- Location
- In a strange land
My power steering pump was replaced by a previous owner. It has had a minor leak at the reservoir for as long as I have owned it. On this last trip it developed an additional leak at the front of the pump such that it was starting to sling power steering fluid off the pulley. I decided it was time to replace it.
What my local Napa had to offer was a bare pump (no reservoir) for $60 with a $55 core charge. I had a hard time with the idea that someone valued my core as worth only $5 less than their own product. Something about that math just didn't work right in my mind.
So I came here, and PSC seems to be a pretty safe bet. I ordered an SP1205C from Summit.
There are a couple of details that would have been nice to know up front. Most importantly, the marketing image of an SP1205C is not an accurate representation of the current product. One of the mounting lugs shown in the image is not present on the pump.
Here is the marketing image, with my red circle added to the relevant lug:
Here is that lug in its application:
Here is the pump that I received:
I called PSC to find out if I had received a mis-boxed product. No. This is the current production. The foundry that casts these pumps hasn't made the version with that lug in ten years or so. PSC provides the short bolt that is necessary to mount this pump without the one lug. And I am assured it will work just fine.
I still have my reservations. The pump I received appears to be the older style such as is on my '93. That would mean that someone at Chrysler decided the additional lug was needed in '96 (and later). In my mind, if someone persuaded the bean counters that this lug was necessary then they must have had a good reason.
This also tells me why my core is so valuable to someone. I will be hanging onto it to have it rebuilt. I will then move this new pump over to my '93.
Another detail worth noting is the fluid requirement for this pump. Here is the tag that comes with it:
Note that the GM part number is already obsolete. The current P/N is 19329448.
I had picked up some Valvoline power steering fluid, thinking I would use that. The tech guy at PSC could not tell me if it would be a good choice or not. One of the important details is that the fluid not contain conditioners. The wrong stuff will make the pump run hotter. I decided to spring for the GM fluid at $12/quart at the local stealership. There may be better options if you know in advance what you need to be looking for.
One last note: In looking for information about swapping power steering pumps I came across several comments about pulleys being flimsy and not holding up to pullers. Evidently some folks are not aware that the pullers for power steering pulleys are a unique type. They are not the jaw type. All force is applied at the very center of the pulley, none at the perimeter. Use the right puller (and installer) and there should be no issues with the pulley. The right tool for the job should look something like this:
Note that is in the "install" configuration. The black cylinder with the 1/2" rod sticking out of it is the "puller" part.
Hopefully this will help someone else out there.
What my local Napa had to offer was a bare pump (no reservoir) for $60 with a $55 core charge. I had a hard time with the idea that someone valued my core as worth only $5 less than their own product. Something about that math just didn't work right in my mind.
So I came here, and PSC seems to be a pretty safe bet. I ordered an SP1205C from Summit.
There are a couple of details that would have been nice to know up front. Most importantly, the marketing image of an SP1205C is not an accurate representation of the current product. One of the mounting lugs shown in the image is not present on the pump.
Here is the marketing image, with my red circle added to the relevant lug:
Here is that lug in its application:
Here is the pump that I received:
I called PSC to find out if I had received a mis-boxed product. No. This is the current production. The foundry that casts these pumps hasn't made the version with that lug in ten years or so. PSC provides the short bolt that is necessary to mount this pump without the one lug. And I am assured it will work just fine.
I still have my reservations. The pump I received appears to be the older style such as is on my '93. That would mean that someone at Chrysler decided the additional lug was needed in '96 (and later). In my mind, if someone persuaded the bean counters that this lug was necessary then they must have had a good reason.
This also tells me why my core is so valuable to someone. I will be hanging onto it to have it rebuilt. I will then move this new pump over to my '93.
Another detail worth noting is the fluid requirement for this pump. Here is the tag that comes with it:
Note that the GM part number is already obsolete. The current P/N is 19329448.
I had picked up some Valvoline power steering fluid, thinking I would use that. The tech guy at PSC could not tell me if it would be a good choice or not. One of the important details is that the fluid not contain conditioners. The wrong stuff will make the pump run hotter. I decided to spring for the GM fluid at $12/quart at the local stealership. There may be better options if you know in advance what you need to be looking for.
One last note: In looking for information about swapping power steering pumps I came across several comments about pulleys being flimsy and not holding up to pullers. Evidently some folks are not aware that the pullers for power steering pulleys are a unique type. They are not the jaw type. All force is applied at the very center of the pulley, none at the perimeter. Use the right puller (and installer) and there should be no issues with the pulley. The right tool for the job should look something like this:
Note that is in the "install" configuration. The black cylinder with the 1/2" rod sticking out of it is the "puller" part.
Hopefully this will help someone else out there.
