How to replace the power stering pump?

I want to regenerate my power steering pump, but I'm a bit confused how to take if from the motor.
It get scarry loudy. Someone put low quality oil :|, besides it has got 300k km so some parts have to be fixed by hammer ;)

I have windstar 3.8 '96. I'm looking for manual or foto gallery from deassembling and assembling it back to engine.

You can find repair instructions for this job at www.autozone.com under the vehicle specific repair guides.
I have some pictures that may be of help to you that the link in my signature will take you to.
But do not use them, or my response as a substitute for a quality repair guide.

You will need a 15mm socket, and for power steering fluid, you need a "type F" Automatic Transmission Fluid for your 1996.
Newer windstars call for Mercon rated Automatic transmission fluid.
Standard power steering fluid is the wrong stuff for all years, and should NOT be used.

I bought a power steering pulley removal / installation tool set from Advance Auto.

Remove the cable from the negative battery terminal to prevent fireworks and accidents involving your underwear during the repair process.

You need to remove the serpentine belt....and set it aside so that it does NOT get any fluids on it.....or it will fail (I have already made that mistake).
Then you remove the alternator as the reduced weight makes things MUCH easier.
You will remove the metal high pressure line from the top front of the unit.
You do NOT want to bend that line while taking things apart....or it will be a MAJOR pain to get lined up again.
Then the low pressure hose (catch the fluid that will drain out).
Then, I would remove the pulley, then remove the whole power steering / alternator bracket and power steering pump as a unit.
You can then change the pump. I bought a pump / resevoir unit so that I did not have to mess around with sealing the 2 together.
Then you will put the pump & bracket back in as a unit.
The major pain in the job is......that metal high pressure line.....you need to correctly align it and be very careful not to cross thread or strip the threads.

I would put all new fluid in the system.
There are posts on here about flushing the power steering system.
I put the low pressure return line over a drain pan....PLUG the return line from the resevoir....or your new fluid will just drain right out.
Then I filled the resevoir with new fluid.....touch the starter for just a real quick second....and right away turn the key to the OFF position. Then refill the resevoir......touch the start.....refill.....touch the start.......running about 2 quarts through the system.
I turned the steering wheel about 20-30 degrees with each touch of the starter.
Top off and reconnect the return line(s).
Start the engine......check for leaks......then turn the steering wheel from stop to stop......not holding against the stops to bleed the air bubbles from the system.

If you have any air in the system.....it will make a lot of noise.
In doing this job.....even very carefully, I am sure that you will have at least a small amount of air in the system....which will make noise upon start up.
Of course, you do not want to run the pump dry, as the fluid is also needed to lubricate it.

Also, you do not want to overfill the resevoir, or it could overflow, particularly if you turn the wheels with the engine off.

Listen to Wiswind's advice, he knows his stuff. Also you'll find his photo gallery very helpful.
On my 95' I removed mine when replacing the water pump and I seem to remember (correct me Wiswind if I'm wrong) that there were not only 2 rather noticeable long bolts to remove, but also down under and way back there is a short bolt securing the pump to the engine block. This one was hard to not only find but also to remove only because of its location.

Thanks for the compliment.
Not a mechanic, just trying to learn as I go....and have always liked to have a mental picture of a job before I start it....and pictures to refer to when putting things back together.
It has been a while since I did the power steering pump, so I do not remember the bolts right off the top of my head.
I seem to remember 3 bolts for the bracket, and 3 for the pump.

I have a picture that shows the bracket and pump out of the vehicle.
From that, you can look at the bolts.....and find them on your '96 3.8L.
I do know that folks with the '99 and newer will be different, not sure about the other years.

Hi,

I did this job on my '98 Windstar 3.8 about a month ago. I suspect my engine configuration is the same as yours, but wiswind and others know more than I do.

On mine, and I expect on your power steering pump also, there are three bolts holding it on. The Chilton and Haynes manuals are totally useless about this, they just say to unbolt the unit. They never mention that the third bolt is beneath the ps pulley.

Please get verification about this from folks here with more knowledge than I have, but I found that it was necessary to remove the ps pulley, or mangle the hell out of it, in order to get that third bolt out. I spent a LOT of time figuring this out. You'll need a decent pulley removal kit, I found one on eBay for under $30. It was worth it's weight in gold. Well, maybe not quite that much...

Ok, here's my take on your problem.

I own a '99 Windstar. About one year into ownership I had a scary power steering noise under warranty. Right off the bat Ford service manager recommended a change to the flexible power steering hose under warrenty?? Guess what, it worked for about 4 years (100K+). Then the same noise came back and before I could fix it the hose ruptured on my wife. She drove it home (arhh!) and about one year after the hose was replaced I needed to change the rack.

I had explained to me that the noise I heard, and I suspect you hear, is the pump cavitating. Basically it is starving for fluid and pulling air. If you check the fluid level at idle and it seems fine (i.e. you have no room to add fluid) but the sound it there when you turn the steering wheel I suspect the rubber hose is flexing increasing the closed system volume, cavitating the pump. Try changing the hose. About $70 for the part plus labour.

BTW after I had the rack changed the caviting sound hung around for about one week. The mechanic suggested that I needed to purge the air pockets from the system by turning the wheels lock-to-lock several times. Eventually this worked. Everything is fine now.

