[original message deleted]

$11 is pretty cheap... I did call bs in my original message, but rockauto has them that cheap. Of course if you got yours there you had to pay for shipping. My local parts stores didn't have one for under $26... napa being the most expensive. For the extra $24 dollars I didn't have to risk wondering if it would turn out right or not with my rebuild. At that point I just needed to get it working. My pump seized and sheared the shaft off that the pully is pressed onto ... which is why I just decided to do the whole thing instead of rebuild. I kept the shaft when I returned the pump as a core return as a souvenir. Reguardless of whether you rebuild the pump, or buy a new pump... it still gets the job done so I'll just leave it at that.

 

I agree, and yes, I bought it from Rock Auto. Also, when I buy from there I buy a lot of parts at once, so that shipping expenses are minimal; otherwise, the kit was $18 at O'Reilly Auto Parts.

I didn't mean to imply that you stated everything under the hood is a mystery, it's just that people in general act that way. Transmission shops have people terrified about transmission work, yet anyone who takes a vehicle to a chain transmission repair shop invariably has to return at least two more times to get it right. Then, there are the guys here who tear into theirs with zeal.

Like I said, I learned something and can apply that in the future. And quite honestly, these things are so simple a 10-year old who is competent with tools could rebuilt one.

 

At least you figured it out, I too hope the pump didn't get fubar'd .

 

I think I did. I got home tonight, pulled the pump, reversed/corrected the installation, and reinstalled the pump inside of 40 minutes. We have bad storms coming in and the wind was in excess of 40mph. The steering is a bit better and I'm writing it off and possible air in the lines. I'm a bit peeved that the guy whose web page I referenced shows the part in the position he does, rather than how it is to be correctly installed. Of course, it didn't help that my son wasn't around, as he would have memorized how everything came apart and would have caught that for me. We'll see how tomorrow's drive goes.

 

I looked at the rebuild page and he does it twice, once on tear down and once on installation. I wonder if he had the same problem and didn't want to say anything.

 

Well, still nothing in the P/S department. Now I'm pissed and it's personal. This isn't effing rocket science! I'll figure it out or else get really big arms and have to change my name to Popeye.

 

Yeah, but if that how you went by, made you put the piston in backwards, that guy is to blame. And , I have too say that it being in backwards the pump was basically running dry and that's bad. Any growling for a fairly extended period of time is going to do damage.

BTW, Did you say you replaced both lines going to the gear box? And if you did, is there any chance you got them on backwards? IIRC they are different sizes so that should not be possible, but maybe you got the wrong parts or something.

 

I wondered if it were running dry, which I almost don't see how it could have considering it's basically saturated with fluid.

I was also wondering if I reconnected the lines backwards, which I don't think it possible but I will recheck when I get home tonight.

 

I don't think it's possible either. But I think I remember only the wrench size was different, and the threads were the same.

 

One main character trait I have that both amazes some people and pisses off others is that I am *one PERSISTENT ***** EFFER*.

Let me be brief: I rawk.


Got home and verified that I did not install the lines to the wrong ports. Nope, they're where they are supposed to be since I replaced them one at a time so I wouldn't make a mistake like that. Then, I tried to determine how I would know if there is pressure going to the steering box from the pump and it dawned on me to remove the pressure line from the steering box and hang it out of the engine bay. I did that and started the vehicle -- no fluid.

So, I removed the pump again (I'm telling you guys I can have a P/S pump out in almost 10 minutes flat) and took it to my bench after draining the fluid. I then grabbed the instructions from the rebuild kit and very carefully studied the exploded parts diagram. As it turns out, the spring is inserted into the bore, then the flow control valve, and then the port. Upon further reading, the instructions explain that the cam has oversized holes and even size holes along with an arrow to indicate the flow of the pump. I removed everything from the inside of the pump again and very carefully studied each part and repeatedly reviewed the instructions.

The instructions stated that the oversize hole in the cam should be on the dowel pin furthest from the pressure port; however, that does not apply to the Dodge pump. Try as I might, a proper hole on one pin and oversize hole on the other pin wouldn't work. I did notice three arrows atop the cam, so I installed the cam onto the dowel pins with the arrows away from the pressure port and closest to that pin which is furthest from the pressure port. Note that this is done AFTER the shaft assy has been installed. Then, the pressure plate is the one I kept looking at. That one has eccentric/oblong holes, so I installed the pressure plate over the dowel pins via the largest of the eccentric holes. After that was the cover plate and the pump was all buttoned up.

Once everything was installed in the truck I hung the high pressure line out of the engine bay, filled the reservoir with fluid, and hoped for the best. The truck had barely fired when fluid shot out of the hose.

I EFFING RAWK.

I then held the engine RPM at ~1500 and cycled the steering wheel from lock to lock about five times, topped off the reservoir, and then took the truck for a spin around the pasture.

It is so nice not to have to have the strength of the Incredible Hulk in order to steer the truck now!

I will be writing up a more details DIY (with pictures) for the forum.

And yes, I would not hesitate to rebuild a pump again in the future.