Power Steering Pump Removal and Installation

[White_Beast98]

What are the steps in changing the power steering pump for the 95-99 aurora. Can it be done in a home garage? Will I need to take it to a shop so they can pull the engine?

[pjnutt]

I'm dealing with the same thing right now. In order to get the pump out, looks like you have to remove all of the alternator brackets in order to get a pulley puller on the power steering pump. It seems real easy until you get into it. I think I'm taking mine to the local mechanic, I'm sick of f'in with it.

[baron1701]

I just did my pump for the second time, this time going with a new unit and not a junk yard part like last time. Yes, you do need to pull the mounts out of the way to get the pulley off. I would like to have a sawzall and cut an angle on the darn mount. I dont know why they went out of theire way to size it so you need to remove it. Its a lot easier if you raise the car and drop the plastic wheel well out to access the bottom bolts. The bottom right nut is very hard to get back on, i used my wife's smaller hand to get it on after an hour of playing with it. This job sucks and it will take some time to do. I have done it once before and it still took a little over four hours because of all the awkward angles to geet the fasteners on and off.

[pjnutt]

$130 at the local Tuffy, picking it up tonight. Might as well do the serpentine belt while your at it. I love working on cars, but after 4 hours of staring at this thing wondering how the hell to get it all apart, it was WELL worth the $130 in labor to make it someone elses headache. I can deal with these small issues every now and again b/c I love my Aurora......

[55624096]

Am in the process of changing my PS pump and having read the above note I have decided to drill a hole in the pully and in the motor mounts in order be able to remove the pump with ease if the new one fails. Looke like it is a 1/2 hour swap if my holes work. Will drill them about 14mm so my 1/4 inch 13mm socket will slide in easily. Should be easy when I have the motor mounts out. I hope.

[55624096]

Completed the PS pump change today and as stated above it is not easy. The engine must be jacked up about 3 inches for there to be sufficient room to install pulley puller. I actually drilled hole in pulley in order to gain access to bolts. Couldn't get my bulky puller in. I still had to jack the engine up 3 inches. After removing the motor mount and the plate on front of engine I drilled hole in plate and the motor mount interface inorder to allow for quick change on the PS pump next time. Now I can remove PS pump without jacking the engine and it is a 1/2 hour job. Took me all day the old way.

[baron1701]

Why didn't the engineers think of having a hole cored into the plate? Good thinking.

[harlanba]

The power steering pump is very easy to remove and replace. There is only one bolt to remove the whole pump and mounting bracket from the car. Remove the two lines and belt. There is a bolt that points downward on the passenger side of the pump. I believe has a 12 mm head. Remove it and the whole pump and mounting bracket comes off. Then pull the pulley off and replace after you have it off the car. It is so simple. The bottom of of the power steering pump bracket sort of hooks into motor block and the one bolt locks it down. There is no manual that I have found that states this. You don't have to tear half of the car apart to remove power steering pump and pulley. It is very easy. You know you have the right bolt if you loosen it and the pump can easily be wiggled side to side.

[55624096]

harlanba: Where were you when all of us ingnorants were struggling to find a easy way to change the pump. I checked in the 1995 Gm Service manual and All Data, None of them mentioned your easyl fix. How did you discover the magic 13mm bolt. ????

[harlanba]

I did this several weeks ago and couldn't find any directions that weren't complicated or vague. I went back to alldata to look again today and thats what originally got me wondering. They basically said the same but provided no details or diagrams. So I started looking for some kind of bolt to remove and happened to see that obscure one. I loosened it and the pump moved back and forth. I wished I could have helped earlier. I don't know how I would done it otherwise without breaking something. Mine is a 1996. I used the directions again the other day to loosen the pump and replace the drive belt.

[baron1701]

An admin should pin this thread. This could posibly be some of the best time saving Aurora advice I have ever read.