Archived Power steering pump replacement

[BWilson]

I am in the middle of replacing the power steering pump; however, I could not loosen the oil fitting on the bottom of the vacuum pump without the steel line flexing so I just took the stud out of power steering pump and removed the old pump. Now I am trying to put the replacemnt pump back in (after three days of getting the wrong part, seems I needed a 98 pump to fit my 97 truck according to Murrays). The porblem I am having is that the pump doesn't seem to be going in all of the way. It leaves about a 1/4 inch gap when I try to push it on by hand. It really feels like the gear is engaged to the vacuum pump and when I bump the motor over, and pull it back out, the shaft has turned about 90 degrees. HAs anyone changed one of these and had to draw it down with the bolts the last 1/4 inch or am I about to break something if I do that? Or should I bite the bullet and pull out the vacuum pump as well and just go buy a new line (no doubt that will take a few days even from Cummins).

 

[BWilson]

FORGET IT!!!!!!:{



It's a really sad day in my world today, not only was it raining the entire time (truck broke outside and can't drive it) but I found out that the reason my power steering pump quit was that the coupler between the vacuum pump and the power steering broke on the vacuum pump side. I guess that would explain the immediate loss of power steering and brakes.



I do have a 6BT that went through a fire, does anyone think that the vacuum pump may still be good??? Are there any rubber components in it?

 

[Bill Lins]

Originally posted by BWilson

seems I needed a 98 pump to fit my 97 truck according to Murrays

I'm confused- do you have a vacuum brake booster or do you have the Hydro-Vac system? If Hydro-Vac, your truck is a 98 model.



Dunno if the toasted pump will work or not. There is a flat disc with a cross-shaped cutout between the vacuum pump and the P/S pump. The dogs on the vacuum pump go in one side of the cutout and the dogs on the P/S pump are 90 degrees offset. It's tough to line them up without both pumps out of the truck- sounds like that was the reason the pumps wouldn't mate up. You should be able to push the P/S pump all the way in without having to pull it in with the bolts. Good luck.

 

[Deezul1]

97s also have Hydro boost

 

[BWilson]

The truck is definitely a 97, I picked it up the last week of January in 97. The cogs on the vacuum pump are what broke (causing the loss of power steering pressure). Everything I read says that the vacuum pump is not serviceable and it looks like you would have to disassemble the whole thing to get the coupler out.

 

[Bill Lins]

You might check with a wrecking yard or diesel repair shop- they might have a good used one. Why did the cogs break- did the pump seize or was there a weak spot in the shaft?

 

[BWilson]

The pump could have seized, it was making that "I'm low on oil" noise but it wasn't and it's not seized now. I had a leaking pitman arm seal, actually 3, so it has run low a number times. As for the shaft. it's just the two little cogs that broke. They are probably 1/4" X 1/4".