power steering issues
 

Has any one had any issues going to cross over steering with thier power steering pump? I am on my fourth pump and it just went bad. I have the gm performace parts serpentine set up and the pump it came with was off of a 90's camaro. That one did not last at all. I replaced it with one for a 89 chevy 1500 4x4, that one started to leak at the shaft seal. I replaced it with a 3/4 one from the same year and it would not steer once it got hot. So this time I put one off of a 1 ton truck and put a cooler on it. This one lasted exactly one day before it went. This time it leaked so bad out of the front shaft seal that it blew oil all over everything under the truck and when I got home it had no oil in the pump what so ever.

This thing has been on the street and not off road, I am at a loss other than buying a PSC hydro assist set up.

Any thoughts or ideas? Am I missing something here?:help:

Re: power steering issues
 

Hmmm...Mabey the belt is too tight. Is the tension adjustable? Mabey a bigger pulley on the pump to slow it down?

Re: power steering issues
 

Ya sounds like a belt tension problem.

Re: power steering issues
 

I vote tension problem also.

Re: power steering issues
 

The idler pulley shows that it has the proper tension,on the serpentine set up there is no adjustment for tension other than different belt sizes and I am using the one that the setup came with. Any other ideas, what pumps are most people running?

Re: power steering issues
 

What about the alignment? Is it good and straight with the belt?

Re: power steering issues
 

yes, the alignment is good.

Re: power steering issues
 

are you buying used pumps?

some 1 tons have a service bulletien about the factory pump leaking at the front seal

Re: power steering issues
 

are you sure you have them hooked up to the correct ports on the box.

some thing is either wrong at the box or you are seriously getting the ****ty end on the pumps

Re: power steering issues
 

They are remanufactured pumps from car quest, I believe they are A-1 Cardone which is normally a better quality then the others. But maybe not with the problems I've been having. The ports are hooked up correctly, I believe the lines are two different sizes and can be hooked up only one way.

Re: power steering issues
 

With crossover steering you are using a 2wheel drive box?

Re: power steering issues
 

Yes I have a two wheel drive box.

I have no ideas on what else to check, I am getting ready to bite the bullet and put a psc kit on it.

Re: power steering issues
 

Just thinking out loud here but, if the belt is too tight why is it killing the pump every time.
I agree with trkklr77. Try another steering box.
Also, what are the condition of your hoses? Any clogs?
Not saying getting four bad pumps is impossible but the odds are pretty high.

Re: power steering issues
 

If the tension is too tight it will tear the seal up pretty quick. Seems to me tho that it would have to be really too tight to do that tho.

Re: power steering issues
 

What I was wondering was why the PS pump every time instead of the water pump etc. Are the PS pump bearings that much weaker?

Re: power steering issues
 

Are you running ATF in it or power steering fluid?

PSC recommends using ONLY actual power steering fluid in their pumps.
(says ATF is thicker)

Can't imagine that's the problem but thought I'd throw it out there...

How about the x-over linkage, any binding?

Re: power steering issues
 

I am running power steering fluid, and the cross over linkage does not appear to be binding.