Power Steering woes...

[cruiseroutfit]

I run a Saginaw pump and box on my FJ40....

The problem... the pump I purchased uses a stock GM press-on pulley... while it works, at times the resistance on the pump is so great, that the pulley will spin on the shaft of the pump...

I have tried the following:

New pulley and pump, works for several months, but once it slips its done...

I tried to weld a little spot on the end of the shaft connecting it to the pulley, problem is, this is hard to do since I have the have it installed on the vehicle...

Does anyone know the application of a pulley/pump that uses a keyway? Anyone by chance have a core I could steal?

My pump is lifetime warranteed so I can swap it for the one I need, and I am willing to buy a new or salvage a pulley. Thanks

 

[RockMonkey]

Does this have anything to do with your steering box failure? Did you ever take a look at that front cap to see if it is borken, or just fell off?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by RockMonkey
Does this have anything to do with your steering box failure? Did you ever take a look at that front cap to see if it is borken, or just fell off?

I don't think so, but it is very possible that the two were related, but even with the new box, it does "sqeel" sometimes when the tires are low...

The cast broke off of my old pump... everyone I have talked to thinks that it broke on the inside and let everything push out the front... take note I had no steering after, not armstrong... so something inside of it broke and pushed forward...

What pump/pulley do you run on yours Braden? press-on or somekind of key-way...

Wanna tap a saginaw box for me???

 

[RockMonkey]

I'm not sure how the pulley comes off on mine. I tried to get it off my old pump and I couldn't (neither could the parts monkey at Checker). I had to buy a pump with a new pulley on it! I think it is just pressed on. The squeeling is not the belt slipping? I've never heard of a pulley spinning on the shaft... Yeah, bring the box down and I'll port it for 75 bucks.

 

[bobdog]

The press fit should not slip it is pretty darned tight. I have removed a few and you really have to crank on the puller. I think the belts would burn off long before the shive should spin on the shaft. A keyway will be worse as it will slowely wallow out and fail. Just a guess but maybe the way your bracket lines up you are not able to press the pulley onto the shaft far enough to secure it and still align it with the belt. You are using a power steering pully install tool right?

 

[Shawn]

Interesting, I have never heard of this problem. I would look at a few things. Are you sure the pully is pressed all the way on? When you are pressing the pully on its it so hard that you think the bolt press is going to brake? Did you use a New pump and a New pully?

There is no way that pully should be spining on the shaft. I agree with Bob that you should be burning up belts before the pully should move.

It maybe hard, but I would look and the tapper of the shaft compared to the tapper of the pully. Also, I would use a junk yard pull vs. a new one. When you get a Rebuilt pump, there can still be problems. The shaft may already be bad..


Keep us updated.

 

[spiderman]

Have the parts place look up a 68 chevy anything v-8. car or truck. It will have the key-way saginaw pump. You can also get a key-way pulley from checker's. they have chrome ones in stock.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by bobdog
.. You are using a power steering pully install tool right?

I am using the correct tool, and yes it is a MPITA to get them on and off but after all is said and done, it will spin on the shaft, this of course is only under totaly. Someone mentioned that it should spin the belt before spinning on the shaft, and I agree but mine doesn't.

The pulley goes on all the way, mabey I am just using crappy AutoZone rebuilt pumps that are out of spec... We have installed the exact same setups (mabey not brand) on different cruisers and never had a problem... mabey its my pump.. I already tried a new pulley, same thing...

Anyone recomend a good brand of Saginaw pump? The one on it is an Atsco...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by Shawn
...It maybe hard, but I would look and the tapper of the shaft compared to the tapper of the pully. Also, I would use a junk yard pull vs. a new one. When you get a Rebuilt pump, there can still be problems. The shaft may already be bad..
...

That beginning to be my thought.... I just pulled out a core PS pump that I had on the shelf and I am going to remove the pulley from it and see how it looks (as far as taper)...

I will keep everyone updated...

BTW... I did find some applications that had higher OEM pressure out of the Saginaw pumps...1450psi vs 1300psi... that might help too!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by spiderman
Have the parts place look up a 68 chevy anything v-8. car or truck. It will have the key-way saginaw pump. You can also get a key-way pulley from checker's. they have chrome ones in stock.

Anyone run a keyway one without problems... I don't want it to casue more but I don't want it "squeeling" either... it sounds way worse than just a belt slipping... Take note, it only does it under heavy bind... but still the belt should slip..

 

[Shawn]

I had an old style pump that had a key on it but it wasn't a press on type. It was held inplace with a bolt.

 

[bobdog]

I have never heard of any problems with the keyway style but I have never heard of your problem at all. The press fit has just got to be the better design. Almost every belt shive I have seen in industry is of a press fit design(although diferent from the direct slip of the ps pumps) and they see loads much greater than power steering pumps(100+hp electric and instant startups). I am biased against keyways because of a bad experience with a timingbelt crank puley on a samurai (The keyway wallowed out and destroyed the crank).

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by Shawn
I had an old style pump that had a key on it but it wasn't a press on type. It was held inplace with a bolt.

That might be the one I need... only time will tell...

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by bobdog
... The press fit has just got to be the better design. ...

I agree... there has to be something wrong with my shaft and or pulley to make the "interference" fit not hold tight...

 

[bobdog]

Put some 638 Locktight retaining compound on it next time. Not sure it will ever come off though.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by bobdog
Put some 638 Locktight retaining compound on it next time. Not sure it will ever come off though.

I actually tried some locktite... not sure which compound it was (it was a year ago) it worked for some time and then.... "SQWEEK"...

I havn't had time today to pull it off, mabey tomorrow after the clean-up... thanks for the help Bobdog, Shawn, and Rockmonkey...

 

[bobdog]

638 is made for that kind of application it is not the same as the threadlocker. It is green.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by bobdog
638 is made for that kind of application it is not the same as the threadlocker. It is green.

Will do, thanks for the info...

 

[troutbum]

not trying to be dumb, but the shrill squeek you are talking about "sounds" like the pressure bypass valve and not the pulley spinning (if that was not what you meant, disregard).

 

[rustybronco]

Had the exact same problem with my saginaw pump. Could get it to hold for a little while, but didn't last. And it was a very tight fit! I put some JB weld on it. Never slipped again. Of course I never tried to take the pulley back off. But I didn't care, I just needed it too hold.