Stearing Pump

[bryan350lc]

Having problem with steering pump on 189,000 milel Superb1. At tickover pump is chirping when steering wheel is turnes left ot right. If I rev enging I get no noise. Driving is ok and steering operates as it should. I think its making a rumbling noise at tick over without any turning of steering wheel.

Im assuming it is the pump that has packed up, at £200 for an exchange, I dont want to replace it unless Im sure its the problem.

[dieselV6]

Have you replaced steering fluid at any time? If not, at this mileage/age it is full of water and brown/yellow in colour, wearing pump fast and not lubricating correctly.

 

I'd start with the fluid. Even without disconnecting the hoses, just sucking out what's in the reservoir, after 5-10 changes (with 10-20 miles driving in between and some full lock steering action eg parking) you will see the fluiod turning back to green. Or you can disconnect return hose and do it in one go, but factor in possible damage to hoses etc.

Power Steering fluid is under £10 from VW, VW keeps stock, Skoda don't.

[jimbof]

Are you sure it isn't the aux belt slipping due to alternator clutch pulley  failure?  Mine did exactly as you describe, noise turning left / right going away with a few revs, and it was the alternator clutch pulley that had failed.

 

Worth checking by locking the alternator rotor  and testing the pulley on the front of the alternator with the belt off.  It should spin freely in one direction, and be locked solid in the other.

[bryan350lc]

I got fluid yesterday as a precaution but level was ok. It is quite brown so will do change anyway.

Ive removed belt and pump spins freely. I span alt pully without locking iit, how do you lock it? I know its a common problem on them so it could well be that.

Thanks

[jimbof]

You carefully put something non-conductive through the holes in the casing at the front of the alternator to catch the fan assembly, and lock it against the case.  I use a small plastic prying tool.  

I think this video gives you the idea - I wouldn't use something metal though myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Duj1jh1rlA

[bryan350lc]

got new pully, now need to get the tool to change it as its not as simple as i thought, never is is it!

[jimbof]

The tool was about £12 from amazon.  Just make sure you get the right one.  To know which one you need, you need to have the pulley cap off the old pulley and look to see the end of the shaft - the two tool options are either 12 pointed spline or T50 torx.  Mine was T50 torx - this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-3404-Alternator-Tool-Star/dp/B003AMTYR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405354009&sr=8-1&keywords=alternator+t50

 

The pulley will be on very tight.  I found the best way to take it off is to put the 33 way hex socket part of the tool in a strong bench vice, then offer the alternator up to it, and put the torx tool through the spline key.  I used a breaker bar to easily turn the torx tool CLOCKWISE to remove the pulley.  If you try and get it off without the alternator secured I think you run real risk of harming yourself or the alternator as a lot of the force you put into removing inevitably goes in a wrong and inconvenient direction.  By putting the tool in the vice and not the alternator you eliminate any chance of damage to alternator housing.

 

See the video here at approx 1min30secs for a good illustration of the technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p52VTAnLptI

 

If you aren't putting the front of the car into service position you'll need to take the viscous fan in front of the alternator off the mounting and let it rest in it's housing (careful with the radiator, access is all a little tight).  I found a counterhold tool very useful (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-5281-Adjustable-Pin-Wrench/dp/B00ALTYPPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405354476&sr=8-1&keywords=laser+pin+wrench) as the sandpaper trick mentioned by rotodiesel in my thread doesn't seem to work on automatics!  

 

You might find useful info on the thread I had on the subject, and at least get some laughs at my mechanical ineptitude...

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/313185-alternator-clutch-sounds-like-it-is-departing-safe-to-drive/

[bryan350lc]

I plan to do it that way, did new cam shaft and followers a few weeks ago so the fan shouldnt be a problem. Got me worried about which tool I have access to now, been into another shop that has one in stock too, so hope one of them is the right one!

[jimbof]

lol you are golden then I'm sure... that is a job I'd never consider myself.

All the alternators I've seen for this car (4 so far - mine, ECP Bosch, GSF Valeo and TPS Economy Valeo) have been with the Torx T50 bit on the shaft, though apparently both exist in the wild.

[bryan350lc]

done today and all is well again.

Pully wouldnt spin either way. I couldnt get it done with the hand tool I borrowed at workshop so wizzed into a local Altenator specilist who span it off for me and put new one back on, did it for free but I gave him a £6 for doing it, so £44 for pully from Euro and im done for £49. Shaft was T50 too.

doing few cycles of sucking out and replacing the PAS fluid as I have it.

Thanks for the advice

Edited 15 July, 2014 by bryan350lc

[jimbof]

If the pulley has been seized for many miles you might want to think about checking the state of the tensioner out - that takes a hammering if the pulley fails and can later fail and leave you without aux drive. I changed it out on mine too. Cost about £70 plus a new aux belt.

The tensioner is only rated for 60,000 miles by the manufacturer... Yet isn't on any of the service schedules to replace.

[bryan350lc]

I dont think its been gone for long as when we did cam shaft the belt wasnt flapping like it was on Saturday.