I just received a call saying that the power steering pump needed to be replaced for $326! Originally I thought this was an oil leak because all old cars get oil leaks.

I read on the internet that you would notice a large puddle or a hard to turn steering wheel. Neither one of these is true for me. I just get a few small droplets every few days (not a problem yet).

How do I know this mechanic isn't trying to make a quick buck (lots of quick bucks) by lying and just tightening something he missed last time I went for service? He claims to have did an inspection last time I went for service and said everything was fine. I went at the beginning of July and haven driven the car very much.

Help needed very urgently. 1997 Caravan 3.0L 177777KM.

PS: It works fine right now.

Please Help

 

this response may be too late, but assuming that you haven't noticed any problems, and you had the car in for something routine - like an oil change, then you'd be completely within your rights to respond with a few questions like - what's wrong with it ? how long could it last ? what's the worst that could happen ? i might not keep the car, so i think i'll put it off for awhile. or the best..... i can't afford it. or the best of the best.. i can't afford that much, can you do it for any less ?

now, it may in fact be leaking. it might be whining. it might be losing pressure and getting a little harder than normal to turn. you might have a very diligent mechanic that wants to address every little issue. and then again you may have a mechanic that assumes you are a sucker and he needs some extra income. $326 might be a little high, then again its about what i would expect for dealer service.

the only way you'll ever know if it really needs a pump is to get a second opinion, and/or inspect it yourself. as far as i know, the worst thing that could happen is to lose power steering which would make it difficult to drive. worst case is it might lock down the serpentine belt and you might not could drive it.

 

I didn't authorize the mechanic to do anything yet. I'm afraid the longer I leave the car there the more sabotage he can don in that time and make his claims true.

As of now the car is fine (and still looks brand new because of the plastic protection). Right now it only drops a few mL every few days. There is no whining at all. The steering is fine right now.

Should I take the car back?

If I were to do a self inspection where would I find the power steering pump? I gan google images.

PS: I went for service during the beginning of July 2008 to the same mechanic. He did a 19 point inspection and said it was fine. (or was it 32 point?)

Help needed very urgently still...........HELP!!

 

your 97 caravan 3.0 is probably a V6 engine turned sideways (transverse in auto lingo), with the front of the engine (belts) on the passenger side. open the hood and follow the belts around all the pulleys. the crankshaft/harmonic balancer is at the lower center. thats where the engine turns and all the power comes from. you'll have an alternator (you'll see shiny copper wire inside), an air conditioning compressor (2 cold tubes going to it), a power steering pump (with 2 rubber hoses going to it) and probably a tensioner (springy pulley). when power steering pumps leak its usually around the pulley shaft/seal.

if you want to keep the van "perfect", then have it replaced. if you want to just keep an eye on it, see how much its leaking, and replace it one of these days, that approach probably won't hurt anything. if it is leaking, its normal for your mechanic to tell you about it, give you a price, and advise you whether its critical to your safety or not.

 

Another thing to consider is the power steering pump is on the back side of the engine & uses a remote reservoir mounted on the passenger side. It's connected via a hose running down to the pump. Sometimes a hose will crack & leak a little bit. There is no pressure on this hose, so the leakage could just be a small amount from time to time.

If it's the hose with a break in it, a replacement hose could be put on for a whole lot less than $300.00. You could do this yourself, but it's a messy job & you are lying on your back reaching up the backside of the engine.

Check for a broken hose first.

 

lol I never lay on my back for low mounted accessories, it's much easier to remove the wheel and inner fender

 

Can't reach the back side of the pump via wheelwell. Has to be disconnected off the pump from the back.

 

You're right that this can't be reached from the fenderwell. The other thing that is common in some parts of the country is for the pump mounted reservoir to rust out also. I've had 2 different vans with the reservoir rust out while the lines were fine. Good Luck.

 

Mine is a plastic reservoir (96 Grand Voyager with 3.0 V-6). I don't know if other years used a metal one or not, but that's a good observation.

 

all chrysler vans us plastic reservoirs.Have him show you the leak than have him clean it off real good drive it for a few day then take it back and you and him look again. If you dont trust this guy why are you there? has he done something ? If you dont trust him find someone else to look at it clean it and look again. When I fix ps leaks and cant for sure say where the leak is I clean it and drive it then look again