As a car owner, you need to know as much as you can about your vehicle and how it works to best maintain it.
The engine is a crucial part of your car, and you need to know how to take care of its parts to keep it in optimal performance.
A power steering pump is a crucial part of a vehicle, and the whole engine depends on it to run correctly.
The steering pump pulley is part of the hydraulics system. It runs the belt that rotates the steering pump, and you might need to change it, so let us see how;
How to remove a power steering pump pulley without a puller
It is possible to remove a power steering pump pulley without a puller, but one should not try it under any circumstance.
This is because the engine produces a lot of energy even when idle. At this state, the pulley has been tightly secured to the power steering pump to stay attached to the belt. Trying to do this while the pulley spins might damage the whole system.
Removing A Power Steering Pump Pulley Without A Puller
A steering pump belt moves the pump by transferring energy from the engine through the steering pump pulley. These pulleys have a v-type or serpentine belt to drive the steering pump.
Sometimes removing a power steering pump pulley without a puller might be frustrating; this is often due to the risk of performing such a task. If you want to do it, the following steps will come in handy:
- Before anything, you should make sure you disconnect and reconnect the main power pulley when removing the power steering pulley. You should press the pulley that you installed into the input shaft to improve the function of the internal engine.
- The removal tool will take up to 12 inches. One should clean and remove the mounting pump for enough gap to attach the replacement tool. Fit the tool with a bit of force to get the correct posture.
- You will hear a pop sound to remind you the tool is starting. You should steam the pulley to about 120-130 degrees, then reinstall it.
- You must install the pulley in a rustless shaft. The procedure will be challenging and lengthy unless the shaft and the pulley are clean. Do not grease the pulley or shaft. If the pulley or shaft has grease, ensure they are clean before the installation.
- Warm the pulley at 120-130 degrees. With the correct temperature, we are in the best position to move in the pulley to the shaft. Rotate the pulley until the square softly coincides with the frame.
- Turn the pulley on to get the wobble out. This means the pulley is square and fair. Attach the installation tool in front of the input shaft pump.
- After the installation, you should tighten the collar to the pulley; installation starts with a ratchet and wrenches. When doing this, you should be careful since it won’t work if it’s too loose, and making it too tight could break some parts of the system.
- Tighten the tool until you finish the control pulley. Ensure you finish the pulley with the shaft, and once you do this, you will be through with the installation.
Maintenance Of A Power Steering Pump Pulley
The best way to stay on the road is to have maximum control over your car, which has many parts.
You need to look into your car’s tires, the brake system, suspension, and all other aspects that have anything to do with control.
An essential thing to think about is the steering system when talking about control. You should maintain a power steering pump pulley to serve you better. The following are simple ways to maintain your power steering pump pulley:
- Regular checkup of the fluid in the power steering pump pulley. You should keep this fluid clean and full all the time because it brings about a smoothly functioning system. You might damage your engine if you allow the level to drop or if the fluid is old.
As you use an engine, it exposes your fluid to changes in conditions and dirt and water. As this happens, your engine’s lubricant will wear out, and it will not be as effective as your engine needs, and it can lead to damage to some essential parts.
- You have to change the power steering filter annually to prevent blockage and build-up. The filter keeps dirt and dust out of your engine, and there will be a build-up of the things it keeps out after some time.
If the filter accumulates too much dirt, it will block off the supply of pulley fluid, and your engine will not get enough lubrication. This will cause it to wear out faster, and you will have to replace it in a few months.
- Prevent leakage in your power steering pulley. Any system that uses a fluid to transmit pressure must be air-tight to keep the fluid intact and balanced. If you have leaks, you will not get the correct pressure transmission.
This becomes even more important when dealing with a part that directly influences how you control your car. Having a sound control system will ensure you have complete control over your car at all times, which will
How Does A Power Steering Pump Work?
Understanding your car and how it works will help you learn how to work with it and get the best out of it.
The steering pump pulley is a crucial part of all vehicles, so let us break it down and see what role it plays in your car;
A power steering pulley is a pulley that drives a power steering pump on a vehicle. This pulley is often aluminum, and it can withstand speeds faster than that of your car’s engine.
A steering pump is a system that is run by spinning the crankshaft using a pulley and a belt. The primary use of a power steering pump pulley is to help the driver turn the steering wheel without using force, which makes driving a lot easier.
These two systems depend on each other, and you can feel the difference as a driver; the wheel is harder to turn when the car is not moving, but it gets easier as the car goes faster.
Inside the housing, you can see the heart of the steering pump, and it will be covered in transmission fluid if you have been using it. The pump has an inlet through which power steering fluid will go into the system.
There is a central shaft and a curve shape-outside with two pockets that go with the shape. On the rotor, there are small veins that can move in and out with centrifugal force.
As the engine runs, the veins will move further outside and push against the inner wall of the power steering pump, which will leave small pockets where they came out of. Fluid will get into the chamber through the inlets on both sides.
As the rotor rotates, the chamber will become more extensive, and the system will squeeze the fluid as the veins push towards the wall.
The volume inside the pockets will become smaller, which will create a high-pressure zone that pushes the fluid out of the high-pressure port.
The fluid will go through a flow and a pressure relief valve before entering the supply hoses. It is essential to keep this system air-tight so that all the processes can run as they should without pressure loss.
The exact process will happen on the other side, so you end up with a dual-action pump with two high-pressure sides and two low-pressure sides, creating the power steering fluid flow. There is a shaft that attaches to the crankshaft that controls the speed of your wheels.
The hydraulic pump will create a flow within the steering system to create the force to operate the steering gear. The engine crankshaft controls the power steering pump, so their speed will always correlate.
This also means that there will be hydraulic flow whenever the engine is running, and you will get a well-balanced system if everything is in order.
The power steering pump system has a lot of complicated parts that come together to make the system run correctly.
Conclusion
Power steering is an essential tool in any vehicle. But most people do not know how to handle it properly. Removing a power steering pump pulley without a puller is extremely dangerous. It can lead to damage to the whole system.
It is, therefore, wise for you to purchase a puller. A puller will cover the risk that comes with removing a pulley. Maintaining a power steering pump pulley is also crucial to ensure that it does not wear out.
