Chevy Astro and GMC Safari Forum banner

97 steering pump on the ground 1h/less! with pics

30K views 47 replies 15 participants last post by  Mmusicman 
#1 ·
i had mine out in an hour and a half, but then i also took pics. here's how.
the tools.
specialty tools: steering pully puller, compressor, air chisle.
breaker bar, 3/8"adaptor
1/4"drive sockets, 8mm,10mm,13mm, extentions.
3/8"drive sockets, 10mm,13mm,14mm deep, extentions. i like spark plug ratchet.
wrenches, 10mm,13mm,14mm,16mm, 20mm/13/16. 20mm is really tight and you will find 13/16 is better.
panel popper
large flathead screwdriver
foam ear plug
channel lock pliers, regular pliers
2 bungi cords

step 1
unplug mas/vas from corragated intake tube
using 8mm with ratchet, loosen the intake clamp from the intake elbo. using the panel popper, pry up on filter box from each side, disconnect cold air tube and resinator. give a good pull upwards to seperate the filter box from the fan shroud. twist the whole box and intake tube untill the intake tube gives, then just pull back. the whole intake comes out.
step 2
using 10mm 1/4" ratchet with 8" of extention(s) pull 4 coarse thread bolts from sides of fan shroud, then 3 bolts on the top. pull up on the passenger side of the shroud untill it clears the rad cap. you will have to battle with the throttle cable and upper rad hose, but don't remove the rad hose. best way is to get your right arm under both and allow shroud top to pull up from passenger side. you will want to compress the top to clear the master cylinder.
step 3
fan removal and belt removal. get out the air chisle. you don't need much but there is a method to using. chisle to the left and carefully engrave the left side of a flat on the fan nut. as soon as the fan nut moves, it's enough. take channel lock pliers and loosen 1 full turn, then just spin the fan off by hand... unless the clutch is worn, then you have to spin with your hand.then pull out the lower fan shroud from passenger side. there are 3 tabs that will need to be released. using a breaker bar with 3/8" adaptor with 3/8" extention. release pressure from the tentioner and remove belt.
step 4
seperate the a/c pump and support a/c. remove 4 13mm bolts from the top of a/c pump. there is a short, black bracket which is held in by one of the a/c bolts and a 10mm bolt holding the oil add tube. remove bracket but not the oil add tube, just remove the 10mm bolt. wrap a bungi cord around the a/c pully, then stretch bungi up to hood pin. the hood support will hold. you only want to support the a/c pump about 1"
step 5
remove the pump and bracket. you don't need to remove the pully at this point, start with the hard nut first, it's located on the side of the block just behind the pump. it's easy to remove from the top, it's blind though. this is where i like the spark plug ratchet. feel around a bit, you will find it, you just can't see it. get a deep 14mm socket and fit over the nut and just crack it loose, don't remove cause you will forget where it goes. just loose. then remove 3 14mm bolts from the front and one nut. the nut is a support stud and if you remove cause the nut is bound up, place the stud back and thread it back in.
step 6
using a normal pair of pliers, pull the hose clamp down to the middle of the resivior return hose, use of a panel popper makes quick work of seperating this hose. make sure to have a small catch pan under the res hose. remove 2 10mm bolts from power steering resivior. tip the exsess out into the catch pan. using a foam ear plug, fit into resivior return hole and you will want it almost all the way in... don't worry, it will expand out enough so you can retreve it after. twist the resivior counterclock wise and shove it down towards the pump/bracket, twisting the hose around the brake booster. you will need to move the a/c pump sideways for the res to clear, then making sure the lid is on tight and the ear plug is still secure, flop it down onto the steering links below.
step 7
there are 3 connections still left. grab the bottom of the power steering pully with right hand hand and lift a/c pump with left hand and forcefully wiggle the steering pump bracket off. be carefull here cause the electrical connection is very short. remove power steering bracket and let it gently flop onto the steering links below. that exposes the bottom return line connection, the high pressure line and the electrical plug. the high pressure line is 16mm wrench. have an oil pan under the van to catch all the powersteering fluid.
remove steering pump pully and bracket as an assembly and place it in drain pan. remove ear plug.
step 8
using a powersteering pully puller tool to remove the pully on the bench. if you don't know how to use the puller tool, stop and get the info cause you WILL strip the threads on the tool as well as on the pump. there are 3 13mm bolts under the pully and 2 nuts holding a rear bracket to the back of the pump housing. that's it.
you can order a new pump with a new housing, which is pricy. or if you have just a new pump it will come with the nessasary o-rings. plan on a new o-ring for the high pressure line also.
the electrical potion is a bit complex and will require you to sit down and take your time. the metal is soft alluminum. i have a pic of all it's components in an exploded view to show the order of removal, cause at this point... i can't explain. i don't even know what to call this part(s).

