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View Full Version : Power Steering Pump and Reservoir Replacement doityourself



Mtnman
04-02-2011, 03:57 PM
My power steering went out two weeks ago, with no warning signs or symptoms. I drove my car. Parked it for 5 minutes, got back in it and the steering was as hard as a rock. No audible noises, just gone. I went to my indi mechanic and they looked the car over. All my belts were in tact, and i had fluid in my reservoir. The best we could come up with was the pump impeller sheared off its shaft. Of course, I was headed out of town the next day on a 700 mile journey. I asked the indi if they could fix it that day and they started making phone calls. Parts were available. It was going to happen. BUT then i was told the price of the parts. $550 pump. $150 reservoir. 2 Hours labor minimum. then tax, etc etc,........holy crap, we were looking at $1000 dollars!~

I asked the mechanic if it was ok to drive with the damaged pump. (i needed to make sure I wasnt going to damage anything else.) I was told, all would be fine. So, now I had some time, and some choices. I ended up looking for parts online. OEM and comparable brands were $350+ for just the pump. I then went to carparts.com (linked through the site, of course) and found a no-name, brand new, one year warranty for $106. The reservoir, also no name but brand new, was $13.50. Now we were in business! (as a side note here, i almost always buy OEM, or better, replacement parts. However, this part is not a crucial part (like a water pump). If this part fails, it will not leave me stranded on the side of the road. I have chosen to go cheap and see how long it lasts. OEM lasted 140,000 miles.
Here they are...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-01_15-53-24_475.jpg

Ok, on to the build.....

The power steering pump is located on the drivers side of the car, and is connected to the pully/belt system. It is accessed from beneath the car. To replace both the reservoir and the pump, you will have to remove a few items to clear access to the area.
1. air filter and housing
2. directional air scoop above radiator
3. Plastic cover under car that protects engine bay (these screws do not screw all the way out, just turn them 1.5 times and they release, but will stay connected to shield.)
4. Fan and shroud. (I have an automatic, so this is a little more of a bear for me. Those of you with manuals will have an easier time, and will not need some of the tools i needed.)
5. Serpentine Belt. I did not remove this completely, but it has to be disengaged from the pulley that is attached to the water pump at least.

Tools that will be needed for the job:
1. jack stands or ramps for under car access
2. Torx bits for a socket wrench. At least up to size 45 or 50. (sorry, forgot what the biggest size i used was)
3. 16mm socket to release the tension on the belt system
4. 32mm wrench. Yup, this is a big boy. It is for removing the fan in an Automatic car. You manual guys might not need this.
5. adjustable wrench
6. Hammer (goes with fan removal)
7. fluid pump or turkey baster for removing the steering fluid from reservoir


First, safety. I used rhino ramps. also, i placed jack stands under the control arms just in case something went incredibly bad with the ramps. There is also a chock behind the back tire. Can never be too careful!

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_09-08-04_445.jpg

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_09-08-22_828.jpg


Alright. On to the removal of items. First, Air Filter housing, and air intake scoop. both circled here. Also at this time remove the plastic guard from below the car.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_09-11-06_273-1.jpg

Next, use the turkey baster or fluid pump to remove as much fluid as possible from the reservoir. Before you do this, make sure to cover the alternator with a rag or other protector to keep the fluid from dropping into the alternator.
Place rag over this guy:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_09-34-22_185-2.jpg

Now, disconnect the 2 hoses from the bottom of the Power Steering reservoir. They will still have fluid in them, so have a tupperware or something handy to pour the fluid in. Probably, in hindsight, if one was to disconnect a hose from the pump itself, this system would drain and there would not be much fluid left in the hoses. You should look like this now.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-20-28_249.jpg

Now, time to remove the fan. This will be different for Automatics vs Manuals. Auto fans are connected to the pulley system, and held in place by a 32mm nut on the fan. This is a REVERSE THREAD nut, so you need to go CLOCKWISE! First, disconnect the electrical connection from the fan on the passenger side. Next, unscrew the screw holding the shroud on the passenger side of the shroud. On the driver side will be a plastic expansion type rivot. If you pull the center pin from this rivot, it will pull right out. This will release the shroud. Now, put the 32mm wrench on the nut and hold it with one hand. with the other hand, using a hammer, strike the wrench with a quick, firm blow in the clockwise direction. It only took one hit for mine to loosen. I then used the fan blades to continue to unscrew the nut. Make sure that when you get close to the end of the threads, hold on tight to both the fan and the shroud. When the fan unscrews, pull both the fan and the shroud out together vertically. Be careful not to damage or nick your radiator when you do this.

