Oil pressure gauge always pegged.

[PlayingWithTBI]

I absolutely did. Topped it off when everything was installed brand new (months ago, lol). It must have had a slow leak or something. When I took the failed pump off, the reservoir was bone dry?!?

Did you start the engine, then shut it off almost immediately? The pump will drain it that fast filling up the system. Once you filled the system, then you can turn the steering wheel back and forth to top it off. If you allow the reservoir to drain too far, you'll get air bubbles in the lines and may not be able to purge them, causing a whining pump.

 

[DeCaff2007]

Engine break in is complete!!!


The heart-pounding details:

After fixing the power steering pump and replacing the serpentine belt, it's is now or never! WE'RE NOT SHUTTING DOWN UNLESS THERE'S A FIRE! No fire. The headers glowed just a small, dull bit, but calmed down as break in progressed.

I turned the key and set a timer, totally forgetting that I had the throttle ALREADY SET to 2500 rpm from before. It scared the SHT out of me!

Even though I had already filled the PS pump, the fluid level DROPPED immediately and I could hear the bearings in the pump crying for mercy. I took the cap off with the engine SCREAMING, and dumped some fluid in the reservoir. No funnel, just blind faith LOL. The pump quieted down instantly, but puked ATF (yes, I said ATF) everywhere. I guess I overfilled it lol.

Alright. There's NOTHING I can do now but wait it out, watch the dash gauges, and hope for the best.

It's five minutes in and there were no fires, no bad noises, no leaks, and my heart was pounding from anxiety.

Eight to ten minutes in and I'm closely watching for fire, anything catastrophic, and again, checking the dash gauges.
2500 RPM, 210° and holding steady, and 35~ PSI oil pressure.

Then, all of a sudden, I hear WHOOOOSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WTF? LOL the radiator fan kicked in! OMG is that thing loud. Even the Wife came out and gave me a look of concern. The temp gauge, however, stayed right @ 210° the whole time.

Now I'm pacing back and forth, my nerves shot, hands shaking, but yet, still keeping a close eye on things.

Fifteen minutes! Eighteen minutes!! I did another walk around, fire extinguisher at the ready, while continually anticipating the worst but hoping for the best.

Then, the rad fan kicks in again, I start screaming at the engine, "COME ON, YOU GOT THIS!" The Hell is wrong with me lol.

Now, there's less than a minute and I'm screaming out a countdown... 10, 9, (lol)...

3, 2, 1, AHAHAHAH DONE!!!

So that's it. I turned the key off and now I'm going to let the engine cool down so I can change the oil, and FFS, see why the PS pump is so unhappy.

GMT400... It's been a ROUGH journey, but I thank all of you for your help and advice while my patience and my pocket book dwindled lol.

Finally, the most difficult hurdle has been overcome - and it's A LOAD OFF MY MIND!! Now, on to the easy stuff like lower control arms LOL!

 

[Hipster]

Ps pumps, I've found the best solution if they foam up it to let sit overnite. I also use ps fluid and not atf, atf has little lubricating qualities and have fixed many ps leaks by purging back to ps fluid. atf works in a pinch but not really the right fluid for the job. Forget the particulars but atf is 5wt. oil and ps fluid is a bit thicker. More like hydraulic/tractor pto oil. 15wt. Iso 42 is 5 or 7wt amd iso68 is similar to 15wt if recalling correctly. hydraulic oil is generally anti-foaming.

 

[DeCaff2007]

Ps pumps, I've found the best solution if they foam up it to let sit overnite. I also use ps fluid and not atf, atf has little lubricating qualities and have fixed many ps leaks by purging back to ps fluid. atf works in a pinch but not really the right fluid for the job.

Well, yes, I'll do that. ATF was what I had immediately on hand, to fix a problem that could have become a much, much bigger problem, right there on the spot.

Now, while the engine is still cooling down, I'm wondering what pile of junk to work on next.

 

[Hipster]

Well, yes, I'll do that. ATF was what I had immediately on hand, to fix a problem that could have become a much, much bigger problem, right there on the spot.

Now, while the engine is still cooling down, I'm wondering what pile of junk to work on next.

after the half hour run in, this is where you go back over everything making sure bolts are still tight etc. exhaust, bellhousing, brackets etc. I kinda give stuff a once over. double check for dangling wire etc. checking for leaks.

