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sport02
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2007
02:41:49
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 Subject: air in power steering
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i replaced my power steering pump and for the life of my i can not get the dam air out of the lines. i went through 3 quarts of ATF-4 bleeding this thing out and my pump is still churning up foam and air bubbles when i turn the steering wheel. it almost seems like somehow it's getting air in it while it's pumping at the same time. I have no leaks anywhere!! it just seems like it's sucking air in somewhere but i would think if it's sucking air in somewhere then when it's not running it would be leaking out that spot and i've got no leaks.
it's either the pump itself is a dud or the rack has something up with it. just seems odd there's no leaks like i said. i tried every bleeding technique there is and still have air and foam.
i'm trying to get my hands on a vacuum pump with the adapter to fit on the steering reservoir and draw a vac on it and see what happens. i guess if the vack drops in the course of time while under vac it would mean there's a leak somewhere.
i question the return line where it connects to the pump. when putting it back on the new pump it turned fairly easy back and forth while on the line of pump but yet it was not leaking. I put a hose clamp on and tightened it down but it still turns. those stupid clamps the factory puts on, the ones you need pliers to get off, i thought maybe it wasn't tight enough. can the system suck air in through there? never really knew for sure if the power steering system draws a vac or just specifically high pressure pumping. if it doesn't draw slight vac than how can air be getting in? someone please help me, i'm gonna push this truck off a cliff soon, the last two months it's been nothing but money into this truck.
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Bob Lincoln
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2007
08:18:13
| RE: air in power steering
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Message:
"when putting it back on the new pump it turned fairly easy back and forth while on the line of pump but yet it was not leaking. I put a hose clamp on and tightened it down but it still turns." Yup, if you can rotate the hose, it can leak (or suck air). You've got to get it tight enough not to pull off or rotate. It's the same rule with fuel hoses.
I'm wondering WHY you used ATF+4 and not power steering fluid. I don't know what vintage your truck is, but for decades Chrysler has said NEVER to use ATF in the power steering system. This is because the additives attack the seals. Perhaps it's changed in recent years, but in 1992 it was still their position to use power steering fluid only.
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sport02
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2007
12:31:04
| RE: air in power steering
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2002 dakota 3.9
manual says to use ATF+4 in the power steering. i questioned this too. apparently from 98 on they used ATF+4
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Problem Child
GenIII
9/25/2007
19:12:03
| RE: air in power steering
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Message:
Manual does say ATF 4, Here's what I would try, and not to start a big Oil debate, find some LUCAS power Steering fluid. fush all that crap you go there out the best you can. and go from there, granted that you have no noticable leaks to be sucking the air in. It's leaking or the grade of oil your trying to use is junk.
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dakota49
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2007
22:00:16
| RE: air in power steering
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Message:
sport02, I'm a little confused, if the pump is sucking air while running, I would think it would also leak when not running. That's always happened to me anyway. If you have put in 4 quarts and its still not full and not leaking out it would have to be in the rack, and pump.
I don't see how the rack could hold that much fluid though. I don't know though looks can be deceiving. I'm not sure I would agree with Problem Child though, cheap oil or not I don't think the oil would foam like that. The last time I heard of oil foaming was in the 60's.
Man I wish I had something better than this to add, but I'm lost. The only thing I can think of now would be the rack is bad. I'm not sure though how the rack could cause the problems you are having. I've never had any power steering problems like that before.
Sorry friend,
Good Luck
Dakota49
1988 3.9 4X4 5speed
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sport02
Dodge Dakota
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9/26/2007
01:48:48
| RE: air in power steering
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Message:
no, the system doesn't hold 3 quarts i just meant that i flushed it out with 3 quarts. i was pretty sure that the stupid hose clamp that dodge uses to fasten the return hose wasn't tight enough. and then you got fluid all over the return nipple which makes it almost impossibe to get a good tight seal. i bought some fuel line clamps instead of the traditional hose clamps cause you can get them alot tighter. i could only get the traditional hose clamp so tight then it would strip out. i tightened the new clamp pretty darn tight till i couldn't rotate the hose on the nipple anymore. then i spent about 10 minutes slowly turning the wheel back and forth with the engine off and truck jacked up. i could hear the air squishing around. i kept going till i couldn't hear it anymore. then i did it all again with the truck running.
much better results. no air bubbles or foam at all. funny thing was that it didn't leak out the return with that loose clamp on it but i guess when the pump kicked in it was sucking air in.
steering is nice now. i'm still a bit disappointed though as the pump still complains a little bit when gassing the idle and turning the wheel. man, that bugs me. but it's not a real big squeel or nothing like a bad pump. must just be the nature of the cardone rebuilt pump. have to live with it i guess. it could very well be the rack pulling air in somewhere but i would think it would leak then again it didn't leak out the return either so who knows.
I'll give it a week or so and see if it works itself out if any little bit of air is still in there. Question, i may have a little too much fluid in the pump cause i topped off when it was hot. should you check fluid level when it's cold and take fluid out to the cold line or fill to hot when it's hot?
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dakota49
Dodge Dakota
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9/30/2007
17:07:23
| RE: air in power steering
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Message:
sport02 you can do it either way, most usually fill when hot, that way you know it won't be over full when you are running down the road. The oill seems to expand a lot, but I'm not an oil specialist.
Good Luck
DAkota49
1988 4X4 3.9 5speed
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