Is there anyway to tell when a power steering pump is bad?
12-08-2001, 09:36 PM
#1
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Car: 91 Camaro RS
Engine: 305 TBI
Transmission: Pro-Built Automatic/Vigilante 2800
Is there anyway to tell when a power steering pump is bad?
I just got my car alignment done and it still drifts to the right. I've heard that if you place the front end on stands and start the car and the wheels turn on their own then the pump is bad. Is this true and if so how can a bad pump cause them to turn on their own?
Mark
Mark
12-08-2001, 09:48 PM
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I've never heard that tip, and I'm a bit skeptical. I would think, if anything, that would indicate a bad steering gearbox, not the pump. But, I can think of an easy way to prove this out. Pull the belt off the pump, jack up the front end, and see what happens. If this causes the water pump not to turn (i.e. if you have a serpentine belt) then you'll only want to let the motor run this way very briefly.
If you ruled out the alignment already, the place I'd want to look at next would be dragging brake pads/shoes on the side it pulls to..
[This message has been edited by gravitar (edited December 08, 2001).]
If you ruled out the alignment already, the place I'd want to look at next would be dragging brake pads/shoes on the side it pulls to..
[This message has been edited by gravitar (edited December 08, 2001).]
12-09-2001, 01:32 AM
#3
If its bad, it'll leak, or make a whining noise.
------------------
1991 Camaro Z28
5.7L 5-Speed (originally 305)
318 RWHP, 419 RWTQ
13.23 @ 107.62 MPH (2.13 60')
Southern California
Member: SoCal F-Bodies
-=ICON Motorsports=-
------------------
1991 Camaro Z28
5.7L 5-Speed (originally 305)
318 RWHP, 419 RWTQ
13.23 @ 107.62 MPH (2.13 60')
Southern California
Member: SoCal F-Bodies
-=ICON Motorsports=-
12-09-2001, 10:06 AM
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Not possible. The pump can not cause a car to drift or pull. They fail by leaking or by not pumping, in which case you simply lose power assist.
The gear could possibly cause a car to drift to one side, but that is extremely rare. Not worth thinking about.
Pull & drift are caused by tires about 99.999% of the time, and the other .001% of the time, it's usually the tires too. First thing I'd try is swapping the front tires left to right; then the rears left to right if changing the fronts doesn't help.
Also, what specs did you have your car aligned to? The factory specs suck. They will make the car want to wander and have very little "straight-ahead" feel, and wear the outside edge of of the front tires. Do a search on the Suspension board for alignment specs, there was a discussion not long ago about that.
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The gear could possibly cause a car to drift to one side, but that is extremely rare. Not worth thinking about.
Pull & drift are caused by tires about 99.999% of the time, and the other .001% of the time, it's usually the tires too. First thing I'd try is swapping the front tires left to right; then the rears left to right if changing the fronts doesn't help.
Also, what specs did you have your car aligned to? The factory specs suck. They will make the car want to wander and have very little "straight-ahead" feel, and wear the outside edge of of the front tires. Do a search on the Suspension board for alignment specs, there was a discussion not long ago about that.
------------------
"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports
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