Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
One reliable feature on my truck is that problems ignored over time tend to get worse, not better. Old Faithful got to the point we were leaving a puddle everywhere we stoppped. I live on a gravel road and don't mind but it got to where I was embarassed to park at my city-friend's houses. So I got Pete's vacuum seal kit and dove in.
Actually, "dove in" is pretty accurate. To be honest, the volume and extent of the oil spew under the hood was so extensive I was very concerned I had more than one problem.
I took my time on this one because I also needed to do several other things and the truck was offline for a few days. I took a lot more apart than would be necessary to minimally do the vacuum pump but I suspect the extra room made this job easier than it would have been otherwise.
For example, I pulled the top radiator hose because I needed a new thermostat and also needed to pull and fix the leaky windshield washer fluid bottle. I also pulled the battery - and the battery tray - intending to clean oil out from under there, plus reroute some accessory light wiring. With all of that plus the air intake pipe removed, even a big guy like me had room to wiggle around.
From the top that is.
Access from the bottom is just no fun no matter what size you are. I found removal and reinstallation of the bottom vacuum seal bolt and the nut on the power steering pump stud to be painstakingly slow going. I guess the good part is with everything oil soaked, your arms slip between things without scraping or hair removal. The bad part is it makes it darn hard to hold on to a wrench. All you need is a big drop of oil in your eye to send you right over the edge.
This is where you get your money's worth for buying Pete's kit instead of just the seals. Pete's DVD is worth every penny, not only for the step by step demonstration, but it's Pete himself. Those of you who've either done this or used his starter rebuild kit know what I'm talking about.
With the pump on the bench I've already got about half a mad on and am wondering what in the world I've got myself into. Pete'd DVD playing on the laptop has a kind of soothing, calming effect that can get you over a hump. His easygoing manner and good explanations are just what the doctor ordered.
Really the only thing wrong with Pete's kit is that he provides a complete duplicate of all the seals, in case you mess up. That is utterly unnecessary for, had I got the whole thing put together and found I needed to do it over again? I would have set the truck on fire and pushed it down the hill. But it was a nice gesture.
Remounting the two pumps was not as bad as I expected. In another thread I read where someone used RTV sealant to hold the gasket in place and I thought about trying it. But sometimes putting goop like that in places it isn't called for can cause problems, so instead I used a thin coating of the assembly grease that comes in the kit. The gasket stayed put until I got the bolts in. Again, this is where I think the job was made easier because I had room to work. Others have said they needed someone under the truck to guide the PS pump onto the stud, but mine slid right on. From the top you can pretty clearly see what position the assembly should be in and slide it forward. I may have lucked out but I also did not have to fight to get the gears lined up. They weren't perfect at first but all I had to do was give a slight twist to the whole assembly and try again. Worked just fine.
For what it's worth, I did not have any trouble repriming the PS system. I just filled up the reservoir, jacked up the front end and cycled the steering wheel left to right stop to stop about 3 times - before starting the engine. When I started it, I cycled it again a few more times but never did hear or feel anything unusual. I guess sometimes there can be trouble with air in the line somewhere but this part went ok.
I also found the source of my fuel drip to be the filter drain petcock. This too is an area that was grease-grimed beyond belief so after clearing the area, I removed, cleaned and greased the valve and that leak stopped too.
So the oil, fuel and washer fluid leaks are nailed. I think I'll go to town and park on somebody's pretty driveway - just because I can.
Of course, about a wheelbarrow full of my driveway mud will drop out from underneath but hey, at least it won't be OIL!
Actually, "dove in" is pretty accurate. To be honest, the volume and extent of the oil spew under the hood was so extensive I was very concerned I had more than one problem.
I took my time on this one because I also needed to do several other things and the truck was offline for a few days. I took a lot more apart than would be necessary to minimally do the vacuum pump but I suspect the extra room made this job easier than it would have been otherwise.
For example, I pulled the top radiator hose because I needed a new thermostat and also needed to pull and fix the leaky windshield washer fluid bottle. I also pulled the battery - and the battery tray - intending to clean oil out from under there, plus reroute some accessory light wiring. With all of that plus the air intake pipe removed, even a big guy like me had room to wiggle around.
From the top that is.
Access from the bottom is just no fun no matter what size you are. I found removal and reinstallation of the bottom vacuum seal bolt and the nut on the power steering pump stud to be painstakingly slow going. I guess the good part is with everything oil soaked, your arms slip between things without scraping or hair removal. The bad part is it makes it darn hard to hold on to a wrench. All you need is a big drop of oil in your eye to send you right over the edge.
This is where you get your money's worth for buying Pete's kit instead of just the seals. Pete's DVD is worth every penny, not only for the step by step demonstration, but it's Pete himself. Those of you who've either done this or used his starter rebuild kit know what I'm talking about.
With the pump on the bench I've already got about half a mad on and am wondering what in the world I've got myself into. Pete'd DVD playing on the laptop has a kind of soothing, calming effect that can get you over a hump. His easygoing manner and good explanations are just what the doctor ordered.
Really the only thing wrong with Pete's kit is that he provides a complete duplicate of all the seals, in case you mess up. That is utterly unnecessary for, had I got the whole thing put together and found I needed to do it over again? I would have set the truck on fire and pushed it down the hill. But it was a nice gesture.
Remounting the two pumps was not as bad as I expected. In another thread I read where someone used RTV sealant to hold the gasket in place and I thought about trying it. But sometimes putting goop like that in places it isn't called for can cause problems, so instead I used a thin coating of the assembly grease that comes in the kit. The gasket stayed put until I got the bolts in. Again, this is where I think the job was made easier because I had room to work. Others have said they needed someone under the truck to guide the PS pump onto the stud, but mine slid right on. From the top you can pretty clearly see what position the assembly should be in and slide it forward. I may have lucked out but I also did not have to fight to get the gears lined up. They weren't perfect at first but all I had to do was give a slight twist to the whole assembly and try again. Worked just fine.
For what it's worth, I did not have any trouble repriming the PS system. I just filled up the reservoir, jacked up the front end and cycled the steering wheel left to right stop to stop about 3 times - before starting the engine. When I started it, I cycled it again a few more times but never did hear or feel anything unusual. I guess sometimes there can be trouble with air in the line somewhere but this part went ok.
I also found the source of my fuel drip to be the filter drain petcock. This too is an area that was grease-grimed beyond belief so after clearing the area, I removed, cleaned and greased the valve and that leak stopped too.
So the oil, fuel and washer fluid leaks are nailed. I think I'll go to town and park on somebody's pretty driveway - just because I can.
Of course, about a wheelbarrow full of my driveway mud will drop out from underneath but hey, at least it won't be OIL!
