Hi all. I've got a 95 Aero 4.0 awd. I've just replaced the power steering pump with a cardone. Wished I didn't cause of the noise but afterwards the steering feels like it's in a bind when turning to the left. It may have been doing it before, the cv axles were shot when i bought her. I'm suspecting the rack is going bad. How hard is it to replace it on the awd?

 

I have often seen a rack and pinion fail shortly after putting in a new pump. And every reman I have run across squealed almost as bad as the old pump. My '97 Aerostar has a genuine Motorcraft reman, and it is nearly silent. What kind of fluid did you use? The wrong fluid will also cause squealing.

 

The store brand of p.s. fluid. The bottle stated that it met Ford specs. I think I can live with the squealing its the binding that's worrying me. All the air has been removed from the system. It had a remag pump on it but whomever installed it didn't put the pulley on right. It wasn't flush with the shaft.

 

GEt that crap out of your system. Ford spec doesn't use PS fluid. Fords use Mercon rated automatic transmission fluid. Currect spec is Mercon V. Drain all that crap out and replace with a good brand Mercon V ( Not a multi transmission formula, just straight Mercon V, I use Mobil 1 Fully synthetic Mercon V ) and see if that doesn't quiet down the squealing. Use of the wrong fluid will damage the pump.

 

Now I feel like an idiot. My dad was a technician for a Ford assembly plant and I use to know that about the fluid. Its been awhile since I really worked on fords. Just replaced the upper and lower ball joints Cv axles struts and outer tie rods ends and new motorcraft plugs and wires. (Someone had put the 3.0 plugs in it). Trying to save a Buck with the PS fluid. I'm gonna get the rack either tonight or tomorrow night and get some Mercon V. Im eventually gonna get a motorcraft pump after reading a past post about them. Like dad always said if you want a Ford to run like a Ford use Ford parts.

 

check for anything out of ordinary on both sides. (maybe inner tie rod)
I do remember when I had a taurus , the subframe bolt broke on driver side and when I turned the wheel left it hung up. Then had to pull it harder to finish the turn.
But anyhow, I would have someone turn the wheel while looking at all the moving parts.
Also it needs to be on the ground.

 

many of the store branded "Universal Power Steering Fluid"s have seal sweller/conditions and heavy duty solvent cleaners in them. they break loose old build up crud deposits and plug everything up.

about all they're good for is a last chance try at bandaid fix. ruin more parts than they fix.

flush your system first before changing the RP with low cost store brand Mercon ATF, 2 qts should do it with return line to pump tank pulled off for draining. let engine run for 15 seconds, shut off and refill pump reservoir. repeat for 2 qts, then change rack/pinion and put in the Mobil 1 same way.

I use Mobil 1 ATF Mercon in mine for last 150k, still original quiet pump.

put an inline filter in, switch the ATF air cooler up front over to the power steering as a cooler and put in a new large plate/fin ATF tranny cooler. put a soup can over the PS pump reservior fill cap to keep water draining from above out, kills more PS pumps on Aeros.

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/me...=inline-filter

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/me...e=tru-cool-lpd

most of your PS whine is probably from an old worn out R/P or worn out ball joints/tie rod ends that's putting extra strain on the pump. time to rebuild the front end.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=322683


believe aerocolorado did a thread on it with pics. search.

 

Thanks for the replys and the links. I actually checked the inner tie rods when I was rebuilding the front end. The only parts that weren't replaced was the inner tie rods and the control arm bushings. They actually felt good and the bushings weren't cracked or broken. Will be checking for lose or broken subframe bolts. I've had to put the Aero on the back burner for a couple of weeks I'm having to change out the fuel pumps on my 88 ranger. The van has 195k miles and all the ball joints and tierod ends were original and didn't appear to have been greased for a few years. All rusted and froze up. It might have caused the rack to wear out. I bought the van in Feb and probably have put about 20 miles on it until I started working on it a couple of weeks ago. I was actually hoping I wouldn't have to take the control arms of to change the rack but I found a link on the ranger section for free chiltons manual and it says to remove them as well

 

I never met an aero that didn't have the whine in the PS.. All 4 of mine have it..Never had to change a rack or pump yet. I just use mercon.

