power steering and gear box

[chickenwings]

96 k1500 ecsb

Pulled the gearbox, pitman, and idler off the other day. Got around to replacing them today.

New steering gearbox, idler, and pitman and nuts n bolts and grease and new stabilizer..

I put a bunch of fluid in the resivoir to the pump and started the truck let it warm up and took it for a drive.

I am displeased with the whining noises coming from the pump or the gearbox.. I do have 35" tires..

What can cause this whining sound? Do i need to tighten the pump to the belt? My buddy put a new crate motor

in there for me and im not sure how tight he got it on the new belt.

There was a whine before, but not near as bad. Its a bit too noticeable.

The steering had a dead spot an inch to either side of 12 o clock. Fixed, but i can still feel the rag joint.

Why whining??????

 

[great white]

Without actually hearing it, I'm going to bet air still in the system. It should bleed on it's own eventually but be sure to keep the reservoir topped up.

You can accelerate the bleeding process by getting the front wheels off the ground (frame on jack stands) and then cycling hte steering back and forth until the air is bled. Keep the reservoir topped up. PS pumps don't like running out of fluid....

A belt would be high pitched "squealing". Whining is usually air.

Just my over the internet guess.....

 

[chickenwings]

Thank you very much for your response.

I do also wonder if tightening the belt to the pump would take the lethargic feel out of the steering at low speed.

I will continue to monitor the fluid level

 

[great white]

Thank you very much for your response.

I do also wonder if tightening the belt to the pump would take the lethargic feel out of the steering at low speed.

I will continue to monitor the fluid level

If it's not squealing or flapping around excessively you're probably close to the proper tension.

All tightening it will do is wear out the belt prematurely.

IN the simplest terms; The steering cycling speed is controlled by the steering box gearing. The pump pressure and valving controls how much assist you get. IE: how easy it is to turn the wheel.

35" rollers are only going to cycle so fast on stock steering gear and GM truck steering hasn't always been very sharp to start with....

Cheers

 

[Blazed]

Like great white said, there is air in your system. Power steering pumps and boxes are funny when it comes to air. Its not like adding oil to the engine. It will usually take 4-6 days to get the air out if you let it sit. You could also run the engine at idle for a few hours and keep an eye on the fluid levels. Just went through the same process 2 days ago with a 1970 C20. Your belt most likely has nothing to do with it.

 

[shelbyt.67]

Ditto on all of the above. I just did the same thing. New everything PS pump, Gearbox, arms, tierods. It whined for a day or so untill I cycled out all the air. Plus everything is stiff as hell. Gonna take a while to loosen up.