Power Steering Pump

While out Jeeping in Big Bear this weekend, my stock power steering pump starting leaking pretty bad where the shaft goes into the pump body; so now it looks like a new pump needs to be ordered. The shaft currently on my pump has the type of pulley that needs to be threaded on with a nut on the front. I believe that new pulleys with the correct spacing are difficult to find and quite expensive, so I'd like to use the pulley I currently have. Obviously, there are many options for pumps, and I'm a bit stuck on which is best for me. Here's what I see my options as, along with pros and cons:
1. Remanufactured stock pump

pros-cheap, seems to come with the correct shaft for my pulley, so easy to install.
cons-may not be up to the task of crawling with '35 inch tires (strength & longevity concerns)​

2. Aftermarket pump (AGR or PSC)

pros-supposed to be heavy duty (will I notice a difference?) It's not infrequent that my steering will either squeal or just get bound up when stuck in big rocks.
cons-expensive, and all the photos I see show the press on pulley without the nut on the front (this is one of my biggest concerns); therefore my current pulley wouldn't fit and I'd have to locate a pulley which would likely not be easy or cheap.​

I'll purchase the new pump within the next week or so, and would like to know what other's experiences have been who've had the same pulley as mine. How did you resolve the pulley issue, and is the AGR pump or PSC pump really a noticeable difference? A big part of me would like to upgrade my pump at this time, but I've heard mixed reviews about AGR and I'm still not sure about the pulley fitment situation. The pulley is actually one of my biggest questions and concerns. I just got a straight pulley for my application, and really don't want to have to try to find a new one again. I appreciate anyone willing to share their experience and advice.

 

Were you having other issues with the old pump ?
I'd probably get a seal kit and change the front input seal.
Just fix what needs fixing.

 

I assume this is a Buick V6?

What does the mount look like ,up against the head? And how does that pulley line up with the Crank shaft?.............is there anything different about the crank pulley?

Just trying to understand why you think it's unique?

As far as the aftermarket pumps they are set to higher pressure which is needed if you have over sized tires...........I'm a big fan of PSC in Texas . They have been doing work for me ever since Tom Lee in LA retired.

Squealing / slipping belt...........caused by not getting enough wrap of the belt around the pulley..........which can be a good thing sometimes as a real good steering system can / well bend other things when the tires or Jeep is bound up against a rock or other object.


Basic GM Ham Can Pump and pulley on a V6

 

AMC V8.

The pictures for Chilly's PS conversion are typical - Power Steering Upgrade

I too would just reseal the pump. You can get a seal kit for about $10, which I includes the big o-ring around the inside of the ham can.

 

My experience with 35" inch tire with front axle full lock....burning pump as fast as i install them.

For longevity Iiwould suggest a big oil cooler in the front so you wont burn up the pump and you will be able to play along the rock all day. As for the strenght only deal possible is a ram assist. It will turn the wheel where a single steering box couldn't. And if you want to finish the project nicely add a hydrolic filter.

I have this set-up (ran assist, cooler, filter) for three years now without any issues and i have around 150 trails ride under the foot since...

 

I liked the advice on the seal kit. I'm learning several new things. I've actually never had to tear apart a power steering pump before, so this should be a fun new adventure for me. Napa was asking over $40 bucks for the seal kit and said they couldn't even get a rebuilt or new pump. I've seen seal kits online for about $12 bucks and rebuilt pumps for about $60, but the quality of online stuff from unfamiliar manufacturers tends to scare me a bit. That being said, I'm likely to just get a new seal kit online because I've been satisfied with my pump (not super happy, but satisfied). I've also never seen power steering oil coolers, but the idea sounds worth investigating. Nobody addressed this, but here's what I'm wondering. I think the fancy power steering pumps come with shafts for the press-on style pulleys that are different than my pulley. So don't laugh, but here's what I'm wondering: a while back, I snagged a pulley from a '77 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. I took it because it looked to have the exact same style Saginaw pump as my Jeep, but the pulley was press-on (like AGR and PSC) and the belt spacing was the same distance as my Jeep. Is there even a snowball's chance that the Cadillac pulley would work and I could go with a fancy pump?

 

If it bolts on, it will work.

I am not actually 100% sure what pump mine is. When it finally died I got a reman one, took it out of the "ham can" and put it back together. Works great now with no issues.

I ordered one of these
1970 BUICK SKYLARK 5.7L 350cid V8 Power Steering Pump | RockAuto

 

I changed my pump over the winter. I had the bolt on pulley, and the new pump had the press on. The press on pulley would not line up with my other pulleys, so I tried a few different pumps with same results. I ended up finding a pump that took the bolt on pulley but still had to swap it with my old pulley because things didn't line up. once I swapped the pulley over all was good.

 

Just a standart oil cooler....use one with a tube, not oneke prestone radiator.

 

I have a cooler like this on my dodge. Simple fin and tube cooler.

 

Exactly that type of cooler you need, but personaly i would take it little bigger than that, having lock wheel generate a lot of stress on the steering system and create a lot of heat, so more is better than less (m2c) .

 

Well, the "fun new adventure" of a simple power steering pump rebuild has quit being fun. I completely disassembled, cleaned, and rebuilt the original pump. The good news is that it no longer has any leaks. The bad news is that I have zero power steering assist. I've disassembled and inspected it several times now to check that the internals such as the vanes and cam ring are installed correctly. Everything seems right, though the included instructions were not as clear as I'd like. I just ordered a rebuilt pump from my local auto parts which will be here tomorrow. I've never felt so defeated because I'm guessing I screwed something up, though I have know idea what it is.

 

Maybe you didn't screw up. Did you go through the bleeding procedure? If you don't suspect air in the system, try raising the rpm' a bit while turning the wheel. I would do this with the front on jack stands.

 

Did you ever adjust the pressure? Inside the pressure out port there is an adjustment.............

 

I appreciate the suggestions. The bleeding procedure was at the top of my list when the rebuilt pump wouldn't provide any power assist. I'm certain that bleeding the pump is not the issue. As far as a pressure adjustment on the high pressure port, I must plead ignorance. I saw no such adjustment, and the instructions (woefully insufficient as they were) didn't show the adjustment either. Therefore, I'm not sure if that's my issue or not. That being said, I decided to go a different route which has worked out quite well. I went ahead and popped my original pump out of the reservoir and used the pump and pulley from a 77 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. Not only does it work great, but now I have the more modern press-on style pulley which will work with AGR and other aftermarket pumps. Even better, now I'm completely rid of my old bent pulley. The pulley off the Cadillac is spaced perfectly and it's even slightly larger in diameter. This works out great for my application due to the fact that my crank pulley is a CVF racing pulley which is slightly smaller than stock. The Cadillac's larger pulley will slow the pump back down to stock speed and give the belt a bit more area for grip. While I am happy with how things turned out in the end, I'm still quite frustrated at being defeated by the stock pump rebuild.

 

I'm glad you finally came over to the push on pulley.......

 

The smaller diameter crank pulley is already slowing down the power steering pump more than stock....

 

That is correct. Thanks for keeping me honest.