 

Meet me, my '97 Aero has completely silent PS. I used a genuine Motorcraft reman, used Mercon V, and I used a piece of radiator hose to make a better cowl drain that gets water completely away from the PS reservior. My brother made the coment the other day "Your steering is, quiet, must be broken". Actually though, since you have not seen or heard my system in person, I guess I don't count.

Most Ford PS make at least some noise, but if the fluid is routinely replaced with the proper Mercon, they last much longer and run much quieter.

 

We used to have many aero's here in vermont...I could tell it was one by the PS noise with my eye's closed..Mine aren't bad at all so It doesn't bother me. Rust will claim my vans way before most parts wear out anyway..Khan I was just describing from my point of view..I was under the impression that all aero's made PS noise and it was normal..Also I accepted the fact that yours is quiet. Acually I wouldn't expect any less from you..For most guy's a little noise is normal and an aero thing for some reason which I don't think anyone has figured out..


Dick

 

Its an Aero thing because water gets into them. The way the factory drain cowl works, all it takes is a little dirt or leaves or needles inside the cowl (trust me, there will be unless the van is kept in a garage all its life) and the drain plugs, then the cowl fills with water till it leaks out the top, and it drips right onto the ps reservoir cap, which in turn lets the water in. Also sometimes the drain tube gets lost, and drains right onto reservoir. The water then mixes with the fluid and turns it into a milkshake. The PS pump was designed to run on Mercon ATF, not milkshake. The contaminated fluid does not have the proper lubriscosity or viscosity, and has the wrong amount of friction modification. This damages the entire PS system from the inside, especially the pump.

 

Not just Aeros, but many Fords using the newer design PS pumps introduces in the mid-70s'.

The PS pump in my 87 Mustang was noisy since it was brand new, as did a lot of Fords built since the mid-70's, and they did not have cowl drains leaking into them. When I was working for Ford in the late 70's and early 80's, almost all of our test cars, that had just come off the assembly line, made noise from their PS pumps. It seemed like a feature of the new design using the plastic housing. The previous design pumps made by Saginaw Steering Gear were all metal, and only got noisy when they ran low, or were wearing out. The new design was supposed to be lighter and consume less energy, but the whining just seems to be part of the way it works. They also have a nasty habit of running out of power after being used a lot. For example, if I took my Mustang through a slalom at high speeds, the steering effort would get very heavy after about 3 cones as the PS started to lose power assist. You probably wouldn't ever drive an Aerostar like that, but if you've ever had to make several hard alternating turns in rapid succession for any reason, watch out for this. And you will hear the PS pump working hard to try to keep up.

Interestingly, one of my co-workers claimed that he got his pump in his newer car to run quietly by using type-F ATF instead of the Ford spec'd Mercon. I never heard from him about long term effects, but his PS pump was very quiet.

 

how can the spout get lost if it is connected with a round clip and bottom part is over a bolt? on mine I don't have the clip on the top but just have it on the bolt. Also ,my ps pump does NOT make noises of what some claim. Everything is original except starter, O2 , plugs, and all filters. it is a 95 extend with e4wd. with 214k on it... It does not matter where you live, it matters how it is taken care of... Works both ways and people wonder why auto's breakdown....

 

I do take care of my cars, but my PS pumps all made noise. As I said, I had my 87 Mustang since new, and it was noisy from the night I drove it off the lot. And the cars we worked on at Ford also came straight from the assembly lines, with minimal "dealer prep", and they all had noisy PS pumps. I think one of my co-workers said it had to do with the new bypass valve design, which was noisier than the old style, and how the noise is amplified by the plastic housing. Even the guy who got his quiet using type-F says it makes kind of a hissing noise when you're doing a high-effort turn, such as turning while sitting still in a parking lot. I hear that a lot on mine. The old style made a lot less noises under those conditions.