hope this helps speed up the process of a dificult removal. as you will see, there are many skipped procedures that i find makes a bigger mess and overcomplicates the whole job.

reinstallation: lay the pump/bracket assembly on it's side. attatch the high pressure line first and remember to put the line on the inside of lower bracket and tighten with the line twisted so that when you install the assembly, the line will straighten on it's own. cause it's a real pain to tighten this line from the bottom. then feed the resivior back through to is final resting point. install assembly onto stud, it will click one time, then you can push it into place making sure the rear fork bracket installs onto stud. put bracket housing bolts (14mm) back in and tighten down, do not forget to tighten the nut on the back. the rest is simpley the reverse of removal.
 
See less See more
#5 ·
about 90 % applicable to my 1996 AWD with twin air. The clutch fan had to be removed with a special tools as did the pulley from the pump so I could get at bolts. The ac compressor and aluminum hoses were a pain to get out of the way. Once I had the clutch fan off and the pump support brace removed, the hoses were relatively easy. I did not have the electrical leads on it. I also did not get use the pump I bought, I went and got one with the reservoir tank- much easier to just replace it. Hard to figure out the bolt sizes. Sometimes they are metric, others SAE. From a work perspective, that was one of the most difficult to get at yet. No luck at all with the front axle in the way. All from the front. The water pump looks just as difficult. Hopefully, that is good to go. She has 177,000 on her and my other one has 91000 (a 98 AWD). I have my original 95 AWd in the yard, she was wrecked in 2004 and haven't had the heart to get rid of her. Thanks for the tips.
 
#6 ·
np... some help is better than no help. mine only has one odd size and that was 13/16. more than likely cause it's a vortec? 95- 96 were split and a complicated at that.
 
#11 ·
this site had some issues a while back. lots of data was lost. i'm the op of this topic so feel free to ask away.
 
#12 ·
cowboydan said:
this site had some issues a while back. lots of data was lost. i'm the op of this topic so feel free to ask away.
No real questions yet, just was looking to see some pictures so I could better understand your write up. I have been putting off replacing my PS pump for a year and I think I have run out of time. Do you still have the pictures you originally posted?

Thanks, G.B.
 
#13 ·
I would like to see the pictures too. I want to take the EVO connector off and it sounds like you took some pictures of that! It also sounds like if I don't want to change the pump but only the EVO solenoid with the kit they now sell, I could get the clearance I need by removing the pump/bracket assembly. Is that correct?

Thanks for the write-up.
 
#14 ·
Gone Blue said:
cowboydan said:
this site had some issues a while back. lots of data was lost. i'm the op of this topic so feel free to ask away.
No real questions yet, just was looking to see some pictures so I could better understand your write up. I have been putting off replacing my PS pump for a year and I think I have run out of time. Do you still have the pictures you originally posted?

Thanks, G.B.
Cowboydan, So do you still have the pictures for this thread? If so, can you re-post them? I would love to see them as I am picking up a new PS pump today and plan to tackle this job. You know, a picture is always worth a 1,000 words :)

Thanks, G.B.
 
#15 ·
unfortunately no, I lost all my data from 2011 back. I guess a thousand words will have to do. it's not that big of a job. getting the lower line off is a bit of a pita. don't reinstall the clutch fan or the shroud before running and testing for leaks. if you have a leak, you'll be thankful you took this advice. the biggest time saver is removing the clutch fan. borrow (if you have one...bonus) a small compressor and air chisel. I have literally seen guys fight with this item for a whole day. it will take you longer to build up enough pressure to operate the tool than it will take to remove it...lol. don't forget to look for the small nut on the side of the pump. it's next to the exhaust and a pita on your best day. don't waste time disconnecting the reservoir from the pump, cause as soon as you pull the bottom line, the pump and res will empty. you can bend that tube any which way you like when removing. don't forget to either buy or borrow or rent the pulley puller/ installer... without that your dead in the water, unless your new pump comes with a new pulley already installed but in most cases it's required.
 
#16 ·
buy the pulley installer I paid 50$ at the Canadian verision of harbour freight. princess auto. you need that the get the pump off the bracket.
 
#17 ·
I got mine from princess auto, 25 bucks on sale and you might be right about the bracket thing. it's been a while since I attempted this right up. getting the pulley off is way easier than getting it lined up again.
 