The 32mm "Man's Wrench". It will be the largest in your toolbox by far!


http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-03_12-17-27_928.jpg


Your engine bay will now look like this.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-20-13_258.jpg

Its easiest if you break loose (just get them started, dont take them out) the three screws that hold the pulley to the Power Steering Pump before you remove the serpentine belt. This is where it was attached.:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-39-26_101-2.jpg

And here is what you are going to eventually remove:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-36-16_898.jpg

Now it is time to remove the serpentine belt. There is a 16mm nut built into one of the pulley mounts. It is located approximately here:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-20-24_612-2.jpg

If you turn it clockwise it will raise the pulley guide (someone help me here..there is a technical name for this Is it the tensioner pulley?) and you will be able to slide the belt off the guide and it will release the tension so you can remove it from the pulley connected to the water pump. Now you can remove the pulley from the pump. again, looks like this:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-36-16_898.jpg

Now its time to remove the pump itself. It is connected by three torx bolts. It is also connected by a bracket attached to the back of the pump. I could not remove the bracket from the pump itself, so i removed it from the other side where it was connected to the car. Then when i got the pump off the car, i removed it from the old pump. Two of the torx bolts are circled here. Also arrows point to the two hoses that carry the fluid to the pump. They must be removed as well.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_11-39-26_101-1.jpg

Now you should have the old pump out of the car. Time to inspect your hoses, etc. I ran into a problem here. I had a hose that was cracked. I went to BMW and bought a new one for $51.00. Then, when i came home and tried to remove this hose, i could not. The hose has a plastic ring that is built in to one end that is used to release the metal clamps inside the hose, so the hose releases from its connection. It looks like this:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_18-28-15_288.jpg

It is located here:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_14-39-21_773-1.jpg

The plastic ring on my upper hose cracked into 4 pieces and fell onto the ground when I tried to press it into the hose. After that, i spent an hour trying everything I could think of to get this this off. Unfortunately, it is connected to a plastic piece, so brute force was not an option. well, I did what any good ZHPM member would do and I called in reinforcements. Ryans323 came over with her Boyfriend and her Daughter and they spent a couple hours with me trying to get the hose removed as well. Turns out, we could never get it off....

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_13-45-38_331.jpg


Luckily, the hose was only cracked through one of its two layers, so I just left the old one on there.

Now, time to install the new pump. Make sure to get everything back together tightly and securely. When putting the fan back on, i used the fan blades to thread the nut. I have read this can be a pain, but it only took me about 5 minutes to get it back on.

Your power steering pump uses Automatic Transmission Fluid. When you get everything reconnected, fill the reservoir with ATF fluid. Start the car, and turn the wheel in one direction until you can turn it no further, then turn it the opposite way until it stops. This should get really easy after the first or second time you do it. Now, go check the reservoir and top it off as needed. If everything went well, you are now finished.

Dotpage
04-02-2011, 04:11 PM
FTW!

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_13-45-38_331.jpg

Ryans323i
04-03-2011, 06:08 AM
^^^FTL. We couldn't help with the hose issue. :(

Good job David, pictures are great.

Btw, I can't believe you started your DIY the same day. I need to get my a$$ in gear on the brake upgrade DIY.

danewilson77
04-03-2011, 07:50 AM
^^^FTL. We couldn't help with the hose issue. :(

Good job David, pictures are great.

Btw, I can't believe you started your DIY the same day. I need to get my a$$ in gear on the brake upgrade DIY.

Definitely slackin....

Droid! Srs Legitness!

johnnyrad
04-03-2011, 11:58 AM
FTW!

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i398/booneflyfisher/2011-04-02_13-45-38_331.jpg

Gotta love wrenchin with Crocs on! I do the same thing :)

Mtnman
04-05-2011, 05:26 PM
Alright boys and girls, this DIY is finished. I feel like I just wrote a term paper.

danewilson77
04-05-2011, 05:45 PM
Your work is very much appreciated. Thanks Mtn.

Droid! Srs Legitness!

kayger12
04-05-2011, 05:54 PM
Nice work, David.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

Ryans323i
04-06-2011, 03:56 AM
Great work David!

ryankokesh
04-06-2011, 05:08 AM
Great documenting! Thanks!!

VA//M3
04-07-2011, 09:22 AM
Wow, A brand new pump for 106???

Was it the LF20 or LF30?

