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I Have A 1991 Aerostar Ext Eddie Bauer The Power Steering Pump Has Gone Out And The Steering Seems To Be Locked,the Steering Wheel Will Not Turn.i Am Not A Mechanic But Am Willing To Try If I Knew Exactly What Is Wrong.is It Normal For The Wheel Not To Turn When The Pump Goes Out Or Should It Just Be Hard To Turn?if I Have To Take It In I Don't Want To Get Ripped!i Would Greatly Appreciate Any Suggestions.this Is The Second Pump That I Have To Replace In 4 Years,is This Normal?
Thanks For Your Your Suggestions
If the power steering pump goes out on a steering system that normally has power assist from the pump, it will be very hard to turn. You will need arms like our Governator to turn the wheel, and doing so for too long can cause excessive wear on the steering column parts. If you can turn while the car is moving, the effort should be somewhat less.
The steering sould not lock as xlt4wd90 said. Your rack maybe what is out, not the pump. If the rack locking up may cause the pump to make noise or fail. If you have to change the rack and the pump, think about changing the lines between the two also, that way everything is clean. If you change the rack, the bolts going though the frame have nuts on them behind the crossmenber, I say this because when I did mine I did not see the nuts and asumed that the bolts were treaded into the frame, broke one wrench before I fond this out. I would also replace the tierod ends and do a alinement. Hope this helps.