Good luck
KeninCanada

Tracking down sounds in that area can be tough.
I also had the idler pulley make noise....but only at engine speeds just over an idle.....so turning things by hand was no help.

Ken, There is no way your wife's driving home did any damage to the rack. Maybe the pump was damaged ... but I would have done the same thing.

In fact, the rack probably failed all on its own ... even if the hose failed first. The '99's were notorious for bad seals in the racks. I had one fail on a vacation trip. Up to that point I had been using the synthetic power steering fluid by Valvoline ... and probably lucky I did. But once that seal failed on the trip, I used anything I could buy on the road. But the leak was so severe, I couldn't keep up ... the pump went dry several times and became a squealer.

Ford replaced the rack under warranty but wouldn't replace the noisy pump since it was still working. I refilled the system with Valvoline and the pump eventually quietened down. Still using it after 120k miles more.

I juist returned from a Ford Dealer with a noisy ps pump. They suggested changing hi-pressure hose. $200.00 for the hose and two hours labor, $196.00+ $30 for tax/misc.

Please tell me the hose I need is not $200.00! Is it difficult to remove hi-pressure hose from rack?

I had explained to me that the noise I heard, and I suspect you hear, is the pump cavitating. Basically it is starving for fluid and pulling air. If you check the fluid level at idle and it seems fine (i.e. you have no room to add fluid) but the sound it there when you turn the steering wheel I suspect the rubber hose is flexing increasing the closed system volume, cavitating the pump.KeninCanada

KeninCanada, thanks a ton for this anecdote! I have a 2000 Windstar (83k miles) with the 3.8L that has made a groaning noise since I bought it used about a year and a half ago. It has gradually become louder, and seems to be worse when turning right than when turning left. In the past few weeks, the steering has begun to jerk slightly when turning right.

I was unable to tell if the problem was in the pump or the rack, but I was pretty certain that I was looking at a repair of several hundred dollars. After reading up on this forum about the need to change the power steering fluid, I decided to give that a try this afternoon. It was easy enough, and I was surprised that there was not much junk (and no metal) in the filter, since I had convnced myself that there was major system damage somewhere. I had a hard time getting all the air out, but after I was finally satisified that the system was purged of air, I took it for a test drive. The steering was worse than ever. Now it was jerking slightly in both directions.

I had reluctantly accepted the fact that I needed a complete steering system replacement, and was looking for information about how to replace the rack when I saw your note about the fluid level dropping during operation. I tried filling the reservoir all the way to the top, and starting the engine with the top off the reservoir. I was very surprised to see that the fluid level had dropped all the way to the level of the return hose - almost an entire inch!
:eek2:
I left the engine running and filled the reservoir all the way to the top again, turned the wheel lock to lock several times, and everything quieted right down! The fluid was no longer foaming. I topped it off again, and took it for a drive. Smooth as silk and quieter than it had been since I bought the car. Wow! Unbelievable. I had been scratching my head, checking the fluid level against the "full" line on the reservoir for a year, and dreading the inevitable huge repair. It had become so loud that my wife had quit going through drive-throughs.
So, I apologize for the long winded feedback, but thanks! When in doubt, fill that reservoir all the way to the top with the engine running! If my high pressure hoses rupture in the near future, I'll follow up with that information...
And this is a great forum. Now on to fixing the P0174 and P0171 codes that are starting to trip the CEL!

TomG23,

Glad all is fine with your PS and very glad I could help. Final note on the PS. Windstars are notorius for issues with the rack. This is mostly due to metal bushings wearing in the rack and those small flakes accumulating in the fluid, circulating around and eventually taking out parts. I had a PS pump bearing start to go over the winter and a front end clunk over bumps. The clunk turned out to be an inner tie rod end that could be replaced for about $40 but the charge for 4 hours labour to get the rack out and the required allignment after changing the one part played my hand. I opted for a new pump, rack, fluid and alignment. My wife is smiling again and like yours is not embarassed in drivethrus anymore!

We have over 250K on our 99. About two years ago I surfed this forum and found everything I needed to know about your two codes. Interesting reading. I would list the home repair factor on this job as a 3 out of ten. (One is oil change, ten is engine/tranny rebuild.) You sound knowledgable enough to handle this job on your own and I do not recall any special tools.

As simple as I can put it, between the lower half of the plastic air plenum and the aluminum intake are eight bolts sandwiching a set of 6 silicon-like gaskets. The problem is that the original bolts get immersed in oil delivered as offgas via the PVC line. The oil condenses, falls and soaks the bolt seals breaking them down and eventually breaking down the seal on the 6 gaskets. At that point air (not accounted for by the mass air flow) begins to leak into the intake ports. The computer adjust the air/fuel ratio from feedback from the lean reporting o2 sensors. Eventually it codes because the computer runs out of adjustment of extra fuel in the fuel map to account for the extra air.

It all sound complicated but the nice thing is this forum has great instructions on how to handle the repair at home. Expect a 2 -3 hour job, about $200 in parts(including 6 beer). This is not a difficult job. Don't bother with the new design valve cover with the built in baffle. You get a chance to clean up everything and feel good about keeping the windstar on the road!

BTW - Beer consuption guidelines.

Drink 1 beer while reading the instructions from this forum. Enjoy 2 beers during the job. Save the final three for gloated to the wife how you saved over $500 vs. the dealership. If you plan to do this job(including the gloating) all in one sitting plan to do the test drive on a beer free day!

KeninCanada