Overactive steering pump?

[bleucrew6.2]

Hello again.

DMax,
You're probably right about the pump replacement. My daughter is home with the chicken pox, and the weather has cleared, so I went ahead and got into it. No problem removing the pump from the truck. But that *%$#@ pump pulley. Not tapered, not keyed...what the HECK is holding it on? I even tried a touch of the propane torch with the puller applying pressure. It is now slightly bent on its hub, and still not off the pump. Chevy doesn't list it anymore- it's obsolete. Such a small stupid thing to hang the job up. I've looked on the net... rebuilders, by the part #, etc., etc. .... no luck. I'm not sure where I'll need to go with this now. Maybe a machine shop to straighten out the pulley? But I still don't know how to remove it.

Sufficiently stuck.

John

[DmaxMaverick]

Gotta have the pulley puller (and soak the hub with PB blaster). It will push the shaft through the hub w/o damaging the pulley. I think Autozone "loans" them (buy it, use it, return it). Get a true pulley on a bad pump at a wrecking yard. They don't usually pull the pulleys, and scrap the pumps. Should run you $10-20.

[bleucrew6.2]

I went to the junkyard yesterday afternoon. My pulley has two belt grooves in it. Two different diameters. The smaller of the two (about 6"), is the one the belt runs in. The only V-belt pulley I could find, on an old Scottsdale, also has two belt grooves but both are about 7". I know it will fit my pump, and I know I'll need to get a different length belt, but will the pump run okay with the larger diameter pulley? What do you think?

John

[DmaxMaverick]

If your original had only one, smaller pulley, then you will have to use the groove that lines up with the crank pulley. Mine has two grooves, and both are used. The forward/smaller pulley is connected from the crank, to the water pump. The larger (rearward) does also, but also includes the A/C compressor (a redundancy). The grooves on the crank pulley are the same dia. as on the PS pump (smaller to smaller, larger to larger), so the drive ratio is 1:1, and the pulley dia. doesn't matter. A larger dia. will have a greater belt/pulley contact area, and would be less likely to slip. I don't know how the '89 is routed. Is your system completely stock, or do you not know? Does it have an A/C compressor? Or did it have A/C, and not now? Do you have an empty groove on the crank and water pump pulleys?

It is more important the pulleys line up and are true. If it's slightly offset, it will eat belts, leaving you w/o PS and brake assist without notice. Bad situation.

[bleucrew6.2]

Truck is completely stock. Never had AC...didn't even have a radio installed. Bare bones all the way for it's use in the Air Force. I do have an empty groove on the crank pulley, as well as on the P/S pump. I had the dual groove pulley removed from my junkyard pump and installed on my new pump today. I will have to get a slighty longer belt now to accomodate the larger pulley.

John

[bleucrew6.2]

Okay...
Rebuilt steering pump installed. All new hoses/lines (that was a fun parts shopping experience!). Steering box installed.

Truck now has extremely light and easy steering operation. Although I'm really happy with this, and I no longer have an uncontrollable wandering situation, I still feel something odd in the front end. I think maybe at this point I'll take it to the mechanic that helped me out with the steering pulley and have him put it on a lift and inspect the leaf spring bushings and torsion bar bushings. They both look a bit clapped out (and they are almost 20 years old). Maybe he'll find something else as well. $80 an hour well spent?

John

[Subzilla]

So what do you think was the main cause? The steering box??

[bleucrew6.2]

I'm really not sure yet. The veering/wandering situation still exists, although I can control it much better now. I can only say it must be a combination of things. I'll update after I have my "appointment" with the truck mechanic. The steering box replacement has improved things, and I'm glad I did it.

John

[bleucrew6.2]

Okay...

The mechanic spent some quality time with my truck. He discovered that the bearings that support the stub shafts in my locking hubs had collapsed. This allowed the stub shafts to occasionally catch and bind in the hubs, which was causing the "pop" in my steering action.
I ordered the bearings, stub shafts, and u-joints from Randy's Ring and Pinion. This company was a pleasure to deal with. I went ahead and had the mechanic install these- I wanted to give him a paying job after all the free help and advice.
The truck is now steering wonderfully. One finger on the wheel, straight down the road. It cost me a few bucks, but it's such a pleasure to drive now.

I have also learned that u-joints without grease fittings are generally considered to last longer than joints with the fittings. The Spicer brand u-joints that I used were nice pieces.

John

[Subzilla]

I just disassembled mine this weekend to repack the bearings so the picture is fresh on my mind. When you say "bearings that support the stub shafts ", are you referring to the normal wheel bearings or the one spindle bearing that suupports the axle shaft? I've been told the spindle bearings are neglected by not being inspected but these don't normally wear out on our trucks because they only spin when the vehicle is in 4WD.

How did he diagnose these bearings? Were your axles damaged? Is that why you replaced them?

Thanks for the follow up report and I'm glad you truck is fine to drive now! It does make the money spent worth it.

By the way, the wife drive my Suburban for the first time in a while and she even commented on how much easier it was to drive down the road compared to the Blazer and its wandering state. And the Sub is lifted 4" with 35" tires!

[bleucrew6.2]

The mechanic called these "pocket bearings". They looked like a round shell with needle bearings inside. I didn't get to see the whole job, but understand that these bearings center and support the stub shaft. The mechanic found the problem with his trusty tire bead breaker bar. He stuck the bar in the steering knuckle, and was able to move the stub shaft around. I bought the new stub shafts at his suggestion, because when bearings get as gone as mine were, they often damage the shaft. I didn't want to have the truck sitting around waiting for parts, so I just ordered everything at once. These bearings are apparently an often overlooked service item because of their hidden, impossible location.

John

[rhsub]

I've been in the auto repair business since "73" and after reading your posts on this problem I believe your mechanic did an excellent job on repairing your truck. The stub shafts are actually the inner bearing race so when the needle bearing fails there is a 99% chance the the shaft is junk. Sounds like you found yourself a good mechanic
Good Luck
Ron