I was driving down the street and all of sudden steering became extremely heavy....here are some of the pictures i just took, all i can see is the cap somehow detached from the bottom...when i was taking a close inspection, a little spring came off...somebody pls tell me how to fix this? Do i need a replacement power steering pump? if that's the case, should I pick up a OEM one or any used power steering pump in good condition would work just fine?

many many thx in advance, and if possible, pls help me to identify the possible cause of the problem, thx.

Tian

http://picasaweb.google.com/tianweng.wu/PUMPFAILURE

 

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Some people have their power steering removed. So it shouldn't be hard to find used. Also the FD is not heavily dependant on power steering and is used mainly in low speed situations.

 

Somebody had over tighten it, either Mazda or a previous owner.

 

seriously. you don't hear about too many PS failures. good luck. i imagine a used one would be fine.

 

I really appreciate all those replies, thx guys.