Can’t quiet down a new PS pump

[ls1mike]

A new one is good. The Trans Am's pump failed when the pressure line failed before I put new motor mounts in...large cam, choppy idle, engine moving around, line broke. I put a rebuilt one in. So loud even over the cam and exhaust. new one has been in for 9 years. Should have went new the first time. Lesson learned.

 

[demarpaint]

I’ve already ordered a new one. I hadn’t thought about trying to get a labor reimbursement but it’s only fair. I’ll email RA and see what they say.

I've done a lot of business with RA, but never had an issue where I tried for reimbursement for my time. I was however successful with AAP, and AMZN. AAP took a little fighting, but I ended up winning, AMZN was a lot easier. Good luck with RA, keep us updated!

 

[dfarr67]

Well, it's kind of an old method used my others to quiet down the "Morning Sickness" of GM P/S system noises.
Honda Genuine(may be/could be) the best P/S fluid. I can't answer as to why it quiets down other P/S system noises. And I can't say that it is 100% effective in every pump. However, I use/have used it strictly in any hydraulic P/S unit.

I am actually using Honda Genuine in the P/S unit in the Firebird in my signature for the last, Oh, 25 yrs or so. And this is the OE pump. Have used it in other 80s, 90s, 00s hydraulic P/S units as well. Good Stuff however, IDK that this is your particular issue. As mentioned, it could just be a crappy rebuild.

I have found the Honda/Acura fluid works well too and plan on a last flush before admitting defeat on a NOS GM pump- is the Beck Arnley fluid as good?

 

[Torox]

Update:

I replaced the faulty reman with a brand new ACDelco pump, all new lines, new cooler, and added a filter. I just did a new hydroboost a week ago so the entire system is new now. Did a full flush and fill with Royal Purple Max EZ. So far so good, can’t even hear it now.

 

[wdn]

Glad things worked out for you and you replaced the bad steering pump with a new one. As for Lucas power steering stop leak I have used it successfully several times. Most recently I went from years of leaking steering fluid on the garage floor under my Kubota to bone dry in one weekend by changing the steering fluid and adding 8 ounces of the Lucas. I don’t care what the hive mind here says about Lucas.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I have a similar thread running. I sourced a new AC Delco pump from Rock Auto for my 2008 3/4 ton. I gave it the whole 9 yards regarding turning the wheel and pushing on the brake peddle to activate the hydro boost. The most bubbles came out when I pushed the brake peddle, activating the hydro boost. I even followed one set of instructions from You Tube to do 5 cycles of steering back and fourth with 3 pushes on the brake peddle with the engine off and repeat 50 times. I did see more bubbles and they petered off to nothing. Still noisy. I have vacuum attachments coming from Amazon, so I’ll use a Mighty Vac to apply vacuum. It that doesn’t work, I’ll try return it to Rock Auto for another new GM pump. I’ve had the pump for over a month. Think they will take it back for a refund?

 

[Torox]

I have a similar thread running. I sourced a new AC Delco pump from Rock Auto for my 2008 3/4 ton. I gave it the whole 9 yards regarding turning the wheel and pushing on the brake peddle to activate the hydro boost. The most bubbles came out when I pushed the brake peddle, activating the hydro boost. I even followed one set of instructions from You Tube to do 5 cycles of steering back and fourth with 3 pushes on the brake peddle with the engine off and repeat 50 times. I did see more bubbles and they petered off to nothing. Still noisy. I have vacuum attachments coming from Amazon, so I’ll use a Mighty Vac to apply vacuum. It that doesn’t work, I’ll try return it to Rock Auto for another new GM pump. I’ve had the pump for over a month. Think they will take it back for a refund?

View attachment 32303

Here are comprehensive instructions I was given about how to do a proper bleed and they worked flawlessly:

So, after you’ve flushed the system and are ready to bleed, try it this way:

1) Engine off.

2) Reservoir to the full mark on the dipstick, turn stop to stop 5 times, recheck fluid level and add as necessary. Stop to stop another 5 times. Repeat 2 more times.

3) By now the fluid shouldn’t be dropping too much. Pull vacuum on the reservoir and turn stop to stop 10 times, recheck fluid and add as needed, then repeat 2 more times.

4) You’ll know when you’re ready to begin power bleeding when the effort to turn the wheel from centered to full left or full right is about the same. As air pockets are bled out, you’ll feel varying effort as the wheel is turned.

5) Make sure the reservoir is to the full mark. Start engine. Stop to stop 5 times while pumping/holding the brake pedal. Recheck fluid and repeat until fluid level remains steady.

You can pull vacuum on the reservoir during power bleeding if you want - I’ve never found it to be necessary but you’ll have to decide if it is.

These are not mine, someone gave them to me on another forum. I did apply vacuum and then repeated step #3 after I finished and started the engine. Overkill perhaps but you can’t really bleed too much.

