Liberty foamy pump fluid & noise

[2002LIBERTY]

Have a 200 Liberty Limited with 95k onit. Lost power assist and pump fluid was foamy even though full. Pump was also noisy so I replaced it. Replaced the fluid by cranking it with the resovoir bottom plugged and caught the fluid from the return line while replenishing the resovoir. Still has foamy fluid and but not as noisy. Noise still gets worse when I turn the wheel. Now I have power assist but it is jerky. Can't find any leaks anywhere or even cracks on the return side that would suck in air. Money is tight right now so I don't want to buy parts I don't need. Those hoses are expensive and a rebuilt rack would cost me about $200 and a lot of time. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks. Jim

 

[timbekk]

You got a air pocket in there somewhere. I had the same problem in a diff vehicle and just turned the wheel back and fourth till it worked its way out.. it can be stubborn but it'll come out

 

[SteelHeadz]

Did you check the power steering system for any leaks?. If the leak is on the return side of the hydraulic system, it will suck in some air as it circulates through the system. Another cause for that is a pump failure however, you have already replaced it. The proper bleeding procedure is to fill the reservoir with ATF+4 to the max. level,(engine off) then apply 10-15Hg on the reservoir fill neck. With the front wheels off the ground, turn the steering wheel from lock to lock about 10 times then recheck the fluid level. Fill it to the max. level as nescessary and repeat the steps until the fluid stays at the normal range. Start the engine for 3-4 seconds while turning the steering wheel from lock to lock position again then turn off the engine and check the fluid for aeration. IF there's still air in the system, let the vehicle sit for a few minutes with the cap off untill all the air is gone from the fluid. Repeat the last step untill the fluid is clear from any aerations. Unfortunately, there is a possibility that the new pump could have been damaged by the bleeding procedure you have performed however, we'll pretend that never happened and see if it can be resolved this way. Let us know what happens.