Power steering...again

[bkokotovic]

Gent's,



you won't believe this one... on my way to work this morn. Loud noise starts from underhood. I quickly pull over to find that the power steering pump studs have worked their way clear of the pump and the only thing holding the pump on was the actual gear that drives it. Luckily (and most assuredly, expensively) a dealer was nearby. The truck is sitting there now. They have no clue what to do with it. I gave them the removal procedure that was posted here a while ago. I'm hoping they follow it, otherwise I'll be scraping the bottom of the checking account.



Wish me luck.



B

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Proper mating of the PS pump to the vacuum pump is crucial. If there is any play in the vacuum pump it will cause progressive damage to the PS pump, and vica versa... . big time!!!

Also the coupling between the two is crucial. Hopefully there was no damage due to the PS pump " backing away" from the vacuum pump.

My younger brother went thru 8 PS pumps till they discovered that the vacuum pump was causing the brand new (all 8) PS pumps to fail.

So long as you caught it "in time" you should be ok.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out on this one...



Bob.

 

[bkokotovic]

$315.04

$315. 04 That's how much it cost to fix. Well, fix is a loose term.



The tech didn't use the cummins removal directions. He fiddled about for 4 hrs (which they charged me for). Removed the pump, saw that the studs had worked their way out, applied some loc-tite, reseated the studs and re-installed the pump.



WHAT HE FAILED TO DO WAS CHECK THE PUMP BEARING!!! Would have made sense to anyone but a dealer. (Hmm, the pump is hanging on for dear life by the output shaft, no bid deal).

Naturally, all was well on my 2 mile trip home. However, this morning to work I could hear the bearing start to go. By the time I got to work, I could hear the impeller in the pump starting to vibrate...



I just can't win with them. There is no "local" guy that knows about the truck, I get screwed at the dealer, and since the truck is a daily driver, time is of the essence. If I'm gonna continue to drive the truck, I'm gonna have to get alternate transport.



BTW, of the total price of repair, only $4. 00 was for parts (Loc-tite). The rest was labor. Dodge Stealer indeed. Take heed everyone.