i have an 83 f150. i took it offroad and lost the power steering cap somehow. then i lost my power steering.i replaced the cap and i still dont hve power steering. is it because the power steering pump is shot?

 

Did you refill the pump? If yes, then your pump is shot.

 

yeah i refilled it. do u think itd be possible to rebuild it for cheaper than a new one?

 

I doubt that you have the tools or could rebuild one yourself.

I would see what they want for a remanufactured one, or get another one from the junk yard. They shouldn't be too expensive remanufactured.

 

ok. im gonna get a remanufactued one and try to put it on tommorow.
also can i replace the metal line from the pump with rubber hose? because the metal line has a leak in it and i dont feel like spending a lot of money on a prebent metal line.

 

I wouldn't --it's a safety issue!

 

No. That line is a high pressure line.

Rubber hose will not stand up to the pressure and it'll spray fluid all over the engine compartment and it could possibly start a major fire.

Do it right and get the correct hose.

 

alright. thats why ive been avoiding fixing it. i wasnt sure rubber hose would work.

is there anyway to test the pump?
and could there be anything else thatwould kill the power steering.
i drove it for awhile after the power steering went out andbefore i noticed the cap was gone

 

Uh, how bad is the high pressure line leaking? Could be your problem. They're like $13 bucks new...

 

If you are talking about the steel line that is looped on the front of the crossmember, you can repair this with a rubber hose, or get some universal brake line(don't worry it's cheap) and re-bend the loop and make it up. This loop is a cooler for the steering system, and is on the suction side of the pump. The other hose/metal line is the high pressure side.

 

ok. its the one thats in front of the crossmember.

 

Like Dave said, that's a low pressure cooler line. You can get some 3/8 brake line and make your own. It helps to use a small tubing bender though or you'll kink the lines trying to get those tight radii.

 

today after getting a chance to examine my truck after saturday nights mudding i realized that the power steering pump wasnt bad, all it was was that the belt was off. so i put te belt on again and drove it for awhile. but then the belt came off again. i put it back on and then noticed the leak from the hose was way worse. fluid was just pouring from it. i traced the line and it looks like it goes to the trannsmission. but it is draining fluid from the power steering. also i found out that my truck wont go in reverse or drive, i have to floor it to barely move. so i patched the leak and thought i was set. the truck sorta went but then nothing. looked again and the belt was off. i put the belt on again, and at first the trcuk moved but then nothing. so i looked again and the belt was spiinning around really loosely. so is there anyway that the belt around the power steering effects the transmission? or is it just bad luck. also why does the belt keep coming off? is it becuase i dont have the pulleys aligned? if so, how do i align them properly. and if the belt is causing tranny issues why didnt it do it before, when it first came off? becuase the trannmission was working fine because i drove it back home.
sorry about the longass post.

 

Ok...if you've got a big leak from what appears to be a transmission cooling line and the truck won't move, it's more than likely transmission fluid that's leaking. Fix that and the truck will probably move. As far as the belt coming off the power steering pump, make sure the belt is tight enough to begin with, that your hold down bolt on the power steering pump isn't slipping, and check all your pulleys for dents.

 

i fixed the leak and the tranny fluid level is good but the power steering level dropped significatnly after i notcied the large leak which lead me to belive it is a power steering line