Technical Rebuilding power steering pump

[cyberbird]

Hi,
I hear slight noises when turning wheel quickly (like wiping glass with cloth sound). I assume noise is coming from power steering pump. Fluid is full and has been changed 6 months ago.
I saw some car manufacturers offer kits to rebuild the pump (gaskets and bearings mostly).
Is there something similar avaliable for Fiat? (I have 1.4 t-jet engine)
I just want to prepare in advance when pump dies one day.

 

[bugsymike]

Hi,
I hear slight noises when turning wheel quickly (like wiping glass with cloth sound). I assume noise is coming from power steering pump. Fluid is full and has been changed 6 months ago.
I saw some car manufacturers offer kits to rebuild the pump (gaskets and bearings mostly).
Is there something similar avaliable for Fiat? (I have 1.4 t-jet engine)
I just want to prepare in advance when pump dies one day.

What was the reason to change the fluid in the first place? It is not a common job to need to do, unless a hose split, or a new steering rack was fitted.
If car was driven for a while like that with no oil in system that would damage the pump as well as the oil lubricates the pump vanes and bearings etc.
I assume noise changes as you turn the steering wheel?
Is the fluid frothy/ full of bubbles in the reservoir?
You may be able to use a stethoscope or long screwdriver to carefully check if the noise is actually coming from the pump.
If the bearings have failed in the pump then all the metal particles will have gone around the rest of the steering gear potentially causing more damage than just the pump.
Was the correct oil used when changing in the first place in the pump, as different manufacturers use different types of oil, so a wrong type could have damaged the pump.
I have never rebuilt a power steering pump in more than 50 years in the motortrade and most modern pumps are not made to be repaired.

 

[cyberbird]

I changed the fluid because it was 7 years old. Just maintenance.
I made a mistake doing it with engine on and a lot of fluid was spit out. There were also many small micro bubbles in the fluid. I tried to bleed it multiple times and got most air bubbles out.

Noise is heard when I do quick fast wheel turns.

Correct generic DEX3 oil was used.

 

[bugsymike]

I changed the fluid because it was 7 years old. Just maintenance.
I made a mistake doing it with engine on and a lot of fluid was spit out. There were also many small micro bubbles in the fluid. I tried to bleed it multiple times and got most air bubbles out.

Noise is heard when I do quick fast wheel turns.

Correct generic DEX3 oil was used.

Generally if I had to replace power steering fluid due to a component change I used to refill the reservoir and then let the engine idle with the wheels off the ground and gentle turn the steering from lock to lock, then recheck level and again after a road test.
Normally that was all that was required.
Unless the oil had got really hot for some reason to the point the oil had gone very dark and smelt like burnt chip oil, personally I would never bother to change it, in much the same way with automatic gearboxes, though I know these days some manufacturers advise it.
Bubbles in the fluid will cause noise as the pump tries to compress the fluid to operate the power steering, normally if left to settle for a day it cures it's self, though obviously not in your case.