Power Steering shaft is loose

[Mark]

Alright, here is the latest in my saga of the power steering pump.
I pulled the serpetine belt tonight and was checking the pulley on the PS pump. I couyld slide it in and out about a 1/4".
This has got to be the source of the groan the pump experiences after a few turns into a drive.

I wonder why LR never checked this when I had it in for service, or maybe they did and it is normal.

Well Guys?

New pump?

 

[joey]

1/4 of play is not normal in my opinion, sounds like the pump has gone bad.

 

[Mark]

The saga continues... I went and took the belt off the engine. That is when I found the shaft, with pulley, capable of sliding in and out about 1/4". The next day I ordered a new pump and hose kit from AB.​

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A certified Land Rover specialist in Wilmington NC is going to install the parts this coming Tuesday. I have been driving for two days and except for a squeak on the belt from the old bar of soap trick (and stopped by running some water on the belt and to rinse the engine) the groaning has STOPPED! I was doing figure eights, taking left and right turns all around town, turning sharp and wide, slow and fast, and I still cannot get the pump to groan.​

Go figure.
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I am going to install the pump anyways, just for peace-of-mind, but can any one explain to me what in the world was going on?
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Before I put the belt back on, I played with the tensioner some and wonder whether it was pulling too tight on the belt. So I cycled it a few times with the 15mm wrench.
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So I wonder, do I have a good pump or not.
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What's the word?

 

[joey]

If you have a 1/4 inch play in the shaft, then I would say it is bad. As far as why it isn't making any more noise, I can't answer that.

 

[Mark]

I did not push the shaft all the way back in when I was messing with it this morning. It groaned real loud a few miles down the road. Pulled the belt and pushed the shaft firmly in place, dropped the belt back on and no noise.

Go figure.

I think I am going to ask for my PS pump back Tuesday and may delve into the innards to see what the noise is all about. If I take it home and open the infernal box to see what is in there: type of vanes, material type; examine for FOD or wear, etc. I'll post the results here. later.

 

[joey]

FOD..... I haven't heard that term in awhile.... USN VA-65 and remember it is just FO until is causes Damage....

 

[Mark]

Well I replaced my PS pump Tuesday at Cape Fear Import Specialists in Wilmington NC and needles to say it is FINE!!!

I took the old pump home with me to dissect the innards and see why the noise was there and whether any metal shavings was found in the system.

The pump is a centrifugal vane pump with very hard steel surfaces. I saw no wear on the vanes or the pump surfaces. What I saw is some scoring on the pump shaft, which had slid out of the roller bearings and race pressed in the end cap of the pump. It took six bolts to remove the end cap. The bearings looked fine, so I suspect the shaft at one time was forced outward (do not know why) until it was out enough to keep the vanes from maintaining a pressure differential. This would be where the cavitation/air bubbles were forming. I noticed on the shaft end by the pulley a dust cap should have been flush with the pump but was not. This cap had never been flush with the pump since I owned it (last may 2004). It was just a matter of time before the shaft slid out and it did. Every time I pushed the shaft back into the pump the noise went away and everything ran fine until the shaft worked its way back outward. Also CFIS found that when the outside bracket cover was removed, two bolts were missing. Previously, I had to tighten the bolt on the bottom left and tighten the pulley. Somewhere along the way, the pump was not installed correctly and eventually worn down the shaft, probably from vibration (the steering appears to be smoother) until the last grip from the bearing gave way. I doubt more than 0.0005 thousandths was removed from the shaft during the wear operation.

Now I know.

So I can conclude that if the PS pump is making noise, look for the aforementioned conditions by removing the belt and pulling on the pulley. All other actions might well be futile.

Thanks Guys!