I dont know if this is the right forum,. but here goes. In my 70, I just built the car, and when I went to use my old pump, it was leaking farely well out of the front seal. I replaced the seals and bushings, basically rebuilding the pump, and when I put it on today and tried bleeding it, I could not get it to work properly. The fluid was foamy, and the pulley is spinning straight, but the level never went down, and when it was on the ground, the pump definetely did not assist the steering. Was just curious if anyone knows how to diagnose the problems I could be having.

If you have a lot of air in the system, your steering will feel very squirrely until all the air gets out of the system. I suspect that you just have a lot of air that is now whipped into the power steering fluid and is now a foamy froth.

Let the car sit for a an hour or two (or better yet overnight)to let the air start to settle out. Now jack the front tires off the ground and rotate the steering wheel lock to lock without starting the engine. You should see a lot of air bubbles making their way up into the pump reservoir. Refill to the cold mark on the reservoir capstick if necessary. When the bubbles stop coming out, start the engine and turn lock to lock a few more times. Refill again if necessary to the cold mark. Don't hold at full lock for more than just a brief moment.

Let the car down and try driving it for about 10 miles. The steering should feel correct.

BTW, did you fill your system with genuine GM power steering fluid? The GM fluid is available from any GM dealer. It is the only fluid that was specifically formulated to work with the Saginaw power steering pump. Other fluid will work, but the GM fluid is really the best.

If you are still having problems. You must have put the pump back together incorrectly. We can help if you need further assistance.

Jim

Thanks, Ill try what you suggested this weekend and see if it helps out. If any other thoughts anyone please let me know!

Thanks, Ill try what you suggested this weekend and see if it helps out. If any other thoughts anyone please let me know!