 

[DeCaff2007]

after the half hour run in, this is where you go back over everything making sure bolts are still tight etc. exhaust, bellhousing, brackets etc. I kinda give stuff a once over. double check for dangling wire etc. checking for leaks.

How about a way to get an impossibly tight, impossible to reach, oil filter off instead.

It's a regular, everyday PF25 oil filter. The 14/15 flute, 74MM oil filter wrench will JUST grab it, but won't TURN it. If I take the driver side header off, it looks like I'll have plenty of room to get both hands on it. I'm pretty sure I could break it loose if I could get both hands on.

Do I really want to go tearing off headers to remove an oil filter? No. I had a nice "universal" oil filter wrench that, for it's cheaply made appearance and even cheaper price, was actually invaluable in removing more than one stubborn oil filter. Too bad I lost the damn thing.

 

[termite]

 

[Schurkey]

KIA: One serpentine belt and one power steering pump. BOTH brand new

I misread--thought your wife's Kia had a catsasstrophy. But then I figured out what happened.

Before even starting the engine, I hooked up my timing light. WITH the timing connector plugged in, and the dist. just slightly CCW, the timing light says the timing is at 27° BTDC @ 2500RPM.

Okee-Dokee. Plenty of spark advance for cam break-in.

You'll want to re-set the timing now that cam break-in is over.

On the PS pump, I could hear the bearings sizzling jut before the belt went. There's lots of play in the PS pulley shaft, and spinning it by hand sounds like chalk on a blackboard.

Now, I have three options. Return the PS pump to Rock Auto and wait a week for the replacement

Based on your later testimony, that's not a warranty issue. that's what happens when you don't top-off the fluid when the engine is first started.

I do have another question. Turn the key, engine starts, bring it up to 2500 rpm.... then in less than a minute, WITHOUT touching the throttle or anything else, the RPM settles to about 1700 to 1900. It does this every time and I have to give it more throttle to compensate. Is this normal?

I expect it's just the IAC reacting to the increasing engine temperature. It's not "cold" any more, so no need for "fast idle". The IAC passage closes-down and your idle speed drops somewhat.

When I took the failed pump off, the reservoir was bone dry?!?

Maybe a leak, more likely you moved the air-bubble from the steering gear, hoses, and PS cooler into the reservoir, where it becomes a low fluid level, and damaged the pump.

I've got more oil-filter wrenches than I know what to do with. The two most-commonly used styles are this Lisle unit--purchased decades ago, so it has a different handle color but is functionally identical:
www.amazon.com/Lisle-57020-Filter-Swivel-Wrench/dp/B003969PKS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=32M6JXDR6WJ69

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(along with it's larger sibling, the 57030)

And an ancient Proto pair (large/small), which I expect were discontinued before these vehicles were even built. This Lisle unit is kinda-sorta similar.
www.amazon.com/Lisle-63250-Range-Filter-Wrench/dp/B0002SR4PY/ref=sr_1_4?crid=32M6JXDR6WJ69

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But there's a thousand styles of oil filter wrench, and all of them work at least some of the time.

 

[Road Trip]

How about a way to get an impossibly tight, impossible to reach, oil filter off instead.

It's a regular, everyday PF25 oil filter.

Last spring I hit a showstopper of a stuck oil filter. Everything I had on hand in my collection
started slipping - meanwhile, the filter remained perfectly immobile. (!) In response, I
decided that I specifically wanted an oil filter wrench that was designed so that the harder
I was turning, the more that the filter wrench would grip/dig/lock into said filter.

Sure enough, after much research I ended up buying the 2nd filter wrench that @Schurkey listed above:

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Within minutes of the delivery truck dropping this off I had this on the stuck oil filter, and
it worked so well it was anticlimactic. Talk about a force multiplier! I especially like the fact
that you use a 3/8" drive to apply the go - instead of trying to get a handle up in the right spot
despite the exhaust plumbing, you simply send this tool up using a longer 3/8" extension and
you do all the heavy swinging in the open below the exhaust/headers/etc.

I'd consider this the best $15 I've spent on tools in 2023. It hurts to think of all the times I
struggled with a regular oil filter wrench when I could have used this instead. D'oh! :0)

 

[Hipster]

I have a drawer full of oil filter tools also , including all the above and some of the end cap style. Like Schurkey said, some of them work some of the times. If they are really a PITA application I'll put a remote filter mount on it. Some headers in some vehicles reguire juggling the oil filter past them , not only pita but messy as well.