power steering pumps gone bang!! -- HELP!!!--

[adam172]

Took the car out on track today for the first time and after my second session the power steering fluid had exploded all over the under side of my bonnet and up the front window :dapprove:

after that the steering felt VERY heavy at slow speeds(by slow i mean just pit lane speed...) it was fine out on track!!

im guessing its my power steering pump thats gone

how much am i looking at to get this fixed? and whats involved im guessing aux belt

thanks

adam

 

[mr.pink87]

Are you sure that none of the pressure lines "exploded"? Has the pump been noisy before?

 

[adam172]

never been noisy before even on full lock ect...

its noisey now when i turn left, tbh not much fluid got lost infact the fluid is still pretty hi up ? (btw it wasnt over filled)

so im guessing none of the lines have come off or i would have lost more fluid ? no?

 

[mr.pink87]

Where did the fluid on bonnet/windscreen come from? Reservoir?

 

[adam172]

well... this is whats confusing it looks like it come from the reservoir but the lid was TAF, although it may have come from the big pipe underneath.

the steering has gone gone majorly heavy at low speeds....

 

[Sam@NP]

You went back out on track leaking PAS fluid? Silly.

 

[adam172]

tbh it wasnt leaking, everything was checked, it didnt loose hardly any fluid apart from the small amount splattered on the underside of the bonnet. the the steering feels fine at speed 25mph+ but any slower and its heavy as hell.

 

[adam172]

so guys does this sound like the pump ?

 

[Dan519]

sounds like there's no fluid left in the system

 

[scotty2hotty81]

You went back out on track leaking PAS fluid? Silly.

Death wish more like :nono:

 

[adam172]

But the resevoir is full ? It feels and driveS fine just heavy at slow speeds like I say ? The fluid was boiling as if it had boiled over but now I'm getting a whine ect .... Like the pumps gone ....

 

[adam172]

Could anybody give me any advice on how I can check the power steering pump ?

Thanks

And how much I'm looking at for a new one fitted please?

 

[Sam@NP]

Pumps are around £175 iirc and you will need a new aux belt and tensioner. Its about a 3 hour job.

 

[SBV116]

Just done a pump exact same symptons, his knackered on the nurburgring!

 

[Sam@NP]

Mine went at Donnington

 

[adam172]

ok thanks is it the simple matter of the fluid boiling over and starving the pump/drying the bearing ect....

if so is they a way of cooling the system. ?oil cooler?

just dont really want to get a new one then the same happen next time i go out on track (im thinking of using the car ALLOT more on track...)

 

[oscar13]

have you tried flushing the fluid and puttiing more in? not halfords stuff? if your getting a whine and like a struggling sound at any speed it will be pump, and if it goes silent, your pump is burned out

 

[adam172]

at speed its fine (i did another 4 or 5 20mins sessions round brands like it) its just at slow speeds; crawling pace ect.....

so you think it might be worth flushing it through first ?

 

[oscar13]

yeh well its cheaper than buying a new pump when you didnt need one. you might want to have a seive or something for your old fluid and see if you can see shards of metal from the pump. if there are and theres lots of them you might decide to replace hoses too

 

[Jonny1*2]

Death wish more like :nono:

How is it a death wish? Steering will still work without the fluid. Granted it's a little careless going out with potentially leaky fluids as this may cause an accident to people following.

If you've got a full resevoir could you have a blockage somewhere in the system?

 

[mr.pink87]

ok thanks is it the simple matter of the fluid boiling over and starving the pump/drying the bearing ect....

if so is they a way of cooling the system. ?oil cooler?

just dont really want to get a new one then the same happen next time i go out on track (im thinking of using the car ALLOT more on track...)

That's why i binned the PAS

 

[Rob]

at speed its fine (i did another 4 or 5 20mins sessions round brands like it) its just at slow speeds; crawling pace ect.....

so you think it might be worth flushing it through first ?

At speed it's fine because it'll always be fine at speed, there's no need for PAS at speed.

I'd flush it through as said, see you if works/if you find a leak.

 

[adam172]

Ok next question. How do i flush it through ??

 

[Dan519]

Ok next question. How do i flush it through ??

jack up the car so wheels are off the ground, fill the reservoir, then turn lock to lock with the engine running, and top up the fluid as needed and keep goin until you find a leak, or the level stays up.

 

[adam172]

Danny I have just done what you said but can't see any leaks anywhere the fluid has stayed exactly where it was. Does this clarify it's the pump also is it ok to drive with it like that ?

 

[adam172]

plus I am getting a whinning noise when on full lock, left and right