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Three or four days ago the p/s pump went out on my Impala. It’s a 2009 with 102,000 miles. It has the 3.5L flex fuel engine. I could not turn the car at all at low speeds. I ended up replacing the pump the same day. When the pump went out the other day it wasn’t making any noises at all. Now that I replaced the pump the car turns like butter. Even better than it did when I bought it. The only thing is, now it has a horrible whine to it even when I’m not turning the steering wheel. The pitch of the whine changes with RPM (it gets worse the higher they go). Did I miss something or is the pump that I bought broken. I’m not sure if there is some way to bleed air out of the p/s system or something. Not really sure what to do now. Thanks for your help!
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Sounds like air in the system. Double check all bolts for tightness, and if you can, put the front end in the air, and turn the wheel lock to lock a few times, and let the air work out. If an oring was pinched or cut when the new pump was being installed, air could be getting past the orings.
Usually raising the wheels and turning the steering wheel does the trick, and that car has a two way cap on the pump to allow pressure out. If it does not work here is the tech manual solution.
Follow this procedure to fill and bleed the power steering system using the MityVac vacuum tool (or equivalent):
TIP: The fluid level must be maintained throughout the bleed procedure.
1. Fill the fluid reservoir to the FULL COLD level. Leave the cap off.
2. Raise the front wheel off the ground.
3. Attach the J 43485 (adapter) to the J 23738 (Mityvac), or equivalent. Place the J 43485 on/in the pump reservoir filler neck. Apply a vacuum of 20 in. Hg maximum.
If the J 43485 (adapter) is not available, an equivalent can be made using a rubber seal/stopper and brass fitting.
4. An assistant is needed for this step. Apply vacuum while turning the steering wheel lock-to-lock. Maintain 20 in. Hg while turning. Using a clear line will allow you to see the bubbles evacuating system. Stop when no more bubbles are seen.
5. Wait five minutes. Typical vacuum drop is 2-3 in. Hg. Verify the fluid level. If the fluid level is low, fill to the full line.
6. Reinstall the cap. Start and idle the engine.
7. Turn the engine off. Verify the fluid level. If the fluid level drops, add fluid. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until the fluid level stabilizes.
8. Start and idle the engine. Turn the steering wheel 180 degrees in both directions five times. DO NOT TURN LOCK-TO-LOCK.
9. Turn off the ignition. Verify the fluid level.
10. Install the cap. The bleed procedure is complete.
When I changed the pump I tried really really hard not to mess anything up. I’m pretty sure I didn’t mess up any o rings or anything. And I rented a pulley puller at used it to take off and put the pulley back on. I’m gonna try raising and turning the wheels. This may be a stupid question but does the engine need to be on for that? If that doesn’t work I’ll triple check my work. Also if the cap will bleed air out on its own is it even necessary?. Lastly, any ideas on where to get a vacuum tool to bleed it? Or will I need to buy one offline. Thanks for your help guys this noise is really annoying. Lol and the car isint even old -.- yall should see the looks I get haha.
Yeah the engine needs to be running when bleeding the PS system.
It is a simple procedure, start engine, add fluid, turn wheels lock to lock but don;t force, just do until it cannot easily move anymore.
You may have to do it several times.
If you cannot be bothered with raising the front wheels, an alternative is to park the front wheels on gravel, grass, or some other less-than-stable surface and do the steering wheel lock to lock.If you have a crap-load of air in the system after changing a serious part like the pump, doing the bleed is cringe-worthy cause it is loud, the steering wheel may have dead spots, the fluid will foam pretty bad, etc. But this is all normal.
If you have a leak in the PS system, it is not likely much air will get trapped anyways but you will just lose fluid. Kind of like on my acura with the main PS hose with a tiny leak. Never makes a sound but loses fluid.With PS pressure, fluid is trying to escape and no air is likely to sneak in. It isn’t like how air gets trapped in brake systems after replacing a caliper or brake line. With PS, any air in the system WILL find it’s way to the reservoir (which is a good thing), bleeding just speeds up the process.
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