My power steering pump in my 98 camaro is leaking. I put dye in it and it appears to be leaking from the o-ring between the reservoir and pump. Can the reservoir be removed without taking the pump out? if so, how do I do it. Thanks

Ryan

 

you will waste more time messing around in there you should pull it all, clean it all , then replace new put back in,

whats better doing a job 1 time and being 100% confident your done.
or doing a job 3 times because you tried to cut corners .

 

absolutely right. I don't want to half *** it. Just not sure how the resevoir mounts to the pump and how hard it is to get it off of the pump. I have a new alternator to put in at the same time so, getting it out is no big deal. Thanks

 

Yeah I always have tried to quick method things, always costs me more time and $ in the end,

If I am not mistaken most if not all of those PS pumps have the O ring pop on res. some may have one bolt holding the base but most are push on.

I learned this alot since aftermarket Autozone powersteering pumps come without the res. or you can pay 60$ more for the res. In my cases I always elected to save the 50-60$ and use the old res.

Goodluck broski, wish you the best.

 

Its probably overflowing from the top of the reservoir under the cap. If you flush out the fluid and replace with clean stuff, that may take care of your problem. Very common.

 

That was the original problem due to the power steering cooler on the SS. But I fixed that, put an aftermarket cooler on it. Then put dye in it to see where it was leaking from. It definitely isnt the cap or the lines. It appears to be at the base of the resevoir. But it is only a few droplets here and there. It ends up being enough to make a mess on the floor and alternator though.

 

spike it with a splash of brake fluid for a quick fix until you get around to replacing everything.

 

Seems odd to me unless someone messed with the tank previously because there is no pressure in that tank. Its just an O-ring seal.

To your earlier question - you can not remove the tank w/o taking the whole pump off on the F body. Its held to the pump body with clips positioned so that the brackets/block/heads lock them in.

So, you might want to rebuild the pump while you are addressing your tank issue. I sent mine to TurnOne and also had them add their pulley so I can easily take the pump off in the future.

 

Thanks. Once I get the pump off I will need to examine it closer, but it works perfectly fine, no noises, no issues other than the leak and the car only has 27k on it. The only time the pump was off the car was when I did the heads/cam. But I left it all attached and just moved it to the side. I think the issue with the -ring is probably due to the stock ps cooler which pressurized the pump with coolant. I am thinking that is what caused the initial leak and probably took its toll on the o-ring as well. Either way, it is a relatively cheap fix, so if it doesnt work then Ill give turn one a call.

Ryan

 

It's probably just the rubber. Metal wears with mileage and rubber wears with age. Even though your car is low mileage, you'll see components with seals starting go go out. (Ball joints, water pump, hoses, transmission/drivetrain seals, etc.)

Your pump internals are probably in great condition - all the more reason to get it rebuilt with new seals and have it last you another 10+ years. (Regardless of which way you go, I'd recommend you hold on to your parts and have them rebuilt when they go out rather than trading them in as a core and getting a rebuilt unit from the store that's already seen 200K miles!)

 

My corvette power steering pump's seal leaked a puddle after sitting for 6 months. The car only has 30,000 miles on it, so I drained the tank & filled it up 50/50 with power steering fluid & sealant/conditioner. Since then I have had zero leaks & it has been 2 years. It cost me under $10. Good luck.