Hi, I just purchased a '92 F150 with 84K. This thing is built solid! I'm new to Fords and need some advice. The PS makes a heck of a racket when turning at rest or moving down the road. The noise appears to be coming from the pump (C-11). It sounds like the pump is out of fluid, which it is not. With no steering input, it is fairly quiet. I have 2 friends with F150s and theirs are no where as noisey as mine. I understand that Ford PS pumps are a bit noisey even when new. However my Ford screams as soon as steering is imputed. Also I can see some back and forth axial movement of the PS pulley when steering input is initiated. I suspect that the PS pump needs replaced and I am looking at going with a Carquest rebuilt pump. hi-press hose (leaking a bit) and Ford fluid. Any advise on what my problem is (am I on track?), a rebuilt vs. new pump and any tips when doing this job. Thanks, what a great forum. Charles

 

Ford is known for a few bad things in the late 80's to early 90's: bad front/rear main seals, poor charging systems, and leaky power steering.

I used to own an '88 TownCar that the pump leaked hard-core as did the gear box. I replaced both with a re-man'd ones and it lasted for about one year. Front seal began to leak and the rotor came off and the pump broke! I'd say go with a new pump if funds allow. The gear box was fine. Is steering at slow speeds difficult?

Also, I would change out the rubber hoses while the system is apart. No sense in having those leak too after spending the time to replace the other parts.

Someone on here told me that by install a small powe steering cooler will keep the system from going bad. When I decide to replace mine on my truck I will be installing a small $30 cooler for piece of mine.

Good luck!

 

Hitman, thanks for the reply. Steering effort seems ok at low speeds. It's just the racket that seems to be coming from the pump when turing the steering wheel either direction. Being new to Fords. I wanted to be on the right track by talking to you veterans before purchasing parts. I will give the local dealer a call and get a price on a new pump and see how bad its going to be. Again thanks for the reply. Charles

 

If you aren't against parts stores, O'Reilly and Napa carry good reman/new parts. AutoZone and PepBoys are iffy with their parts that are that way.

The pump and gear box swap on my TownCar was about $600 with parts and labor. I think the pump was around $100 and the gear box about $150. The pump is far less labor intensive than the gear box.

Good luck

 

I had an `88 F150 I6 , same thing , that power steering pump whined for the 3 years I had it, never blew out! As long as the steering wheel doesn`t skip , and it`s not too hard to turn , drive it , unless the noise is aggravating you!
Congrats on the purchase of the truck , I`ve had nothing but luck with my Fords.

sty

 

I have a 93 F-250 460, Mine whines pretty bad. Sister inlaw has a Taurus the same year same noise, sounds like it is out of juice, I bought a new one off ebay for 25 bucks, I think I am going to put it in this week. I have heard from a mechanic, its from turning the wheels too much without the vehical moving. Puts a lot of added stress on the pump, and the vanes wear out. The inline filter can get plugged too from crap in the system, starving it from juice.

 

The pump in my 88 f150 was the loudest id ever heard . A friend thats a winns rep gave me some of their additive ( I did end up with 4X the amount the bottle said I needed in it) and I haven't heard the pump since. I'm not big on additives but I was getting ready to pitch the pump so I thought Id try it. That was 3-4 years ago.

 

Swap it for a Saginaw pump from a similar year van. I did this on my 89 F150 with a 302. The Ford pump could not turn the larger than stock tires when moving slow. Not sure if you can do the same with the I6 but I would think you could. You will need the bracketry from the van, maybe the high pressure hose. It is a much stronger pump and is quiet. Maybe someone else has done this with your vehicle??
Mark

 

Just an update. I priced a new pump at the dealer: $197.00
So ran down to Carquest and went with a rebuilt and new hoses. Flushed a couple quarts of Type F thru the new pump and box into a container to get the old fluid/trash out. Reattached the return line, refilled and purged the system. Noise is gone. So looks like the old pump was on it's last legs. Thanks for everyone's input. On to the next item to be fixed! Charles