I can’t get the air out of my power steering system. I’m bleed it every which way till Sunday. Everything works perfectly smooth and quiet for a minute or maybe five, then the cavitation begins. Car is a 1973 V8 Maverick, basically stock;.All hydraulic components are new or less than six months old. Using ATF Type F System comprehensively flushed, twice. Used bleeding procedure from factory Ford shop manual: It didn’t work Used bleeding procedure from this forum: Elevate wheels, turn when through motion 10 times, then another five times: It didn’t work Do it again It didn’t work Vacuum bleed system (held vacuum overnight): It didn’t work - somehow still air in the system Do &*^$& everything again, again It didn’t work Anyone have any ideas? I’m on my third pump. Current options: Manual steering conversion (Rare Parts RP27483 Manual Steering Adapter) Pro: easy install, cheap Con: iffy reputation of conversion, very hard steering with PS ratio vs factory manual ratio 2. Borgeson power steering kit Pro: possibly better than new performance Con: difficult installation, custom fabrication required, extremely expensive
I can't help you with getting it bled - but I tell you not to fear having the faster ratio steering gear box on a manual setup. I have that in my 72 and I like it a lot. Even at low speeds it seems quite easy to turn and at speed it is very sports car like in response. I have P205 tires in front.
Well basically if the the fluid level is in spec, it's almost impossible to cavitate. I can't think of any other way air can be introduced. In reality fluid level must be very low to introduce air into hydraulic system. Maybe if there were loose bolts securing rotor assembly, but after three pumps, no chance that's a issue. Just what is your symptom?? Most all rebuilt Ford pumps are going to whine a bit. Usually most noticable after a few minutes warmup.
My pump whined continuously after rebuilding. I tolerated it 5 years; that was the limit I was willing to tolerate. I am wondering if "CA189HJN" could use Saginaw pump, if pump is the problem. I have seen some Ford products w/ GM pumps as OE equipped. Pump pressure would have to be adjusted and don't know if Type F or power steer fluid would be required. The problem w/ this, would probably be few hundred bucks w/ brackets, hoses etc. Just throwing it out.
If the system is functioning properly, choice of fluid is subjective. I've had Dexron/Mercon in the Comet for approx four years, no whine at all. Pump on Fairlane whines with Dex/Merc or type F. Thickening fluid will help, in past I've used approx six ounces of STP as a additive. That is what I had in Fairlane system, whine all but ceased. Then I read about not using F caused whine. Flushed it twice with F, it's whined for a year now. As far as Saginaw pump, it may well fix the issue. I believe most of those were used on trucks or HD applications. Says something of the Ford pump eh?
Are you using the Gen I or II pump? I had to restrict the flow on the Borg sys. using 5 shims; otherwise the steering was so sensitive at higway speed -- it was nerve racking.
I used a Saginaw pump and bracket from a 78 or 79 ford van. I think it had a 351 in it. It was kind of a funky, heavy bracket. I made a shim out of a .062 washer to put inside the pump to lower the pressure. I like it, but it hasnt been driven more than 5 or 6 hundred miles...so I cant vouch for long term greatness. had to adapt a gm hose end to the Ford hose, but that was low cost.
Thanks everyone! This wasn't slightly irritating noise of a normal Ford-type pump, this was really loud howl, like the pump was running dry. Could feel jerks vibrations in the steering, too. Checked dipstick and fluid level was right at the mark. Still no clue where the air is coming from; it's going to be an unsolved mystery. I'm converting it to manual steering with the Rare Parts adapter, which Amazon just dropped off. I'm the only one who drives the car, so a little upper-body workout when parking isn't a big deal. Been researching electric assist systems, which look like a good future upgrade if I find the non-assisted too gnarly. On a related tangent, the PS pump and the water pump share a v-belt. I'm going to use an old alternator as an idler to get the thing back on the road (using an aftermarket SBF alternator bracket that can be flipped to use on the driver-side). Depending on what future me decides to do with the car, I can imagine changing to a serpentine belt setup.
When I dropped the power steering and air from my Comet I used a water pump double V pulley from an old F-350 truck from the 1960s. It allowed me to run from the stock crank pulley to the water pump and alternator using the front V. Thought about machining the rear V off of it.
