worth it for now.

I did 9 bastings, used 3 quarts of PS fluid.
Nothing special, just a $2.00 Farberware baster. Reservoir basting seems to remove about 10 oz. each time based on refill.
After each refill, I did a bunch of serpentines to full turn up and down the driveway to circulate the fluid, then baste immediately and repeat.
Steering is a LOT smoother, and a lot of the "binding" is gone already. There is still some chatter, but there has to be some air in the system right now, that was a lot of poking and prodding.
I'll vacuum pump the air out in the morning.


Always squeeze the bulb before putting in the reservoir...

This was the 9th time, fluid not bad.

Looks nasty with a full cup though.

It smelled a little burnt, then thought "oh what the hell- let's see what we've got..."

It's got a little hickory flavor...

No, wait...

Yeah, maybe more of a Liquid Smoke flavor.

Anyway, this is what was left in the bottom...

I refilled with some Valvoline which I'm going to drive with tomorrow, then baste a few more times and refill with Valvoline HM PS fluid and this:

Not a bad hour, 3 of these...

And some of this:

S**t's nasty- I won't drink anymore, that's for sure.

 

[gmanpaint]

Your a nut! LOL

That was some dirty stuff. With it broke down that bad, I cant see how it would work at all. Hoping the new juice helps ya!

 

[OneLever]

Well done sir!

Anyway, this is what was left in the bottom...

Why must you insist on pointing out that I need to do this...

You are a bad, bad man.

 

[Joe Dirt]

That is purely an optional step.

 

[waskly]

should use trans fluid merc 5 instead of ps fluid imo. works way better

 

[gmanpaint]

I'm running Mobil 1 ATF in the 95 to hush the whine. I know someone running Mobile 1 engine oil, for there whine. Claims it cured the whine completely.

Guess maybe we shoulda suggested the synthetics earlier....whoops.

 

[waskly]

trans fluid is better then atf, motor oil is bad, since it actually is not hydraulic fluid. trans fluid is.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I was looking at ATF, but the book said Mercon, not Mercon V. Didn't know if that had changed, couldn't find it, needed to make a decision in the store, so I went PS fluid. Pump had zero whine anyway.
Honestly, I don't forsee a problem with either ATF or PS fluid. This is really a trial, since I still am not completely convinced that the PS pump isn't going to crap a something-or-other. If it's a new pump, I may go synthetic, I'm ok with regular fluid for now.