Seems my power steering pump is leaking badly enough that it is now empty after the truck has sat for about a month. I had just replaced a leaking ps line and thought that would take care of the problem - seems it goes beyond that.
Should I remove the pump and rebuild it? How difficult is that job? What would a shop charge to do that? Any other suggestions?

Truck is an early 1994 F350 turbo diesel VIN K (I think).

Tom

 

Replace the pump. Cost for repl. pump is less than $100.

The biggest part of the job is the removal and replacement of the pulley. You will need a special puller to get the pulley off the old pump shaft and onto the new pump. Pump won't come out until the pulley is off. Be careful not to bend the pulley, best to make sure you got the right tool. Price for a proper pulley puller is cheaper than a new pulley.

If your truck is a 4x4, make sure you got a 4x4 pump, they are different from the 2 wheel drive pumps which will fit but will not last.

Lastly, if you do have a 4x4 check your outer axle U-joints. If they are rusted up and or worn the steering will jam up during turns which may be the reason why your pump and hose went south in the first place. When the steering jams the pump will put out maximum pressure, much like it does when you got the steering wheel cranked to one side. Not good for the pump or the steering box, so check your U-Joints and replace them. Even if you don't use the 4x4 alot, the joints get water in them, and usually one side of the spindle rust up while the other side wears out. Once you got play in them they will jam up as you to steer.

Seb...

 

gotta agree with the careful of the pulley removal. there's a pulley removal tool/installation tool that's around 20 to 30 bucks at car quest that i found works perfectly. when you get ready to change pumps, the easiest thing to do is remove the old one and take it with you to the parts place to make certain you get the right one. there's an SAE and a metric for these trucks and they don't interchange. just my thoughts.
speedrdr

 

Some auto places will let you rent the tool for no charge, like o-rilies. You will have to put down the cost of the tool as a deposit but you will get it back in total when you return the tool. Good luck

 

if it is just leaking you can get a seal kit and reseal it
itis pretty simple you just have to have the pulley removal tool and a repair manual
i just replaced the front seal in mine last week
the only difference in the pumps are the outlet fitting so if you decide to replace it make sure they match

 

I get my seal kits from the dealer for under $9 and it even had an instuction sheet; not that i needed it or anything.....

 

the sector shaft seal on the box is also prone to leaking. you can get a new seal kit for them forget how much..definilty under 50 bucks. you may need to clean everything and fill it up start the truck and get a buddy to turn the wheel back and forth to see exactly where its leaking.