Date:         Sun, 19 Dec 2004 15:31:05 -0800
Reply-To:     Joe Lin <joeminglin@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
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From:         Joe Lin <joeminglin@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Power Steering dilemma - revisited
Comments: To: "Vanagon-EngConv@yahoogroups.com"
          <Vanagon-EngConv@yahoogroups.com>,
          "Vanagon-Westfalia@yahoogroups.com"
          <Vanagon-Westfalia@yahoogroups.com>,
          "vanagon@yahoogroups.com" <vanagon@yahoogroups.com>,
          "subaruvanagon@yahoogroups.com" <subaruvanagon@yahoogroups.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

First off, thanks for everyone offering to sell me their extra pumps.  I’ve got a few people that I need to get back to.  Im pretty sure that I need a pump now b/c when I ran it for about 1.5 minutes it started smoking, not good.



Now I need to help to see why the pump failed and whether it is just isolated to the pump.

History:

·        Steering Rack seal failed on passenger side.  I drove it home without removing the belt.  The drive was about 20 minutes.  Drove around for the next week w/o power steering.

·        Replaced rack, (used Mobil Mercon V ATF which say Dexron compatible), got steering alignment….Happy Again!!

·        A week later the steering froze.  To be specific, I took an hour drive, parked for about 10 minutes, started up again, pulled out of the parking lot to a traffic light and the steering wheel started SHUTTERING VIOLENTLY left to right and then came to a lock.  I had to use all my weight to turn the wheel, luckily for me there was a gas station at that corner.  I removed the belt and noticed no loss of steering fluid and the pump was not smoking.

·        Drove home, no power steering.  One of the things I noticed was that it was a bit more difficult to steer than when there was a leak in the rack seal.  The steering is rough, sort of like there is clicking and it does not return to center after a turn.

·        Further testing revealed shuttering at start-up and then smoking.  One of the things that I noticed was that the “Pressure Line to Steering Gear” as Bentley puts it, has 2 electrical connectors that I cannot find any info for in the Bentley.  One of these connectors was unplugged.  What is that connector for?



So a rundown of questions that I am asking are:

   Is the Mobil Mercon V ATF ok to use?
   What is that connector for at the end of the power steering line?
   Why was the steering so rough this time compared to when I had the leak?
   My biggest concern is that the shuttering doesn’t come back again…..so when I replace the pump, well, then what?  I was going to drain the PS system, new filter, new/used pump but the shuttering is freaky.  I would not to have had it happen at speed.
   Could it be material in the fluid line someplace?  Something that got into the pump?  When I replaced the rack, it was sitting without the lines capped off.  I don’t see how anything would have gotten in there.
   Anyone have this happen to them?



Thanks in advance

Joe - a little unnerved on what just happened

87 Wolf

81K miles



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