As far as the vacuum attachment goes, I have an external reservoir with the 2 prong locking cap so the standard cone/wedge style adapter wouldn’t work for me. Someone makes an adapter cap but it was $30+ and I couldn’t justify that. I made my own out of rigid foam and it worked flawlessly. (See pic)

As far as RA returns, I’m not sure what their policy is but you can always try to initiate a refund in your account and see what happens. If not, you could also email them to ask. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I received my Mighty vac connection kit and did all of the above and because it had hydro boost did brake applications as well. Didn’t help but I did see bubbles after brake applications so I won’t give up just yet. My Mity Vac was able to pull 20 inches of hg. Also, applying vacuum while running was easy and no weird fluctuations occurred. Here are some shots. The cap is held in place by the vacuum. You have to push down hard but once you have 10 inches of hg you can let go of it and continue to pump to 20 inches of hg. Looks like Torox’s home made cap works just as well.

 

[Torox]

I received my Mighty vac connection kit and did all of the above and because it had hydro boost did brake applications as well. Didn’t help but I did see bubbles after brake applications so I won’t give up just yet. My Mity Vac was able to pull 20 inches of hg. Also, applying vacuum while running was easy and no weird fluctuations occurred. Here are some shots. The cap is held in place by the vacuum. You have to push down hard but once you have 10 inches of hg you can let go of it and continue to pump to 20 inches of hg. Looks like Torox’s home made cap works just as well.

Yep that’s the same cap I was looking at. I saw the foam idea on Youtube and tried it before ordering the cap and it worked great.
If you’re seeing bubbles it means there is air somewhere. Either trapped in the system or being let in by a leak. I drew 20” of vacuum and let it sit for 5+ minutes on each: left lock, center, and right lock. At no point did the vacuum change so that told me there was no leaks. If you’re only getting bubbles when you press the brake and the system is otherwise clear of air, you may have a fault in the hydroboost that is allowing air to enter. My hydroboost was actually leaking inside the cab and fluid was running down the floor board.
If you still have issues, you may want to jack it up, get the front wheels off the ground, and go through that list I posted. This would basically allow you to start from the beginning with a fresh bleed. It can’t hurt to try it, just time consuming but may be worth it if it resolves your issue.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

The pump is junk. If it bothers you, replace it. Rebuilds are like a shot in the dark these days. Many will leak or make noise right out of the box or soon after. Don’t waste anymore time on this one

 

[Torox]

The pump is junk. If it bothers you, replace it. Rebuilds are like a shot in the dark these days. Many will leak or make noise right out of the box or soon after. Don’t waste anymore time on this one

This is exactly what I just went through. No more reman pumps for me.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Finally solved my issue on the pump. I got rid of the the bubbles but still had a high pitched noise. Then I noticed the serpentine belt seemed to1/8 of an inch offset between the fan pulley and the PS pulley. Turns out I had to crank in the PS pulley by another 1/8 of an inch. The snout of the pulley and the end of the PS pump shade must be flush. It’s silent now. In the photo you can see the brown wear mark on the pulley to the right of the belt. The belt needed to be 1/8 inch over to the right which meant pushing the power steering pulley onto the shaft 1/8 inch more.

 

[Snagglefoot]

The end of the pulley and the end of pump’s shaft are now flush.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

That would be a belt squeal not a pump noise.

 

[Torox]

Finally solved my issue on the pump. I got rid of the the bubbles but still had a high pitched noise. Then I noticed the serpentine belt seemed to1/8 of an inch offset between the fan pulley and the PS pulley. Turns out I had to crank in the PS pulley by another 1/8 of an inch. The snout of the pulley and the end of the PS pump shade must be flush. It’s silent now. In the photo you can see the brown wear mark on the pulley to the right of the belt. The belt needed to be 1/8 inch over to the right which meant pushing the power steering pulley onto the shaft 1/8 inch more.

Glad you got it solved! How’s the belt? If there’s any damage at all it may be worth replacing - they are cheap enough and totally worth not breaking down.

 

[Snagglefoot]

That would be a belt squeal not a pump noise.

Yes, most of the noise was belt squeal.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Glad you got it solved! How’s the belt? If there’s any damage at all it may be worth replacing - they are cheap enough and totally worth not breaking down.

The serpentine belt was just starting to deteriorate so I replaced it. There is a second, smaller belt from the crank, to the air conditioner. It was totally cracked up. I replaced it and it’s tensioner. Here is a shot of it.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Yes, most of the noise was belt squeal.

Hope you get lucky and got a good rebuild. I gave up and only use OEM pumps now.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Hope you get lucky and got a good rebuild. I gave up and only use OEM pumps now.

Yes, the pump was a new AC Delco Professional.

 

[Torox]

The serpentine belt was just starting to deteriorate so I replaced it. There is a second, smaller belt from the crank, to the air conditioner. It was totally cracked up. I replaced it and it’s tensioner. Here is a shot of it.

That belt was definitely past it’s prime lol.. I had no idea how old my belts were - they were still in fairly decent condition but before making a cross-country trip I just replaced both of them, the tensioner (upgraded to steel pulley), and the idler. It’s cheap peace of mind and I won’t get taken advantage of at a questionable repair shop if I break down.