It’s easily common to question why the power steering pump will not bleed air out of the system.
If you see that your car is making groaning and whining noises, then it’s the sign that your system has caught air into its system. And this can indeed be a problem for your car.
So, in this article, I’ll be telling you all the reasons why your power steering pump is not bleeding the air out and how you can deal with this problem.
Power Steering Pump: What Is It And Why It’s Needed?
Now, you might be wondering what is power steering pump is in the first place.
A power steering pump is machinery used to apply the appropriate pressure on your car’s wheels so that it can easily and smoothly turn in any direction.
Moreover, a supplement drive belt can easily turn the power steering hose and can push the air pressure to the inside of your car’s control valve.
The pressure comes in the form of a power steering fluid, which then gets pumped right from the tank and into the steering box.
People usually have the question, “why a power steering pump is needed?”
– This is because it ensures that the fluid you are instigating reaches your car’s power steering system. This steering pump has a slotted rotor that keeps rotating and enables the fluid to easily enter your car’s rotor.
The rotor keeps on rotating, and it allows the fluid to get discharged to different ports!
Why Power Steering Pump Will Not Bleed Air Out of the System?
Power steering operates by using hydraulic pressure. Now, you might be thinking of what hydraulic pressure is. Let’s see an example for a better understanding.
A forklift takes the help of hydraulic pressure to easily lift pallets filled with concrete blocks right into the highest shelf.
Even this hydraulic pressure can make your driving experience a lot easier. Moreover, steering your car to the left and right becomes effortless with the power steering of hydraulic pressure. This even prevents your car from going in the wrong direction.
Although it might feel that air has got something to do with a power steering pump, in reality, it has no place there. Moreover, it can indeed prove to be a disaster if air gets stuck in those pumps.
The sign that air has stuck into your power steering pump is that your power steering will become very noisy and laborious. And a more guaranteed sign is your power steering pump will sound more like a distressed cat!
This growling and howling will get super loud, especially during intensive steering movements like during parallel parking.
And bleeding out the air out of the system can indeed be a challenging job, but not impossible. There are a few ways that you can use to take the air out of the system.
In the section below, I’ll give you a step-by-step guide that will help you to know how you can take the air out of the power steering pump.
Taking the Air Out of These Power Steering Pumps: A Step-by-Step Guideline!
The usual problem for the power steering fluid leaks is mainly due to the power steering pressure hose. During this process of fixing, you do need to know the exact place from where the air actually gets in.
After you replace the pressure hose or power steering pump, it’s always a good idea to remove the power steering system of air.
Usually, for most steering wheel vehicles, the procedure is effortless. All you have to do is turn your steering wheel in lock-to-lock several times. And this will remove any sort of unwanted air.
How to Do This?
Step-1:
The first thing that you need to do is check for the power steering fluid level. The reason you’ll be doing this is to see if the fluid is cold or hot. Then you can rotate the steering wheel and take the reading of it. If you see that the fluid has become foamy, it means air is getting into the system.
Step-2:
Add appropriate power steering fluid only if the fluid level gets low. But do check the user manual before adding any fluid.
Step-3:
Search for the bleed valve and put in a bit of penetrating oil. Push in a clear vinyl tube on the very end of the valve. The tubing length should be a bit longer rather than choosing a short one.
Step-4:
Put the tubing in a proper catch container so that both the old fluid and air bleed out of it. But do make sure that your system doesn’t run out of fluid!
After all, this is done, start your engine and slightly crack open that bleed valve. Turn your car’s steering wheel lock a few times. When it’s done, close that bleed valve. Then again, add fluid and repeat the entire procedure until all the fluid becomes air-free.
Step-5:
If you see that the fluid is new and free of crud, then you can simply return the line to the fluid reservoir. This procedure will prevent your system from running dry.
To be on the safe side, you can fasten the very end of your tubing to the reservoir with a baling wire or even a rubber band.
Afterward, start the engine, and if you see everything is doing and all air has bled out of the system, you can top off the steering fluid.
Lastly, before you start driving, rotate your steering wheel several times and check that fluid level for the final time!
Bottom Line
All these procedures are straightforward to conduct, all that’s needed is for you to follow all these steps, and you can quickly bring air out of the system.
An essential fact that you should know is steering system noise can also mean that air is trapped in your system. And if this steering system noise gets louder, then a considerable amount is trapped inside the pumps, and you need to get them out as fast as possible.
So, I hope this article will help you know why the power steering pump will not bleed air out of the system, but you can bleed it out with some proper guidelines!