jacobking

my friends 92 sc400 loses power steering only after driving really fast for a while (90mph for 15 minutes). i'm guessing that its just his pump going out? any other ideas? thanks guys!

Carbon J

iTrader: (3)

Check the fluid level when the car is hot, look for leaks or grinding noise from the pump. Better hurry before the steering rack goes.

jacobking

so would you think replacing the pump should solve the problem?

Fred Smith

Sounds a bit like mine. I did a big donut, and I think slightly damaged the seals, letting air in. It would only really let the air in at high engine speed, so I could drive around all day and it would be OK.. as soon as I gave it a bit, the air went in, and no more PS under 2000rpm.

Air in the pump then caused it to kinda seize, and bent the crap out of the whole inside. Not only did I then need to get the pump reco'd, they barely gave me any credit for my core. I would say, find a PS shop, and ask them to pull your pump apart and put in new seals and bearing and tell you if anything else is screwed. The seals and bearing are dirt cheap, and hopefully this way you just get charged for the labor time (1-2 hours?)... if you just walk in and say "new pump please", they charge you 3 times as much for the same thing. Oh, and taking the pump out yourself only takes like 30 minutes.. then bleed it well when it's back together. That takes ages.

My steering shop told me the Soarer/SC4 pumps tend to eat seals because they don't get along well with the red ATF after a few years. They gave me some clearish greenish fluid to use instead. I replaced the reservoir to pump hose as well, as it was cheap and could be the only other source of air getting in.