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Power Steering Pump

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Definition

Definition:

A hydraulically operated device that reduces the steering effort and makes a turn and also helps in easy maneuvering the vehicle is known as a power steering pump.

Requirement:

A power steering pump is used to reduce the driver effort for better ride-comfort and quick responsive steering.

Function:

The phenomenon of hydraulics is used to run the power steering pump for pushing the fluid into the steering gear box. This fluid under pressure assists the turning of wheels of the vehicle. On turning the steering wheel, small ports open up in the steering shaft, providing high amount of pressure causing the shaft to turn to further turn the wheels.

Since the power steering pumps are essentially positive displacement pump, the power developed by the pump is directly proportional to the engine speed and as such maximum hydraulic power will be transmitted to the steering wheel when the engine speed is high. However this is not desirable and for this reason there is a restricting orifice as well as a flow control valve which helps in getting back the excess hydraulic pressure back to the fluid reservoir. The use of pressure relief valve ensures that extreme pressures are not reached when the pump piston compresses the fluid completely.With developing technologies, modern hydraulic pumps are also included with electronic control valve which varies the hydraulic power according to the engine speed. There is also a provision for steering booster which helps to use the steering even when the hydraulic system fails. However it becomes very difficult to maneuver the vehicle with a failed power steering pump. For this reason, the vehicle manufacturers always insist to check the fluid levels regularly. The fluid or oil used in this system is based on mineral oil.

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Comments

Brenda Biesterfeld

12/28/2011

Hi, can you provide me with a breakdown to replace a Power Steering Pump for a BMW Z3 2002 2.5 engine. ~Thanks~ Brenda

Admin

12/28/2011

@Brenda Biesterfeld: Hello Brenda, you can try these below mentioned steps to replace the power steering pump on your BMW Z3. Tools Required: Ratchet Wrench Screw Driver Drain Pan Safety hand gloves. 1. Park your vehicle on a ground level. 2. Lock the ignition key and Turn off the engine. 3. Apply the hand brake so that the vehicle cannot move from its position. 4. Open the driver compartment door of the vehicle and locate the position of the power steering fluid pump, which is located below the lower splash guard. 5. Now get into the vehicle driver compartment. 6. The splash guard is held in by either four bolts or screws. Removing those bolts/screws with the help of a ratchet/screwdriver, so that, you can access to the steering fluid pump. 7. Finally remove the lower splash guard and you will be able to see the power steering pump. 8. Remove the cap from the top of the steering pump by turning it counter clockwise. 9. Keep the drain pan below the pump and Flush the fluid from the pump. 10. Now, remove the engine drive belt from around the steering pump. 11. Turn the tension pulley in the direction indicated so that it becomes easy to remove the belt from around the pump. 12. Now, remove the nuts and bolts from the cover that prevents access to the steering pump with the help of the ratchet. 13. Remove all the nuts and bolts of the fluid lines and disconnect all the fluid lines, which are connected to the steering pump. 14. The input pipe comes from the steering fluid filter, and the output pipe is connected to the gear mechanism. 15. After removing the nuts and bolts from around the steering pump, slide towards the outside, so that it comes out of its place. Note: Power steering pump replacement is not an ordinary do-it-yourself replacement and requires high level of expertise. Please consult mechanic to avoid damaging other parts of your vehicle and ensure proper installation.