Whining Power Steering Pump

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Dan B

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Messages
43
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Location
Seminole, FL
Hi all, another power steering pump question.

My trac's original PS pump, going on 140K miles, developed a whine when I first start the engine and it is cold. The whine would last for about 5 minutes or so until everything warmed up.

Tired of this, I purchased a Cardone reman pump. Before I went ahead with the install, I removed as much old fluid as I could by running the old pump with the return line disconnected from the reservoir and directed into a bucket while adding new STP "Multi-purpose ATF" to the reservoir, which is what it currently is filled with now.

I installed the new pump, tried to hand prime it and then gave it a go. Same exact symptoms as the old pump, loud as hell until it warms up then it's fine. I know everyone says "Ford pumps are loud" but this was never a problem until recently. I guess my questions are, 1- did I screw up the fluid and need Mercon ATF? 2- regardless of fluid, does this indicate a bad reman pump since the old pump did the exact same thing? 3- Anything else I could do to quiet this down? The reservoir has some junk built up on the screen I can't remove but not enough that would cause blockage.

I'm certain it is the pump making noise, not something else. The pump only cost $30 but still, I'd hate to ruin this new pump and have to replace it yet again.

Thanks for any help,
Dan B.
 
I had that issue on my 2nd Gen. It was one of the pulleys that had gone bad. I also swore it was the pump.
 
Our PS system requires mercon5 fluid. Same as the trans. It could be one of your pulley bearings, or a bad rebuild. Flush and replace with the proper fluid. See if it helps.
 
Thank you guys, very good. I really wish it was the pulley bearings, but those have already been replaced/new so I know for sure this is the pump. I will try the fluid replace suggestion first and hope that works.
 
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