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Old Sep 10, 2005 | 12:54 AM
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Noisy power steering

I know that Ford power steering pumps whine, but mine is too the point where I can't hear the sound of the truck anymore. I did a search on this topic and found that people are swapping in Saginaw (GM I beleive) pumps in place of the Ford one. Has anyone done this? Does anyone have any tips for me if I decide to do this? Would another Ford one be better? Thanks for all the help in advance. I want to redo the exhaust, but would like to make the whine stop before I spend the $ so I can actually hear the exhaust
 
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Old Sep 10, 2005 | 09:32 AM
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Originally Posted by bchunter
I know that Ford power steering pumps whine, but mine is too the point where I can't hear the sound of the truck anymore. I did a search on this topic and found that people are swapping in Saginaw (GM I beleive) pumps in place of the Ford one. Has anyone done this? Does anyone have any tips for me if I decide to do this? Would another Ford one be better? Thanks for all the help in advance. I want to redo the exhaust, but would like to make the whine stop before I spend the $ so I can actually hear the exhaust
This won't be the most popular option, but flush out your power steering fluid with Dexron and do a real thorough job. Next, go to your Ford parts man and get a rebuilt power steering pump. Don't get one from your local chain aftermarket stores. They are junk. Replace your pump with the Ford pump, add Dexron, jack up the front end of your vehicle to take the weight off the wheels and turn your steering wheel all the way back and forth to get the air out. Refill to spec. Let your vehicle sit overnight to allow all the air to escape from the oil and you will have a quiet system again.
I'll give you a clue. The pumps replaced at your dealer have very little whine. Notice that I didn't say this was the cheapest option.
 
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Old Sep 10, 2005 | 10:22 AM
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My Cherokee whined incredibly loud when I bought it. I figured I'd have to put a new pump in it for sure. Just for the heck of it I topped it off with Prestone P/S stop leak and conditioner and the whine was gone! Right away too, no waiting. I was/am impressed, because I have no faith in all of those snake oils in bottles and cans. And I didn't even drain out the old stuff either.
Several years later and currently at 260K it's still fine and I haven't had to touch it at all.
 
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Old Sep 11, 2005 | 06:59 PM
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Does anyone have a write up on flushing the power steering system on a 80-86 F250?
 
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Old Sep 12, 2005 | 02:22 PM
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I was just at the shop and the mechanic said he flushes it and adds a little bit of the conditioner that they put in the limited slip diffs and he said that that has cured all the noisy ones he has heard. For 1 hour shop rate, I think it is worth a try. Alot cheaper then buying a new pump.
 
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Old Sep 13, 2005 | 06:42 PM
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I just tried the route of flushing and adding the limited slip conditional. Doesn't work. It is a little bit quieter, but it is still there. Guess I just gotta learn to live with it.
 
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Old Sep 23, 2005 | 12:16 AM
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Originally Posted by bchunter
For 1 hour shop rate, I think it is worth a try. Alot cheaper then buying a new pump.
...but not as cheap as a can SeaFoam and an hours worth of my time...
 
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Old Sep 23, 2005 | 11:40 AM
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It has been a little over a week now since I flushed the power steering and added the additive. It is starting to quiet down. Even my huntin buddy noticed the difference. So I guess it was worth it.
 
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Old Sep 25, 2005 | 08:29 PM
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just swap it with one out of an full size ford van they are saginaw and I can push fallen trees to the side with my 38" ground hawgs no squeeling and took about 35 min to put it in (took 45 min to get it out of the van [no hood prop and front end damage on the van}
 
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 10:10 AM
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And it will bold right in and work with the stock belt?
 
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 10:20 AM
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if you are lucky mine took some time to get the belt but I didnt think of playing with the brackets but belts are easy to get one close and then fine tune the bracket or fit the pump in then measure and get the belt they come in all sizes
 
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 09:30 PM
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i had the same problem with my 78 4x4. it took draining the system and refilling it with locus stop leak and conditioner. now my 36's covered in gumbo don't even make it wine.
 
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Old Oct 5, 2005 | 11:56 PM
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Originally Posted by bchunter
It has been a little over a week now since I flushed the power steering and added the additive. It is starting to quiet down. Even my huntin buddy noticed the difference. So I guess it was worth it.
It may take several months for the pwer steering to quiet down. I finally noticed that my 95 Town Car had stopped making noise the other day and that it was smooth on both ends of the turn. I used the Lucas flush and refilled it with a quality power steering fluid.
 
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Old Oct 7, 2005 | 11:18 AM
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That is what I am noticing. The longer I drive it, the quieter it is getting. Thanks for all the help guys.
 
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Old Oct 7, 2005 | 11:40 AM
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BC,

If you still want to swap in a saginaw pump, find a 300 powered Ford Van at a junkyard. Ford used the saginaw pumps on Vans and Lincolns. If you find the late model van w/300, then you can get the serpantine pulley and required bracketry (the saginaw mount is different than the ford pump) for the swap to be a bolt up on your outfit.
 
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