Help with Power Steering!!!

[jlcljayne]

Dropped my 1995 Ex V6 at the dealership to do a emissions warranty repair...clean egr ports...and picked up the car with major power steering noises. Dealer of course had an estimate to rebuild the pump waiting for me when I picked the car up. My power steering was perfectly fine when I dropped it off.

I went ahead and bought the seals and o'rings for the pump and rebuilt it and still have a major amount of air entering the system somewhere but no leaking anywhere. Last week I replaced my inner tie-rods so I know the boots aren't full of fluid and the reservoir isn't going down.

I also cut and reclamped the low pressure hoses to the reservoir...no help. Getting lots of bubbles and foam and the pleasant growl from the pump.

On the plastic cover for my V6, there is a good sized gouge in the plastic under the power steering pressure hose. I removed the cover to see how it comes off and you have to bend and put good pressure on the pressurized power steering hose to get the cover off....a cover the service guy admits to taking off while doing the warranty work. He said he did not remove the hose from the pump but pushed it out of the way.

Could this pressure hose be whats introducing air into my system? I have had these go bad before but they usually leak fluid...no fluid is leaking anywhere but air is getting in somehow...tried all the bleeding procedures many times with no help...even used two pints of honda fluid.

Help....any ideas? Is it realistic that air can get in at the pressure hose?

[lorunner]

I know on the higher mileage cars that if you remove the power steering hose they get airbound and then the pump goes bad. Did you by any chance have a T/belt done there too?