Bleeding power steering?
 

Hi,

The truck is a 1986 F250 4x4 with the 300 six and a 4-speed.

My PS cooler line sprung a leak so I fixed that but now I've got no PS at all. I had power assist when I started to bleed (wheels up, steering lock to lock). I was parking when the line went and I lost assistance, so the pump wasn't run dry.

Have I missed a detail of the bleeding sequence or did my pump coincidentally go up at the same time?

Plenty of fluid, belt is fine, no noises...just no assist.

Thanks!
Tim

Im interested in this also as I have a power steering hose I need to replace soon.

The way I have always done it is to pop the cap, start the vehicle and turn lock to lock for awhile, sometimes it can take awhile.

There is no bleeding the power steering...

It's an open ended circuit thus will bleed itself with a couple lock to lock turns.

-Enjoy
fh <font color="#FF0000">:</font> )_~

I had a similar problem with my p/s after both box and pump were rebuilt. Long story short, it turns out that the shaft in the pump is disengaging from the pump rotor. The whole shaft and pulley work its way forewards until it disengages - then no ps, push it back in and it works. I assume some bonehead left the c-clip off the end of the shaft where it goes thru the rotor when it was being put back together.

Might be your problem, might not....

I have never had one stop completely. Usually they are just noisy and the oil is all foamy when they have air in them, but they still work. Getting all the air out is a problem with Fords, and I believe the dealers had a vacuum device they fit over the reservoir to try to get it all out. But like I said, that's just to reduce the pump noise, otherwise they still work.

Take the line off the steering box and also the belt off the pump, and see if when you turn the pulley by hand, you get oil out of the pressure line.

Jack the front tires off the ground and push/pull a wheel back ane forth slowly, stop to stop without the engine running.

Thats ludicrous, there is no way to vacuum off aeration.

If your powersteering is aerating the fluid there is a problem with the pump and no bleeding or vacuum is going to solve it.

It's an open ended system and as long as the pump is not re-introducing air the solid stream of fluid will push the air through the system into the reservoir.

-Enjoy
fh <font color="#FF0000">:</font> )_~

Franklin,

Just so it's clear, I am not dissing you on this, I am dissing the notion that a open ended hydraulic system needs to be bled.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

Well thanks all. Sounds like I haven't missed anything. Guess the pump went up at the same time.

I did splice a hose over the bad section of the hard cooler line (since nobody carries this piece) but I can't imagine that would cause a problem since there's already flexible hose in the return line.

hey Tim in MD I see your from the great state I'm in stop by the maryland chapter some time-we would love to have ya it's under forums then chapters-see ya there:)