Power steering pump

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msandli

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2001 tahoe, 5.3, 4wd

is there a recommended brand for new/rebuilt power steering pump? ac delco, or can i just go to the parts desk? the truck has 277k miles on it, and it's basically a grocery getter, so i don't need the absolute top of the line, but i also don't want to face this power steering fluid leak in another 6 months.

thanks
 

Big Mama

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Go to rock auto and get oem parts. It’s the same part that got you 277k don’t forget to get all parts that go with this job. Hoses leak reservoir cracks seals get old belts do too. Good luck
 
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msandli

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both of those things sound good, thanks for the replies. i will probably use oem as the difference is only like $50 from what I've seen. i assume it's the same for the water pump? i've got a really slow leak somewhere - maybe 1 gallon over the course of a year/10000 miles. oil is never milky, never a puddle under the truck, and the exhaust doesn't seem to be any steamier than normal (although that is a bad measurement). I'm tempted to change the water pump just to see if that stops the leak, although i'm also tempted to just leave well enough alone since the leak is so slow. even my low coolant idiot light still works!
 

live2pull

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both of those things sound good, thanks for the replies. i will probably use oem as the difference is only like $50 from what I've seen. i assume it's the same for the water pump? i've got a really slow leak somewhere - maybe 1 gallon over the course of a year/10000 miles. oil is never milky, never a puddle under the truck, and the exhaust doesn't seem to be any steamier than normal (although that is a bad measurement). I'm tempted to change the water pump just to see if that stops the leak, although i'm also tempted to just leave well enough alone since the leak is so slow. even my low coolant idiot light still works!

Agreed OEM for the P/S pump. Check the bottom side of the water pump for the weep hole, possibly where your leak is.
 

swathdiver

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The only time I use a non OEM packaged part is when I learn who actually made the part for the manufacturer in the first place. Melling and Timken come to mind as does American Axle & Manufacturing.
 

Big Mama

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That slow of a leak could be anywhere from your heater core to the many hose clamp connections. As stated look at the weep hole but don’t change the wp just to change it. look elsewhere first
 

89Suburban

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That slow of a leak could be anywhere from your heater core to the many hose clamp connections. As stated look at the weep hole but don’t change the wp just to change it. look elsewhere first
Yup or those plastic fittings on the heater hoses or the coolant reservoir or if you have rear heat could be one of the hard lines hidden under the firewall/floor got a pin hole in it.
 
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msandli

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I pulled the trigger on getting a new power steering pump, water pump, thermostat housing, and felpro gaskets. I could never pinpoint exactly where the leak was, but everything was dry on top and near the firewall, and the leak appeared to be concentrated near the front of the engine (the skid plates really obscured my view), so I figure it's either the gaskets or through the weep hole due to a failed pump. either way, I'm tackling both projects this weekend. I've never done this before, but I've done all the other fluids, breaks, etc. and have been elbow deep in many a small engine before, so I'm looking forward to learning something new. A new belt will be a game time decision: it looks good now and doesn't make any noise, but this will be a great chance to really inspect it. Same with the belt tensioners and idlers. Some questions:

1. What are the torque values for these things? I've seen 22 lb-ft for the 6 water pump bolts, but that's it.
2. The procedure I've seen for bleeding the power steering system is to get the front wheels off the ground and turn the wheel lock to lock 20 times before getting it on the ground. That's it?
3. Are there any other tips? I've watched plenty of youtube vids so I feel pretty confident I know all the steps if everything goes reasonably well. Along with more fluids, I'm gonna get some PB blaster. I'm already practicing my zen speech for the fan clutch. That power steering pump is surprisingly heavy!
 
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msandli

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update: the fan belt was a fun as i thought it would be. i was finally able to wedge a 3" c clamp behind the water pump pulley and use the belts as friction enhancements. i should probably through on a new belt, but those are relatively easy to replace, so it will wait. the fan clutch tools at advanced auto parts are absolute garbage. if that wrench is actually 36 mm, then my johnson is 10" long. do yourself a favor and just go buy an adjustable wrench that opens at least 1.5" if you don't have air tools.

that power steering pump: what an absolute pain in the d!ck. the guy who was operating the ps pump pulley press was on his game that day, because it took me probably 20 minutes to get that off. that's AFTER destroying the cheap advanced auto parts universal puller (seeing a trend here?) and getting another one from autozone. as it turns out, i guess my pump is the factory original because it still has the EVO solenoid on the back. this is interesting because it means that the pump i have won't work, and i don't have the EVO delete pipe. i now need to think if i want to go buy that little pipe for $50-60, or just clean everything, reinstall the old pump, and hope that my very small ps leak miraculously goes away. i know what the advice from this site will be, but finding out my ps pump wouldn't work really broke my spirit, and i'm tired of throwing money at it.
 

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