Just installed my Hydroboost and went through the fluid bleeding proceedure, fired up the car and the steering pump squeels no matter what unless the front wheels are off the ground.

Any ideas?

Could it be low pressure or is the pump just not up to the task?

I have had this pump for over 2 years and never had a problem with it until the Hydroboost.

[ 06-29-2003, 10:06 AM: Message edited by: CA420 ]

I had better not say too much here because I don't know a lot about that system, and I'm gonna run out of info real quick.
I read that the hydroboost requires a higher pressure than normal PS, I'm not sure how high but close to 1400 psi.
A std Camaro pump is regulated at around 800 to 900 off the top of my head...

There is an accumulator in the unit that must be pressurized/charged when you first start the engine. I'd guess that once it is pressurized, the system should bypass the oil, and pump pressure would drop to a very low pressure until the brakes are applied.
If your pump can't make enough pressure to initially charge the accumulator, it's probably stuck in that mode. I'm just guessing here as I've not studied this system but I do know there is an accumulator in it which provides some reserve boost if the pump fails or engine dies.

But first make absolutely sure your hoses are connected right.
Your pump is no different than a hydroboost pump except the pressure valve and maybe an extra return line fitting.
Hopefully CarlC or Torker will reply soon with better info than I have.
David

[ 06-28-2003, 11:19 PM: Message edited by: davidpozzi ]

I don't know what bleeding procedure you used, but just the other day I ran into some power steering problems, with my new fast ratio set up. It sounds like we had the same simptoms, too much squeal and almost no power assist until I lift the car from the floor. At first, I made the well mentioned bleeding procedure, which consist of turning the steering wheel from side to side for several times to let the pump bleed but without much luck. Finally I lifted the car from the floor again, and with the help of a second set of hands, I loosened the pressure line at the pump end, with the engine running and turning the steering wheel from side to side at the same time. Then shut the engine, refilled the reservoir and peace of mind finally came. No squeal and a perfect functioning PS system. You might try that, even when it's a little messy, before making some further changes. Good luck.

Sounds like you either have too much air in the system or the valve in the pump is clogged.

It does take much longer to bleed the system with the hydrobooster.

Jack the front wheels off the ground, start the engine, then turn the wheels slowly from lock to lock and then shut the engine off. Do this several times untill the squeeling goes away. Make sure the pump stays topped off with fluid during the process. If the fluid gets too foamy you may have to shut the car off and wait a while. Good Luck.

I agree with Torker. Air, a plugged valve, or a loose belt.

If it's air then the fluid will foam. Even after cycling the system several times while the car is on jackstands there will still be trapped air that will come out once the car is on the ground. It takes several hours to get the air out to the point where the system works half-way well.

The stock reservoir is not good at eliminating air bubbles. Also, many aftermarket fluids do not work as well as the stock GM fluid. The Valvoline synthetic fluid says non-foaming. Yeah, right. The GM fluid is better but more expensive.

This is assuming that the booster is in good working order. If it sucks air then all bets are off.

the Booster is brand new from Hydraboost and the pump is a newer style housing but the full size Saginaw pump. I will keep trying to work out the bubbles and see what happens.

I didn't have this problem with my unit, but I followed Paul's bleeding instructions to the "T." I recall that they were pretty involved, having to start the car, shut it off, check the fluid level, start it, turn the wheels slightly, pump the pedal, etc. It was quite extensive, but it seemed to work in my case. My guess is that if one tries to do this too quickly that you'll introduce air into the P/S fluid. If this is the case, you'll have to wait quite a while to let it settle out before you can go at it again. Call Paul at Hydroboost if you can't figure it out, he is a HUGE help.

Mark

Paul did have the answer to my problem......loose belt. I tightened the crap out of it and it is quiet as can be. graemlins/hurray.gif Now to just get the brakes bled. :mad:

Well my Hydroboost is working great! graemlins/hurray.gif I finally got all the air out of the lines. The bleeder screws were sucking air around the threads graemlins/sad.gif . Last night I was locking them up and having a good time.


Paul does have a great product and I won't be going back to vacuum on any car I build in the future.