Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Finally got around to getting in my new steering gear and PS pump. Not really an overly hard project with a little patience and two pairs of hands. Got everything off alright not big problems that some persuasion from a big hammer on the pitman arm couldnt fix.
Did however run into a slight hitch when putting everything back together. Was temporarily away from internet capablities so went at the pump change kind of blind. We removed the pump from the bracket, no problems, left the bracket connected to the vacuum pump. When it putting it back on, must not have had it 100% completely aligned, and even with slow steady strokes of a stubby wrench, CRACK, there goes the ear of the bracket. Snapped in too. So after some choice words, we called the stealership to see what the price might be on said part. Well after I picked myself off the floor and pulled Dad out of the ceiling, we decided we had to devert to plan B. They wanted $1600 for the whole new assembly, not to mention the extra hours it would have taken to pull the whole vacuum pump out, put the new one in, plus finish the rest of the steering project. Being in sort of a pickle, time wise, as this was friday night, and I needed the truck saturday for a 400 mile road trip home, we decided to weld it. Local weld shop welds aluminum trannies all the time, and fixed it up good. Put the pump and bracket together on the bench, and THEN put it on the truck, works much better.
I put on about 500 miles a week on, so I will let you know how long the repair lasts, but so far so good. So the moral of the story is, please learn from my stupidity and mistake, take the pump and bracket off, and be ever so careful. I know I could have probably prevented it if I had just done more homework, but you know how new parts on the bench make you want to start wrenching asap. Hopefully, I can save someone else the headache.
Thanks,
Did however run into a slight hitch when putting everything back together. Was temporarily away from internet capablities so went at the pump change kind of blind. We removed the pump from the bracket, no problems, left the bracket connected to the vacuum pump. When it putting it back on, must not have had it 100% completely aligned, and even with slow steady strokes of a stubby wrench, CRACK, there goes the ear of the bracket. Snapped in too. So after some choice words, we called the stealership to see what the price might be on said part. Well after I picked myself off the floor and pulled Dad out of the ceiling, we decided we had to devert to plan B. They wanted $1600 for the whole new assembly, not to mention the extra hours it would have taken to pull the whole vacuum pump out, put the new one in, plus finish the rest of the steering project. Being in sort of a pickle, time wise, as this was friday night, and I needed the truck saturday for a 400 mile road trip home, we decided to weld it. Local weld shop welds aluminum trannies all the time, and fixed it up good. Put the pump and bracket together on the bench, and THEN put it on the truck, works much better.
I put on about 500 miles a week on, so I will let you know how long the repair lasts, but so far so good. So the moral of the story is, please learn from my stupidity and mistake, take the pump and bracket off, and be ever so careful. I know I could have probably prevented it if I had just done more homework, but you know how new parts on the bench make you want to start wrenching asap. Hopefully, I can save someone else the headache.
Thanks,
