No low speed power steering - D1

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ecaii

Active member
Feb 7, 2006
40
0
Van Nuys, CA
I have a 1998 D1 that has little to no power steering at idle. Well, let me correct that. When the car is cold, the power steering works beautifully at idle and at all other speeds. After 10 minutes or so of driving, the low speed power steering goes away. The slightest tap on the gas though will restore it. Basically any rpm over idle has flawless power steering at all times, cold or hot.

I'm assuming this would be indicative of a pump issue, but it would seem isolated to the control valve. Are there any options for repairing or rebuilding the part of the pump specific to providing extra pressure at idle?

Is there anything else I should consider or trouble shoot first? The problem seems so specific and isolated, I just don't want to miss a solution simpler than replacing the pump.

The Serpentine belt has 70k on it and is starting to show some minor cracking. I would think if the belt was the issue, the symptom would occur as soon as the car started and not just after the car warmed up, though.

The car has 150k+ on it, as far as I know the pump is original, although I bought the car with 85k on, so I'm not sure.

All the power steering hoses were replaced a few months ago, which is actually when this symptom began. I'm not sure why new hoses would have caused this to suddenly occur, but maybe someone else has an idea. I just replaced the box, because it had some major leaks in it, although I never let the fluid level get low in the reservoir.

Thanks for any help.
 
carlosz

carlosz

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
581
0
Annandale,Va
try doing a power steering flush (not drain and refill) quite often this will buy you some time before the inpending total failure of your p/s pump.
 
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ecaii

Active member
Feb 7, 2006
40
0
Van Nuys, CA
I did try a kind of "half flush" using a vacuum bleeder on the box and pulling a liter of fluid directly out it while running fresh fluid into the reservoir. Everything coming out was completely clean. Would a full flush provide that much more of an advantage?

I was actually considering going the route of the Chevy pump replacement anyway. So, that probably won't cost that much more than a shop would charge for a flush? Plus, I don't want to risk the seals on the box with a failing pump, if the pump is the most likely culprit.

Thanks for the input. I should at least retry the "half flush" when the car is totally warmed up and the power steering has failed at idle to see if anything is different with the fluid coming out i.e.: bubbles, debris, etc.
 
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95 Discovery

Well-known member
Jul 10, 2007
165
0
I have this same problem at low speeds and idle but it can even happen when the truck is warm for me.
 
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ecaii

Active member
Feb 7, 2006
40
0
Van Nuys, CA
Yep, it ended up being the power steering pump. I went with the Chevy replacement for $65 through NAPA. It was a little difficult to transfer the pulley flange, but other than that a very simple and economical alternative. If you or anyone else wants any more details on the actual swap, let me know and I'll provide them here. I can provide part numbers as well. The new pump is marginally louder than the OE pump, but only really noticeable during parking lot driving. It's been in for a few months now and continues to perform well.
 
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ecaii

Active member
Feb 7, 2006
40
0
Van Nuys, CA
One hand turning, very smooth. It may even turn easier than the OE, but that's hard to say for sure since I don't know if the old pump was working at 100% when cold even though the power steering only went away completely once the fluid warmed up. Like I said, there is a minor whine when turning at a stand still or slow speeds that is noticeable over the stock unit. Nothing that would be heard over the radio though.
 
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ecaii

Active member
Feb 7, 2006
40
0
Van Nuys, CA
Here are the part numbers and prices from NAPA:

Powersteering Pump: #81-1425 $68.63
90 Deg. Hose: #9811 $15.99

You need the hose too because the connection on the Chevy pump is straight rather than the 90 degree on the stock pump.

I'll try and get a picture of the routing and final set up tomorrow to post so that you can see what I mean.

As for tips, the only thing I remember being at all difficult was removing the mounting flange for the pulley wheel from the old pump. The method that ended up working for me was using a 3 pronged gear puller and a rubber mallet. I would put tension on the gear puller and then tap the flange to elicit movement. Then add more tension back into the gear puller and tap a few times again. Repeating this process eased the flange off. Simply cranking on the gear puller wasn't doing anything for me and looked like it would result in warping the flange and, therefore, making the pulley and belt rotation off.

I know I also played around somewhat with the routing and length of the new hose to make sure it wouldn't kink. You'll have a better idea of what I ended up with once I post the pic. In the end I had cut somewhere between 2 and 3 inches off of the straight end to get everything to line up right for me.

You'll obviously be draining all the fluid, so make sure you have replacement of the right kind. If everything's original you'll need new clamps for the hose connections to the reservoir and the one on the pump. I used fuel injection hose clamps for the connections that were small enough and a standard for the other rather than the pinch ones that are stock. No leaks so far.

That's all I remember off the top of my head, but if you have questions or run into problems during the process, feel free to post them in this thread and I'll answer them as best I can.
 
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ecaii

Active member
Feb 7, 2006
40
0
Van Nuys, CA
I've tried attaching the pictures of the new hose routing a couple times in multiple formats and I keep getting an invalid file error. If you want to take a look at them, just PM me and I'll email them directly to you.
 
05LR3AZ

05LR3AZ

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2009
72
0
Arizona
ecaii said:
You need the hose too because the connection on the Chevy pump is straight rather than the 90 degree on the stock pump.
Click to expand...

On mine I just switched the connection over from my LR pump to my GM. I put it in a vice and carefully removed and re-attached. I didn't need to do anything different to the hoses.
 
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