Yep, you found it. Bet when you pull one of the vacuum hoses off PS
fluid will run out. Time to go clean out the throttlebody too. Sorry B
I missed this post before. (that switch ain't cheap, hold your bottom)

Off topic.. I got the humpty thing ... LOL. I'm really not into rap but
digital underground was great, lyrics were always funny, no hateing.

 

I think when I replaced the HPH last summer I put the vac lines on backwards on the control valve. I reversed them today, we'll see if it clears up.

 

I figure this can't be a good thing..........

 

anyone need their tires aired up?

 

LOL, didn't see that before PM. NICE!

 

Odd, I've had three eclipses that started doing that..first was my 97 gsx..that one got a brand new pump under warranty. 2nd and third were both of my 1990 GSX's. Seems to only happen when it is really cold too. Fill it up full and it spits back out..sometimes randomly. I'm thinking I have a seal in the rack that sucks air when cold..so as the pump is sucking fluid out of the rack (and it does actually suck, it isn't just residual pressure pushing it back into the return, although that is most of the return pressure), and air is being mixed in with it. The fluid gets aireated and being cold, the small bubbles can't get out of the fluid very fast. Since air does take up space, the reservior overflows until the leak gets sealed up by heat expansion, and then it will settle down and play nice, let you refill it and everything will be fine until the next time it gets cold.. I would bet that if you left this until summer, it wouldn't foam up at all.

Even a pinhole somewhere is enough to cause this. I thought my power steering pump was running backwards the first time I saw this..even the dealership hadn't seen anything like it (when my 97 only had 6k miles on it this happened). For me, changing the pump worked on the 97, and I just live with it in the 90's as they're both winter beaters now. Both pumps are noisy and growl like hell when cold, and they foam just like that..when warm, they play nice..
I'd be looking for a pinhole leak in the rack or the suction side. However, a friend mentioned some internal pressure relief valve inside the pump might be responsible..as it could let air in somehow?
Dave

 

im not sure if u fixed your car yet or not but a test we do where i work is poke a hole in the tie rod boots with a small pick, which will not hurt it, and if fluid leaks out your seals(rack) are bad since fluid shouldnt leak out if the seals are good im sure you already now but all that foam is from air in the system

 

Did Ya Fix It??

 

death in family = who cares about car. I'll fix it next week.

 

Yup, we do that at my school also, very good way to check.

 

OOOOOOOOKKKKK. Here's the fun I have had...

Going on advice from our resident mechanic moderator, I removed the vacuum lines and plugged them leaving only the outlets from the valve on the PS pump open to check for leaking.

Obviously, as we know, it was leaking. The vacuum lines give the system power assist at low rpm (intake sucks air, opens valve, provides more fluid flow). Well my valve was obviously locked WIDE OPEN because I noticed no difference when I removed the vacuum lines. Without that valve, you get full flow of fluid at both high and low RPM. Basically you have superman steering at 80 mph

Well, I know how to drive so I don't need the safety net. I'm capable of changing lanes without the urge to yank the wheel over hard left to merge into traffic. This is not a needed feature to me.

SO... with this part costing nearly two arms and one leg.... here's how I fixed it (you knew this was coming)

I took $3.24 to Ace Hardware and bought one automotive drain plug with the threads being (M14 1.50 pitch). Then I bought one rubber stopper in the smallest size they had.

See below. (original valve on bottom)

 

I cut the rubber.

 

then installed it over the hole where the valve fitting insert was. This is needed to seal the beveled hole.

 

Then screwed in the M14 1.50 pitch automotive drain plug.

 

This created a perfect seal. I then blocked off the two vacuum lines on the intake to seal the deal.