power steering pump whine issues

[AuroraGirl]

Schurkey is correct about the one nipple vs two nipples. I have read somewhere that the two nipple ones put out more pressure but I am running my conversion with the Tee in the return line. I was never able to prove with factual GM information that the two nipple one puts out more pressure. My brakes were not great after the conversion and I was concerned that pressure might be the problem. After about a year the brakes are fantastic and I think it was a matter of bleeding and pad break-in.

also remember that flow is a big deal. in a situation of braking and turning, such as bad weather, ABS activation, and obstacle avoidance, you could outflow your stock non Hydro pump. If you dont have ABS this concern is mitigated considerably. If you dont get snow, frankly it goes down a lot too.

Fun fact, square bodies C10s had the option to come with manual steering and hydroboost. in the early years

 

[AuroraGirl]

I'd like to chime in on this. Approx a year ago the steering pump in my DD was just starting to
whine and the assist was also becoming a bit juddery. Did a fair amount of research, and some
were reporting that a fluid change and the addition of a magnetic inline filter solved their problem
without having to resort to a power steering pump swap. A quick check of the fluid in the reservoir
made me think that it was original to when the 20+ year old vehicle was built? Not a good look.

So I got one of these:

You must be registered for see images attach

I jacked the front end up, drained the PS pump, replaced with new fluid, powered up
and cycled everything L<>R several times. Then I drained the fluid again & repeated
the process until the fluid stayed clear. (Maybe 4-5 iterations total?)

Afterwards, I installed this filter. And over the period of a week the more I drove it
the better it sounded and assisted. That was a year ago, and the pump has remained
quiet and the assist buttery smooth. (And I'm pretty fussy about steering feel/feedback.)
And the fluid in the reservoir has remained clear. Bonus!

All in all, the ~5 quarts of fluid + this filter was some of the best bang for the buck that
I spent on my DD last year. And if I ever have to swap in a new PS pump, at least I know
that it will be pressed into service in a cleaner than average, debris-free system.

Just another data point for your consideration.

Best of luck. I've learned a *lot* about the GM power steering setup via this thread, and
as a hydroboost owner I now know to pay close attention to all the details covered in this thread.

Good stuff.

You must be registered for see images attach

fun fact, the part from filter to pump, is a fuel line I only had that diameter on hand in fuel line. Its still holding but I need to replace it lol. And I didnt have any good way to make the turn to the box so I used that elbow which I think is for gas(like gaseous not gasoline) lines lol....
Frankly I need to buy a few more and get one in my silverado and my f150
I want to get them on my trucks inline before my coolers for the transmissions too. That one Id like to use the plastic ones which are able to be opened

You must be registered for see images attach

If you buy one in the plastic filter housing, they can be opened and you can replace the filter media

 

[AuroraGirl]

You must be registered for see images attach

Looks like magnefine, bbk industries, and edelmann sell this same type one(probably private labled and made by the same mfg)

Does require more space but it has more options for inlet/outlet i believe and the biggest thing is that the replaceable media means it can be inspected and avoid replacing for no reason. ill prob never open my metal ps filter unless i have a huge failure and want to check it out, but the transmission I want to keep it flowing good and i want to keep it flowing well over time. a restriction in the ps return will make choppy steering, transmission restrcition could make heat damage or just otherwise be too late to react

 

[AuroraGirl]

You must be registered for see images attach

Universal situation but borgerson catalog has this, the pumps would be the same other than the reservoir and the flow/pressure

 

[Schurkey]

the part from filter to pump, is a fuel line

Any parts store in America can get you proper hose for PS/trans cooler use. It is DANGEROUS to use "fuel hose". ATF and PS fluid is flammable, imagine what a hose rupture that sprays it on the exhaust manifold will do.

I get my trans cooler/ps return hose from NAPA.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBHH1956

or

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBHH1937

 

[AuroraGirl]

Any parts store in America can get you proper hose for PS/trans cooler use. It is DANGEROUS to use "fuel hose". ATF and PS fluid is flammable, imagine what a hose rupture that sprays it on the exhaust manifold will do.

I get my trans cooler/ps return hose from NAPA.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBHH1956

or

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBHH1937

I know lol, I appreciate your concern but usually IM the one telling people to fix their ****** hose because it WILL fail. I didnt make it clear enough but i said on hand I was intending to convey that I had to return and replace the hose. I pointed out fuel hose because not everyone realizes theres many different hose types. You wouldnt want to use a fuel hose inside a fuel tank either, people dont know that one typically!

