So today after a long drive, clicking noises started in my S5 GXL. I stopped the car after about 10 min or so and found that there was a lot of oil around my power steering pump area and that the pump was the source of all the clicking. I tried to add fluid but a lot of fluid keeps foaming out whenever I run the car. I've tried keeping the car off and turning lock to lock to get air bubbles out first but I dunno if I'm doing it right. Is my pump dead? Any insight would be great. I really need to fix this up tonight or tomorrow morning.

Side note: Is the steering column tough enough to handle me turning lock to lock without power steering while at a dead stop? I hope I didn't break anything =(.

 

And btw, thanks in advance for help!

 

help anyone?

 

It may be the pump, but first I'd suggest you try replacing all the fluid with synthetic. Sometimes when you're steering a lot all the pumping can cause the fluid to heat up enough to boil and froth, and a synthetic will resist that better. I know it's helped others with that same problem.

BTW, no bumping in here is allowed.

 

sorry about the bumping.

I've tried filling it but all the liquid just comes back out in a foamy mess. I guess there is air stuck in there? How can I fix this?

 

He said take all the old fluid out and replace it with synthetic fluid.

 

hmm ok how do I go about draining the system then?

 

syphon it? pump it out?

 

Disconnect the hoses from the rack and drain it into a bucket, be sure to get it all out of the rack too.

Or you can permanently fix it by doing a full manual conversion of your power rack.

 

hmm ok actually right now I need a temporary solutioin though. I am not at home (at friend's place) so I don't have any of my tools with me. I need to know how to make it stop foaming and rejecting all the fluid. Thanks!

 

You have air in the system if its foaming up regardless of temp. of fluid.

To bleed the system you will need some fluid handy.

Start by filling the resevoir with the car off and keep filling it till you hit the max mark. Watch the fluid level and see if any bubbles come up. If they do keep filling the resevoir untill no more bubbles come up and top it up to the max mark. Once that is done, with the car still off, turn the steering wheel a full turn in each direction and check the fluid again. If it hasnt moved then start the car and then look at the fluid to make sure it doesnt drop. If it does then fill it to the max mark again and turn the wheel about 90 degrees or less in each direction and check the fluid level again. If its still good then do a couple full turns and make sure the level still hasnt dropped. If you are still getting bubbles after doing this for a while make sure all fittings in the power steering system are tight, because there is a possibitiy of air entering the system from somewhere else. if all goes well, after you park for the night check next morning if there is any fluid on the ground. If so look for wet spots on any of the fittings. And go from there!

 

Seeing as I just replaced my bad PS pump another thing you can try is taking the pulley off the power steering pump and checking shaft play. Although I didn't have all of the same symptoms as you, mine foamed and also puked out PS fluid out the neck whenever you took it to full lock in either direction and made a loud whirring noise, I noticed a considerable difference between the shaft play, in and out as well as side to side, between my bad and new one. The new one basically has no movement other than spinning. No sooner than I took my old one off the front seal to the bearings around the ps pump shaft fell out and showed me that it had eaten up about 4 or so of the ball bearings and turned them into metal scraps. So my guess is that my system was taking in air from a leak around the shaft area and creating a lot of air bubbles in the system no matter how many times I properly bled it.

 

hmmm alright well then I'm gonna give it one more shot right now and then take the belt off and call it a day.

 

alright well. killed the belt. It's gonna be a tough drive to work tomorrow with my 15.x/1 ratio...and also driving the whole hydraulics system. =/

 

If you can, drain the flud out, it'll make it easier t drive.

 

hmm yea I might do that. I might actually leave the fluid in there for a few days and then try the belt again. By then it will HAVE to be completely bled by all the driving and then I will also know if I need to replace the pump or if it's some other leak that's introducing air into the system. Is that a good idea or not? Might I be putting too much stress on the U-joint down the shaft?

And also I was wondering...is it possible for a bad pump to introduce air into the system? I'm not familiar with how it works.

 

A leak in the line will cause fluid to escape, not let air in (the fluid's under pressure).

You will be stressing stuff more by driving around manually pumping the fluid through the rack, but you won't break anything. If you are going to drive it without power, then please drain the rack, it'll make it much easier to drive, and if you don't you'll be less safe because your ability to react quickly will be impared by the slow, heavy steering.

If there's not enough fluid in there to start with, it won't just bleed itself, as the pump will be frothing it up, pumping air into the system.