Mtnman
04-07-2011, 11:28 AM
I have no idea. I put in my model year and engine, and it kicked out the pump. It is NOT OEM though...

sgplayer69
05-31-2011, 02:23 AM
is the feel of the aftermarket one the same? how does the quality compare with the OEM one? My pump just died and I'm gonna get one off a wrecked car with 48k for 120 shipped

Mtnman
05-31-2011, 03:24 AM
My steering feels just like it did before. I replaced the reservoir because it contains the filter, and didnt want gunk from an old filter ruining my new pump. My cars fluid was in terrible condition though, as the PO and myself seemed to have overlooked it.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

djo_666
07-10-2011, 08:07 PM
Awesome DIY - many thanks. I did mine this weekend using what looks like exactly the same knock off LF20 pump and reservoir. Here are a few comments based on my experience on my 2004 ZHP:
- Mine's a manual, so I didn't have to remove anything to do the pump. I took out the air box to do the reservoir.
- The belt tension pulley on mine is released using an 8mm hex bit socket (pop cap off the pulley to expose it). It seems that there is a lot of variation from model to model and year to year in how this is done, and it took a lot of internet scouring and trial and error for me to find this. Then there was the trip to The Home Depot for a hex bit socket set...
- All torx bolts on my pump are size 40.
- There were two brackets holding my pump to the engine: the typical large one and another on the back. I ended up taking all the mounting bolts off the pump and the brackets.
- I was able to re-use the existing hose clamps.
- Refilling the system took ~600ml of ATF. Seems really low compared to what I've read (2 quarts), but it's up near the full mark on the cap gauge.
- According to my BMW mechanic buddy: amount of ATF fluid that can drip into an eye before it does harm = a lot :-)

As a total novice, this was still REALLY easy. I guess that doing it again would take me only 2 hours.

Here's a question that's maybe a bit off topic: I can't get up ramps due to the low front fascia; does anyone else have that problem?

kayger12
07-11-2011, 12:23 AM
Nice work.

As for the ramp clearance problem, yes. Most of us use a 2x4/6/8 in front of the ramp to help get her up enough to clear the ramp.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

Mtnman
07-11-2011, 02:49 PM
DJO-
Glad this came in handy. If you noticed the positioning of my car, the drive is lower than the garage, and thats why the car is halfway out, I have to back the car in and then put the ramps on the concrete. Now, my car is even lower, so i will have to use a 2x10 as a "step" like what Keith said, above. Also, make an intro thread, and show us your car!

ryankokesh
10-18-2011, 08:15 PM
My car's making noises when I turn the wheel. Wish I would have done this when I replaced belts & water pump... Oh well, at least I got a sick diy here!

JG330i
06-27-2012, 03:09 PM
0o0o0 how glad I am that I found this!!!

Mine decided after a long night at work last night that it was just going to go out and die on me......I'll have to check carparts.com for the replacement.

Mtnman, can you verify if you had any issues with the aftermarket pump/resevoir? Didnt see any follow-up post-repair so just curious as to if it worked out well for you.

Mtnman
06-29-2012, 05:34 PM
I have pm'ed in response to this, but for as long as I owned the zhp after the replacement, everything worked fine. Just fyi.

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JG330i
07-10-2012, 04:19 PM
I have pm'ed in response to this, but for as long as I owned the zhp after the replacement, everything worked fine. Just fyi.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks again!

I actually got lucky and my indy mechanic got the OEM Pump+Reservoir for cheeeeap.

Nice having it back :)

3ZHP
06-19-2013, 06:23 PM
Nice wright up Dave, I found it tonight when googling my power steering problem that started on my way home tonight.

When I made a left turn from a stop sigh it sounded like my tires were rubbing. Heading down the road I made some swerves to the right and left and felt the rubbing so at the first side street I turned off to check for a flat or something I may have picked up off the road. Nothing, nada, everything looked fine. Got home and the noise and vibration was harsh as I backed into the drive. I jacked up the right and then the left and everything was free. Thought that short shield on the front of the inner fender might have flipped up and caused the rubbing so, I went to road test it but, never got out of the garage because the noise was still there.

In looking at a post on Bimmerforms, someone had the same symptoms I have and a new pump, reservoir and lines cured his problem. Now it's just finding the time to do the fix.

3ZHP
06-20-2013, 05:43 PM
Any of you wizards have any ideas or input for my power steering issue on the previous post?


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danewilson77
06-20-2013, 05:58 PM
Any of you wizards have any ideas or input for my power steering issue on the previous post?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When is the last time you refreshed PS fluid?

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

3ZHP
06-20-2013, 06:01 PM
When is the last time you refreshed PS fluid?

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

Never

danewilson77
06-20-2013, 06:04 PM
Ha! The wizard has spoken. J/K.

Mileage?

Reservoir filter could be clogged, PS pump could be on its way out, etc... As you mentioned. I would try to flush, turkey baster style, to see if you can save it.

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

3ZHP
06-20-2013, 06:36 PM
My thought on the fluid is, it would of slowly progressed but, this was good one minute and bad the next. Tomorrow I'm going to watch the pulley while someone else moves the wheel and that rubbing noise starts. Looking for a broken shaft, if it broke on an angel it may make a noise like I'm hearing. Note, the noise nearly goes away at high rpms when moving the wheel in place.

danewilson77
06-20-2013, 06:38 PM
Sounds good Guy.

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA