bleed air from power steering

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russt48
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Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2019 2:42 pm

bleed air from power steering

Post by russt48 »

i followed the instruction manual which i thought strange because it tells you yo get system to operating temp. Then says to turn steering wheel both ways thru its full travel 3-4 times with windshield wipers on (which i thought odd). i did all that plus a short ride thru my community and i still get a chatter. Anyone have different ideas? Thanks in advance Russ
64ZCODE
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by 64ZCODE »

What is the chatter? Please describe. Also, does the steering wheel get hard to turn when the chatter is happening?
1964 TBird Hardtop
1969 Galaxie 500 Convertible
1990 Mustang 5.0 LX
1974 Porsche 914 2.0
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RedBird64
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by RedBird64 »

I'm wondering if air is really the problem. Is the fluid foamy or full of bubbles?
If not then it could just be that the pump itself is worn.
Mine groans occasionally when cold and I gently rev it up or make it work hard before it warms up. I know my problem is because of wear induced during a reseal project. It made noise all the time until I changed the fluid to full synthetic. Using the better fluid has kept me from having to replace it.

Also, if your car is a 64 or 65 then it originally had a filter and it may act as you describe if it's missing.

Scott
1964 Coupe Wimbledon white/Rangoon Red w/black int. Owned for 42 years. It was my folks car before that (second owners). VTCI # 12013.
russt48
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by russt48 »

fluid is foamy and full of bubbles and the chatter could be described as noise as i turn wheel (groan) i do not feel much in steering wheel but a slight vibration
russt48
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by russt48 »

where is a filter located? it is a 1964
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RedBird64
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by RedBird64 »

It's in the tea pot!
Seriously, it's in the resevoir. Just remove the bolt in the middle of the top and you can lift it off to reveal the filter. Often times it clogs and gets thrown away but I've read that some cars need it or the fluid gets foamy for some reason. Mine works OK without it.
You can get a new filter from The Bird Nest for $16 or Rock Auto for $10. It wise to replace the seal for the lid at the same time.
BTW, I see Rock Auto has NEW pumps made by Cardone for $95. I'm thinking of trying one.

Scott
1964 Coupe Wimbledon white/Rangoon Red w/black int. Owned for 42 years. It was my folks car before that (second owners). VTCI # 12013.
64ZCODE
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by 64ZCODE »

On my Galaxie, at one point the steering would groan and squeal when I turned the steering wheel too quickly or all the way to the locks. I'd also feel resistance to turning. Lucas makes a product for conditioning the seals in steering gear, and I added that to the steering reservoir and poof, problem gone.
1964 TBird Hardtop
1969 Galaxie 500 Convertible
1990 Mustang 5.0 LX
1974 Porsche 914 2.0
russt48
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2019 2:42 pm

Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by russt48 »

good advice - i suspect my filter is gone because i did not see anything when i checked the fluid. thanks for the tip regarding the seal i was going to look into a replacement
64ZCODE
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by 64ZCODE »

I'm going to check also. I had no idea there was a filter in the power steering reservoir. I didn't even know it was called the "tea pot"!

Scott, I checked Rock Auto and they show two options for filters for the '64 that have different dimensions. Does it matter which one I get? Also, re: the seal for the lid, I'm seeing a kit that looks like it will have that seal, but not the seal sold individually. The kits are really cheap so it's not an issue, just wondering...

Doug
1964 TBird Hardtop
1969 Galaxie 500 Convertible
1990 Mustang 5.0 LX
1974 Porsche 914 2.0
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RedBird64
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by RedBird64 »

Not sure about the different size filters. Neither of the Rock Auto filters is the same dimension as the Birds Nest part (2 3/8" diameter and 1 1/2" height) but the Lares 199 is close.

Sorry, my post pistakingly suggested RA had the seal. I think the kits do have it but you can get just the seal by itself from the Birds Nest.

Scott
1964 Coupe Wimbledon white/Rangoon Red w/black int. Owned for 42 years. It was my folks car before that (second owners). VTCI # 12013.
Terry64HT
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by Terry64HT »

I think this filter is a Baldwin P450 power steering filter, originally used on an International Harvester. The dimensions are 2 15/32" by 1 9/16 high. It's available from places like Grainger's. Under $10.
Terry
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sseebart
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Re: bleed air from power steering

Post by sseebart »

russt48 wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2019 9:14 pm i followed the instruction manual which i thought strange because it tells you yo get system to operating temp. Then says to turn steering wheel both ways thru its full travel 3-4 times with windshield wipers on (which i thought odd). i did all that plus a short ride thru my community and i still get a chatter. Anyone have different ideas? Thanks in advance Russ
Did you replace or repair something in the power steering system? Wondering what inspired the need to bleed it.

Also, the windshield wipers are hydraulic and run using pressure from the power steering pump, so if you've drained one, you've drained them both.

~Steve
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