Power Steering Overheating
 

Just replaced the rack&pinion (after seal blew out and filled the column boot), outer tie rods, knuckles and then installed a brand new pump this morning. I flushed the lines by disconnecting the return line from the pump and turning the wheels repeatedly. When i started the truck ('02 Trailblazer LT), it seemed a little stiff but not enough to worry with. Within a few minutes, with the cap off to check for bubbles and top it off, it "boiled over" and the pump is too hot to touch. There was a bit of noise on start up but seemed to quieten down. Admittedly, the pump is a cheap one from Amazon but it is new. Any ideas out there amongst you gurus as to what is causing the excessive heating? The pump was a complete unit including the reservoir and pulley. The method I used for flushing should have flushed the cooler too, right? (Posted in multiple forums)

My first thought is you received a defective power steering pump. Yes, even new parts can be bad out of the box, especially no name cheapy brands from the likes of Amazon and e-bay.

I would suggest getting a Lares or an Edelmann power steering pump from rockauto.com. You should receive a decent pump with a decent warranty for a decent price. I would also purchase a brand new pump rather than a remanufactured pump.

Good Luck!

The pump was defective. I think they failed to secure the reservoir to the pump body because it was leaking at that connection. Had them send another one overnite and it seems to be holding up. Still had a lot of noise under the hood, but turned out to be the belt tensioner (which is right below the PS pump.) By the time I finish fixing this thing it will be practically new.