power steering bleed woes

[elduderino200]

Replaced my PS pump with this guy: https://www.europaparts.com/power-st...d0145156f.html
Which seems like I couldn't go wrong.

Put the pump in as well as the new low pressure line and now I have no power steering. I've done the whole 'turn the steering wheel lock-to-lock 100 times' and watch for bubbles. The odd thing is when I turn mine from lock to lock the reservoir fills up rather than drops.

I was in and out of the pump a few times because I had the wrong hose so there was probably plenty of air that got in but I'm not sure why the fluid level won't drop as I turn the steering wheel back and forth. Bubbles will occasionally come up, but they're rare.

Could I have a bad pump? There's 0 sounds coming and I don't think there's any leaking (though with all the spillage I had replacing the pump/hoses, I couldn't tell if there was). Are there any other tricks I haven't done?

Thanks for any help!

[b5a4erik]

You're doing the turning lock with the car on, yea?

and also with the cap off?

Checked all the lines, maybe one's cramped?

~ ea

[elduderino200]

I was generally doing the lock to lock with the car off as I've heard running the pump without (knowing) fluid is inside could ruin it. I've kept the car-on time to a minimum - a few minutes max, in 10-40 second intervals.

[seanf86]

I helped my brother do his 2.8 pump and we just turned the car on for a second and it sucked the reservoir down, shut it off topped up fluid and started the car and turned wheel back and forth and it was bled.

[elduderino200]

I helped my brother do his 2.8 pump and we just turned the car on for a second and it sucked the reservoir down, shut it off topped up fluid and started the car and turned wheel back and forth and it was bled.

That's the ideal situation of course but when I did mine I tore a hose and twice tried to replaced it with the wrong size so I'm concerned I pumped my system full of air. Or worse, I pumped my pump to death with no fluid.

Id be okay if i turned my wheel lock to lock and it just took forever to keep filling the reservoir but the strangest symptom of all is turning lock to lock and the reservoir fills instead of drops

[seanf86]

That's the ideal situation of course but when I did mine I tore a hose and twice tried to replaced it with the wrong size so I'm concerned I pumped my system full of air. Or worse, I pumped my pump to death with no fluid.

Id be okay if i turned my wheel lock to lock and it just took forever to keep filling the reservoir but the strangest symptom of all is turning lock to lock and the reservoir fills instead of drops

Then you have an air lock but it isn't pushing the bubble far enough to make it out, what I would do is take the feed line off the pump and get some fluid in there, start the car for 2-5 seconds and that should get the pump pumping to suck fluid from the reservoir and force the air bubble into the reservoir

[elduderino200]

I'll try that tonight thanks!

[elduderino200]

Looks like I'm making slow progress... must be a TON of air in there.

Filled the inlet hose with fluid and strapped it back on. Then almost an hour of turning the wheel lock to lock - sometimes with the car off, sometimes on. Sometimes I'll sit there turning for 10 minutes and nothing will come out and sometimes (usually just after I turn the car on) I'll turn back and forth once or twice and a slew of bubbles will come gurgling out. I suppose it'll just take me a few sessions of sitting in my car and turning back and forth while I listen to the mariners lose. I was also able to get someone else to turn the wheel while I was under the hood with the car running and could hear the pump groan a bit at the far sides of the turns, so at least I know it's working - I just hope the groans go away when I get all the air out.

[b5a4erik]

Keep moving! You can do this dude.

[Wrath And Tears]

I had a hard time when I replaced a P/S pump on a 2.8. I ended up bleeding the pump by hand. I had the belt off and the pressure line off the pump. Then I adapted a P/S rez cap with a vacuum nipple so that I could use a air pump to lightly pressurize the system. While doing that I turned the pump until fluid came out. After that I hooked up the hose, belt, topped up the system and bleed it as normal.

[elduderino200]

Yeah it's a bit annoying that the pump is so high. The reservoir is barely (if at all) higher so any air between the pump, or in the pump, will be a stuck bubble. My strategy is to unbolt the reservoir and hold it up the few extra inches I could, as well as fill it full so the liquid level is just higher than the pump. On the 1.8s I believe it's way down so gravity will feed the pump to get it started.

[elduderino200]

Got it! Just a bit more turning and gurgling and the power steering kicked in! Thanks a ton for everyone's help!

If anybody with a 2.8 is reading, just make sure the lines between the reservoir and pump are completely air tight (no holes/kinks in the hoses). It can be tough because it's impossible to NOT let air in when replacing the pump and like I wrote above, gravity doesn't help. If you can't do what W&T did above by making it air-tight and pressurizing it, you might try taking the reservoir-to-pump hose off the reservoir, extending it way up in the air a few feet, then making sure that stays full while you turn the wheel back and forth. Or lifting the reservoir as high up as possible. Anything to get the level of fluid above the pump to make sure it fills as the pump turns on.
Anyway after that, just keep turning back and forth and it'll continue pushing fluid through the system and bubbles out.

[Wrath And Tears]

Glad you got it working, holding the rez above the pump definitely helps out. Like you said on the 2.8 the pump is almost above the rez. On the 1.8's the pump is down low, so it makes the whole jobs way easier.

[b5a4erik]

Thread Ressurection *

Hey all,

1.8t aeb.

My pump is extremely noisey. I've tried bleeding / burping it several times.

Every time I:
1. Jack the car up
2. Remove the reservoir cap
3. With the car off, turn the wheel lock-to-lock until I see no more bubbles coming out in the reservoir.

Now here's where I'm troubled:
When I put the cap back on the reservoir and start the car, the pump starts off quiet, then get progressively louder, especially with engine revs. Then when I go back to the check the fluid in the reservoir, It's all foamy and bubbly again!

Can anyone please help me?

~ ea

[elduderino200]

Sounds like there's air getting in. Kink or hole in one of the lines going towards the pump from the reservoir.

[b5a4erik]

Sounds like there's air getting in. Kink or hole in one of the lines going towards the pump from the reservoir.

Would fluid leak out if this is the case?

[elduderino200]

Doubt it.

If the hole was small enough only air could get it while the fluid is too thick to get out. It would just, VERY slowly, lower the level in the res.

[b5a4erik]

Okay, So you're thinking the line from the res to the pump?

Anybody else have thoughts?

[b5a4erik]

bump

[Wrath And Tears]

An air leak in the suction line to the pump would definitely cause aeration of the fluid.

[b5a4erik]

https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4....8T/ES2718689/ Return

or

https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4...Hose/ES252258/ Supply

?

[Wrath And Tears]

The supply line to the pump is the suction line.

[b5a4erik]

The supply line to the pump is the suction line.

Okay, thanks so far.

Any other possible places air could be getting in?

[elduderino200]

If you didn't tighten a hose clamp enough.

[b5a4erik]

If you didn't tighten a hose clamp enough.

hm, Yeah. I'll take a gander.

[b5a4erik]

So I tightened the connections on the pump-reservoir hoses, burped the system once again.

Once started: Same thing... bubblesbubblesbubbles... fluid seems to rise a bunch, then drop again once the car settles.

No noticeable leaks.

Please, any more thoughts?

[b5a4erik]

*help*

[elduderino200]

You've got a leak somewhere. Are there any hoses in there that looked old or crusty? I had to replace mine because they tore.

[b5a4erik]

Hm, alright.

Honestly man, they're so covered in fluid I can't tell if they're cracked or whatnot. Probably are.

A puddle forms underneath the car so it's gotta be leaking somewhere.

I suppose I'll replace both the lines from the reservoir.

Thanks for replying man.

[b5a4erik]

If my power steering rack were leaking, would this cause this fluid aeration problem?

[OverSpun]

If my power steering rack were leaking, would this cause this fluid aeration problem?

Make sure you checked the 2 clamps that connect the hoses on the steering cooler on the front of the car... those factory clamps always leak in the end. Make sure you changed those clamps with proper ones. My entire steering tank drained from that. I fixed the clamps and bled the system and its been perfect since. Make sure you keep checking the fluid level while bleeding and keep adding more fluid if needed. In the end, gravity will get rid of the little air left in the lines. Make sure you check the fluid in a couple days and add more fluid if needed. Thats what I did.

[b5a4erik]

Alright, will do. Thanks OverSpun.

[OverSpun]

Alright, will do. Thanks OverSpun.

No prob. Its easy to change them out after you take off the belly pan. I used a dremel (carefully) to get off the annoying factory clamps. Just fully open up the new little clamps so you dont have to take the hoses off. Make sure you make them tight enough or it will keep leaking.

[b5a4erik]

Word. Thanks for them OverSpun.