#18 ·
I just did the pump on my van, granted I have the benefit of it being forward 5 inches or so with the V8. I didn't have to touch the compressor, I don't know why that is necessary, unless it's to gain access to the top bolt on the V6's. I bought just the pump and swapped the reservoir over to the new pump. Really wasn't all that difficult of a job. I'd say give yourself 2 hours from start to finish if you have everything you need right there to do the job. I put it off forever thinking it was going to be a real PITA, but the hardest part was putting the pulley back on, mostly because it's a little awkward.
 
#19 ·
yes. there are some clearance issues with the a/c being stacked on top the way it is. I never removed the a/c fully, just had to lift it enough, maybe a couple inches. it's really not that bad. 4 bolts and a bunji cord. what kind of v8 did you install?
 
#20 ·
cowboydan said:
the electrical portion is a bit complex and will require you to sit down and take your time. the metal is soft alluminum. i have a pic of all it's components in an exploded view to show the order of removal, cause at this point... i can't explain. i don't even know what to call this part(s).
That's the Electronic Variable Orifice (EVO) solenoid/valve (aka actuator) you are talking about here. I am changing my steering gear box and because its the second one in way too short of time that has blown a seal, I am searching for everything else that may be wrong in my steering system. The EVO is something I suspect because it's never been changed. I bought used GM service manuals for my '97 Astro some time ago, and the section about changing the EVO solenoid (p. 3B5-32) says this among the steps, like it's important: "Note the position of the electrical connector terminal for the proper placement of the fluid flow actuator during installation." This is the confusing part: The figure on that page shows the electrical connector facing upward and a little toward the driver side. Yet there are other pictures of the steering pump that show the electrical connector installed differently - rotate about 80 degrees (p. 3B-2 and p. 3B5-3), with the connector facing downward and a bit toward the passenger side. That is how mine is installed also.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know if you remember which way your electrical connector faced and how it came off. The manual doesn't give any detail on that; it just says to remove it. Then 3 steps later it says to remove the retaining clip from the back side of the actuator, so I must be able to get it off without taking the clip off. It's not clear where to squeeze though, and there's so little clearance that I can't reach it with my hand to feel it better from below. It turns out that GM stopped selling this EVO actuator in 2006, and has since sold a fitting (also called a kit) to replace it with. I may end up buying that and trying to change over to it without taking the pump out. If I understood your write-up, it would be possible to skip taking the pump pulley off yet take some bracket bolts out and then the pump/bracket assembly would move and I'd have enough clearance to easily reach the back of the pump from the top, right? I'm not sure it's possible from the bottom, but I haven't given up on that idea yet either.
 
#21 ·
The EVO is held on with a clip, and all it really is, is an electro magnet. It has an orifice that has 3 o-rings on the part that actually screws into the pump, but the electronic part can be removed without worrying about fluid spilling. Mine was leaking, and I replaced all the 0 rings and all seems well. My Power steering is smooth and whine free finally. I made special care to properly bleed the system before firing the engine up as well.

I do have to say, the 5.7 in this van does have some advantages in regards to access to the front accessory items...nothings tucked way back or really have much interference to speak of with the AWD frame.
 
#22 ·
cowboydan said:
yes. there are some clearance issues with the a/c being stacked on top the way it is. I never removed the a/c fully, just had to lift it enough, maybe a couple inches. it's really not that bad. 4 bolts and a bunji cord. what kind of v8 did you install?
It's got the express van 5.7 which is almost exactly the 4.3 with 2 extra cylinders.
 
#23 ·
redfury said:
The EVO is held on with a clip, and all it really is, is an electro magnet. It has an orifice that has 3 o-rings on the part that actually screws into the pump, but the electronic part can be removed without worrying about fluid spilling...
So which from which direction did the electrical harness connect to it? My wires attach to it up from the bottom. The pictures in the service manual are contradictory as I mentioned. Can the thing rotate perhaps?
 
#24 ·
Wow, I have to say getting the PS pump out of the van was harder than doing the intake manifold gaskets. It took me a lot longer than I thought it should have, but it is out.

So I am confused with the sensor on the back of the pump. I guess it is for low fluild? In any case, I am stuck trying to get the mounting post off the old pump. I rounded the really short hex with out too much trouble. Can you buy this sensor or mounting post? My new Delco pump has a hex coupler on the back of the pump. I have a picture of the new pump on my phone but it wont send the pic to my email so I can upload it here????? Do I have the right new PS pump or am I supposed to swap the sensor over?

Thanks, G.B
 

Attachments

#25 ·
Phone finally sent picture of new Delco PS pump to my email. Here is pic of the new pump with the hex couple in place of the 90 degree line adapter and sensor on old pump. I am looking for answers to my questions in the above post.

Thanks, G.B.
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top