powersteering problems

[JDMSTYLE]

just got my isis stainless power steering line and i decided it was time to replace my whiny pump.
got the new pump in and replaced it and installed the isis powersteering line. but now it feels like the powersteering isnt even working. its still hard to turn and feels even worse than before with the bad pump.
ive been bleeding the system and it seems like theres no more air pockets in the system.
also i noticed that on the reservoir on the return line, has a lot of air bubbles shooting out, is this normal? :tweak:
anyone else have this same problem?

[JDMSTYLE]

went for a drive and when i come back i notice that the reservoir has a lot of very small air bubbles. almost like its foaming.

[JDMSTYLE]

so i opened up my reservoir today and found out that i have a leak somewhere :(
oh well at least this solved my first problem of not creating enough pressure now to find that leak.

does anyone know the size of the rubber hoses (large and small) that connect to the reservoir and the return line? i was thinking i should just replace these hoses anyway since they are probably really old. also any good online sources to find these types of hoses?

[Corbic]

Did you bleed the system?

[JDMSTYLE]

bleed the system after finding the leak.
it has power steering but its on and off when i drive it lags a bit. my new rebuilt pump is going bad (whining a lot now) as well could that be the problem with the on and off power steering.

[hisoka]

if its whining and it has a tiny leak, just keep topping it up while car is stationary one person keep turning the wheel.

go for a drive and it should stop whining after a minute or so.

my s13 does this to. what kind of pump do you have btw.

if its a hicas pump with the rear blocked off and fins removed, it will bubble the shit out of the fluid and make it very watery texture.

just keep topping up, even if it looks full

[JDMSTYLE]

hmm. i will try that hopefully it works.
if not i have a new pump coming in.

[JDMSTYLE]

update. installed new pump and switched the washers on the isis line.
new pump started to cavitate and whine again and the same problem occurs. dont know what else to do...other than get a reman'd rack, but my rack does not appear to be leaking at the ends. could it just be that the reman'd pump i got was bad? ahh this is baffling me. hopefully i wont need a reman'd rack.

[hisoka]

sorry to say i think its time to take it to a expert.

if you cant see any leaks, it must be a mechanical problem within the rack itself.

theres very few reasons a rack should whine however

try putting a stopleak/ stop whine in there. it costs probably 4 dollars and if it works this means you have a leak somewere.

and try getting a new belt aswell. this solved the problem in some cars.

as it slips ever so slightly.

doo you have hicas ?

did you do the keep topping up trick even when it looks full ?

report back with finidngs.

[MelloS13]

Check the resevoir tank see if anything is clogging the inlet hose. Shit happened to me the rack would be whine all day long after bleeding it day and night. A small plasitc cap was preventing fluid to flow to the pump. But that just happen to me your problem might be different.

[JDMSTYLE]

could be. thats a good point doesnt seem like the fluid is circulating fast enough.

[JDMSTYLE]

update:
took out the isis line and put the stock line back in. seemed like the isis line was maybe causing this problem since the beginning. installed a new rack&pinion as well and now its working but still a little stiff to turn when at slow speeds. i have a my passenger side coilover is binding as well the pillow does not turn. (will fix that tomorrow)
read something about adjusting the stiffness of the rack in another thread but im unsure if this will make my steering lighter.

[JDMSTYLE]

back from the dead. so i rebuilt my pump and now it doesnt make any whining noises of any sort. but it still feels like there is no power steering at all. feels like the power steering is actually fighting back. i adjusted the tension on the rack through that 12mm bolt but still is hard to turn and makes the steering feel like its floating at higher speeds.
last thing i could think of is either the belt or maybe my power steering cooling line is clogged. any thoughts?

[gonshik007]

the only ideas that are coming to my head is make sure your fluid get to the pump and from the pump via the return hose. also check that the high pressure hose is connected correctly and there is no bending in the metal line to prevent the fluid from flowing freely. check all the inlets make sure nothing is blocking them off. Make sure the belt is of the right tension. When a power steering pump makes noise this means that its not getting the power steering fluid. Or has a very large air bubble.

[Triperformance]

Sounds like you need to separate all the lines and try blowing air through them to make sure everything is free flowing.