Birdman01

last weekend the power steering started to make a loud noise and the steering was hard to turn. I went ahead and installed a new ( Rebuilt) power steering pump.Before replacing the pump,I went ahead and flushed the old fluid out. I than put the new pump on and bled the system. After putting everything together, I took it for a ride and the steering is hard when driving. It feels tlike there is no power steering at all. Need some help with this problem. Last year I replaced both the low and high pressure lines. There are no leaks at all and the belt is fairly new. Could there be something wrong with the gear box? Hoping someone can help with ideas or suggestions.
Thanks for any and all your help.

Gumby22

If you’re still needing an answer, yes, it’s possible the gear box is due for replacement, but there’s several possibilities.

Here’s a list of things to check.

1) Make sure the system has been properly bled. There’s several places in a PS system for air to get trapped and it can be difficult to get it all out. The telltale sign is intermittent whining from the pump. It will help if you get a vacuum pump and adapter to pull a vacuum on the reservoir as you bleed it. In the past, I’ve left the pump on it overnight to give the air time to work out.

2) Did you also replace the belt and tensioner? If not and you’re unsure when they were last replaced, I’d recommend replacing them anyway. A good belt with a worn tensioner (or a worn belt with a good tensioner) won’t provide adequate pump operation. Belt slip may or may not be happening.

3) Inspect the steering column u-joints for looseness and binding.

4) Inspect the steering linkage and ball joints for looseness and binding. The easiest way to do this is to have a helper turn the wheel while you inspect each joint in the linkage for movement with the wheels on the ground.