2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Help - Repeated Puking of PS Fluid

[CTD12V]

HELP!



I started my truck this afternoon when I was going to go into town, and as I started backing down my driveway, I found no power steering assist and no power brakes. The pump was moaning like crazy when I tried turning or braking, and when I went to check the power steering fluid level, it was puking out from the cap on the reservoir. Since I had just read a post on here the day before about the nitrogen accumulator going bad, I figured that was my problem.



However, isn't the fluid puking a one time thing? I shut the truck off and let the fluid finish foaming and spilling out, then checked the level--it was ok--then started up again and performed the preliminary tests listed in the service manual (holding the brake when starting, etc. ) and the fluid started spilling out again. After topping off the reservior and driving around a little bit, it is still foaming and puking, and my steering and braking are mostly without power assist. Any suggestions before I take the Hydroboost module out and pay for it to be rebuilt?



If it isn't one thing, its another



Thanks,



CTD12V

 

[AKAMAC]

Is the return line in good shape?

 

[DPike]

When mine did that, I sucked out all the fluid I could with a syringe and hose on the end, and replaced it with new fluid. It hasn't bothered since. I though it might be that accumulator too, but that seems to have fixed it.

 

[CTD12V]

Well, I pulled out the screen on the pressure line today, and it looked clean. I pulled it apart and cleaned both sides, put everything back together, filled with fresh power steering fluid and some PS system conditioner, bled the system per the factory service manual, and . . . it still puked fluid as soon as I put a load on the power steering system (final step in the bleeding proceedure).



So I disconnected the hoses again and this time pulled the PS pump completely off (right now the vac. pump is still on the engine). The return line looked ok, although I didn't think to actually try looking or blowing through it. I took the reservoir off the PS pump, and the magnet in there had a fair amount of VERY fine metal filings caught on it, but nothing that looked like a catastrophic failure had occured in the pump. I then popped off the retaining ring and removed the inside cover, and eyeballed the vanes on the pump as I turned the shaft by hand, and they all looked like they were there and were moving in and out like they should.



SO NOW WHAT?? Is it possible for a PS pump to fail and still look alright (no broken vanes, at least that I can see, and no large chunks of metal, etc)? Or do you think the problem is elsewhere, and the pump is OK? Basically, every time I run the engine above an idle for more than a minute, or try turning, PS fluid comes spilling/foaming out past the filler cap.



My nitrogen accumulator is still tight, and I talked to a guy at Hydratech (mfgs of Hydraboost systems) and he thought it was very doubtful that the Hydraboost unit was bad from the symptoms I described.



Please, if you have any input at all, let me know. It is very much appreciated! I need to get my truck operational again as soon as possible, but I don't want to just throw parts at it, especially with the bad reputation that reman PS pumps have.



Thanks,



CTD12V

 

[AKAMAC]

Those symptoms are usually from sucking air on the return side.

I would try to isolate the hydro-boost and PS to see where the leak is occurring. If it overflows when it's under load, you can jack the FE up and apply the brakes slowly and see if pukes. If that doesn't cause it to, rack the steering back and forth while idling with the FE up.

I haven't looked, but can you isolate the n2 accumulator to make sure it's not causing the problem?

 

[JFaughn]

Try putting some air pressure to the res. [ 2-3 lbs. ] that should be enough to find return leak .
I've seen a lot that have cracks on the inside of the end , going paralell with the hose , not visable with out looking at the hose from the end .
Or a seal / O ring .
Heres a link to a seal kit .

DODGE DIESEL VACUUM PUMP REPAIRING /TRANSMISSIONS REPAIR

 

[CTD12V]

Thanks for the insight, guys. I looked more closely at the return hose, and blew through it, since it was out of the truck. There were no visible cracks, and when I plugged the end of it, I couldn't get any sound of air leaking with the limited PSI from my lungs. The O ring did look slightly rough, so I will replace that.



I ended up ordering a new pump from PSC--hopefully that takes care of the promblem. If it doesn't, I guess I'll have to tackle the hydraboost unit.



AKAMAC, I don't know of a way to check the N2 accumulator other than what the guy at Hydratech said--trying to wiggle the cannister back and forth. Supposedly, if it has gone bad, it would be VERY loose, enough to tell by casually wiggling it. Mine is still solid as a rock.



John, are you saying that the reservoir itself might have a crack in it? I have the reservoir off the pump, so would I be able to see the crack by looking at it with a strong light behind it? Thanks for the link to the seal kit. I need to get one for the vacuum pump anyways, since it is off the engine as well.



I definitely appreciate the help. If anyone thinks of anything else, I'd be glad to hear it. I am going to have to wait until Monday or Tuesday for my pump to get here.



CTD12V

 

[CTD12V]

No more puking

Well, for anyone interested, the new P/S pump from PSC fixed the problem. I checked the return line and the old reservoir, and couldn't find any signs of problems, so I crossed my fingers and installed the new P/S pump and put new seals in on the vacuum pump at the same time. I also installed a Magnefine filter on the return line. After bleeding everything it worked like it was supposed to, and I think my steering is a little easier now. Now that I hopefully shouldn't need to be draining any more P/S fluid for a while, I need to replace the regular stuff with synthetic. Thanks for the replies everyone.



CTD12V