I really like sunsong stiff and rough exterior trans cooler/ps return line hose, Its some quality hose that I like best about it is that its hard to kink it , so if you route things low/ or hard to reach like often is the case for PS setups, if you arent wise to clamp it properly on tight turns youll likely create a bend, but if you have naturally wide curves that take a lot of area, its less of a concern. In my case, I used normal cooler hose because I had created that 90 degree fitting for my line and the other hose section was the right stuff.


Fun fact, ATF is much more flammable than PS fluid, one of the main reasons to not use ATF in steering if you can avoid it. Thats beside the fact its going to run hotter and may be incompatible with seals (per gm). J2076 is the hose i like to use, generally, for ps returns.
periodically, they introduce new specs for hoses so I keep my ear to the ground for new SAE introductions. But heres a helpful chart from gmsquarebody sister forum:

You must be registered for see images attach

Writeup Hoses and Clamps to use by SAE J Spec

Fluid and vapor hoses. What should I use? How should I clamp them. Many aftermarket and even OEM parts, like fuel pumps, transmission coolers, and inline filters, ship with the wrong hoses causing more than a little trouble when they fail prematurely on parts like in-tank fuel pumps that are...

www.gmsquarebody.com

The reason I like the hose I mentioned is the temperature range is larger, because PS gets a lot hotter than we like to think, to be honest, and i try to put coolers where I can, but i dont have any gauges or live data to ever tell me what its temp is, and frankly in hydroboost you have to consider the higher flow and the pressure and realize a higher spec return hose may just be the difference if it were to fail. I like to keep things in good shape so im not likely to blow a return hose, a hidden fracture on the hard parts or a failed clamp or a mechanical damage is much more likely in my life.


I also like to use Fuel injection clamps because they dont cut into the hose and they are also much better about clamping down around the perimeter, albeit they are not constant tension like spring clamps. I will keep spring clamps where they are but I usually will just use fuel injection kind when putting into a system or making something.

You must be registered for see images attach

Unfortunately my sunsong hose I like doesnt come in the superior J2076 hose spec, but it does come in the normal spec!

You must be registered for see images attach

I dont like to do hack repairs, and I was specifically requested to do one on a end-of-life pontiac montana with a burst return line. I was able to cut it cleanely on both sides of the burst (appears to have been exterior water getting over the hose between hood and body, salt and dirt corroded the pipe in one spot only), and created like a 5 foot loop of that sunsong hose , and using 2 fuel injection clamps on both sides, opposing the clamps so they dont have the screw in the same direction or plane, I installed it over the pipes. With no flare/ferrule to keep the hose secured on the pipe , only the hose and the clamps, the repair lasted till the unibody started to cave and they finally sent it where it belonged.

THat was about 2 years lol.

Whenever repairing a reutrn line like that, I like to put flares on the pipes so the clamps have something the hose could theoretically slide down and catch on to prevent blowing off. The only reason I didnt there was no way to get a flaring tool on the pipes without removal which wasnt happening on the rack side at least.

 

[Schurkey]

^^^ Excellent post. THANK YOU.

I did not realize that ATF was more-flammable than PS fluid. I assumed they were about the same--which is to say VERY flammable. I've seen the results of an ATF fire when the ATF was sprayed on an exhaust manifold.

My photo of the damage done by crappy hose clamps, and the fuel-injection style clamps that should be used:

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[AuroraGirl]

^^^ Excellent post. THANK YOU.

I did not realize that ATF was more-flammable than PS fluid. I assumed they were about the same--which is to say VERY flammable. I've seen the results of an ATF fire when the ATF was sprayed on an exhaust manifold.

My photo of the damage done by crappy hose clamps, and the fuel-injection style clamps that should be used:

You must be registered for see images attach

Plus those cheap hose clamps dont even handle being installed more than once before bending the links on the "ladder" lol

GM PS fluid

You must be registered for see images attach

Dexron Vi

You must be registered for see images attach

Dexron III

You must be registered for see images attach

SO nevermind, the temperatures of flashpoints are similar... and dexron iii seems to exceed.. however, by 15 degrees ish.. and I checked, gm has multiple manufactures of the same fluids so they were all varying between 325-425 degrees flash points

THe only thing to note is dexron vi has an explosive fume warning.

 

[Schurkey]

THe only thing to note is dexron vi has an explosive fume warning.

Naw. The lower and upper limits for explosive fumes are "Not Applicable".

 

[AuroraGirl]

Naw. The lower and upper limits for explosive fumes are "Not Applicable".

I was thinking of Dex iii my bad.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach