I hope someone can give me a heads ups on this-
I have replaced the power steering pump.
I've put the front wheels up and moved the wheels lock to lock about fifteen times.
The pump sonds normal. and I can turns the steering wheel with just my finger.
However, with the wheels on the ground, it behaves like the pump is not working until I increase the revs by 400-500 rpm.

This man that I have to really muscle this thing until I get it going.
THat's a problem because I don't want to rocket out of my driveway in the morning and have to wrestle it back into place at night.

I can't see the fluid in the reservoir circulating.

I've just had back surgery, so I cannot wrestle this thing right now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Thank you-
-Cash

 

Had this problem in my BMW came out to be a defective pump.

 

Crap. I was oping that was not the problem. ;op
-C

 

Hi Cash,

So sorry to hear about your troubles. Please help us help you by telling us the year, model and engine of your Jaguar. It can make a significant difference in the possible causes. It helps to use your User Control Panel (User CP) to add this info to your signature line so it shows up in all your posts.

Also, was the car behaving the same way before you replaced the pump did some different behavior prompt you to replace the pump?

Cheers,

Don

 

make sure the power steering fluid is Dexron III automatic transmission fluid if putting straight power steering it wears the pump out immediately as i've heard

 

Hi Don-
Sorry- I've gone to the User CP, but nothing shows up. I do not know why-
I have a 1998 XJ8L with a 4L V8.

The car wouldn't pass inspection because the power steering pump was leaking.
That's why I replaced it.

 

Holy crap-
That's crazy. I put power steering fluid that's supposed to be for European cars. It's what O'Rielly's recommended.
-Cash

 

Could the power steering fluid cause this to malfunction this way?
I can replace the pump, but I don't want to keep doing if it's something I've done wrong.
-C

 

Hi Cash,

Thank you for the details on your car. Jaguar recommends Mobil 1 ATF for your power steering system, which meets the specifications of the original Dexron III which was discontinued after GM's licenses expired in 2006. Do not use Dex/Merc, which may be a compromise chemically, or Dexron VI, which has a viscosity much lower than Dexron III, or Power Steering Fluid, which is different chemically and can have the wrong viscosity. Here's the page from the Jaguar Vehicle Specification Guide:



There is not much you could have done to install the pump incorrectly. As I recall from doing the job myself, there are only two hoses: the low-pressure hose from the reservoir on top, and the high-pressure hose to the rack. The low-pressure hose connects with a hose clamp, but the high-pressure one connects with a hydraulic fitting. There's no way they could be connected incorrectly. However, a leak could cause problems, but I'm assuming you would have noticed a leak by now.

It could be that even though you've gone lock-to-lock 15 times, there is still air trapped in the system. Have you tried driving the car in a parking lot and turning lock-to-lock while moving?

The system uses the ZF Servotronic variable power assist steering rack. The default status is low assist for high speed driving. An electrical transducer on the steering rack pinion housing opens valves to provide more assist at low speeds and for parking. Is it possible this electrical connector was disturbed or contaminated with power steering fluid?

The oil passages on the high pressure side are small in some places. Is it possible some debris may have entered the high pressure line and obstructed the flow of fluid?

Is it possible your drive belt is contaminated with P/S fluid and is slipping? Is it possible the belt tensioner is failing?

We'll try to think of other possible issues. The P/S pump is a simple device. A manufacturing defect is possible, but the most common one would be a leaking seal, not a bad impeller or other internal component, but who knows?

Cheers,

Don

 

The correct fluid is Mobil ATF 320 -- it's a low temp Dex 3 fluid. It was always a difficult fluid to get outside of the dealer and speciality shops in the USA.

A constant complaint w/ Jaguars was low temp noise .... Ford wanted no problems with the new X300. It's technically not M1.

Early fluids were actually whale oil blends .. that's why they smelled so bad. Even after other carrier fluids were found the friction modifier was still typically whale oil. Countries started to ban whale oil use in the 70's and the formulas had to be changes -- with mostly bad results. Corrosion and poor cold operation being two. The development of the long chain synthetic fluids solved the problem and became available in the early 90's along with new seal material to eliminate the leaks from the thinner fluid. A common misconception is that fluids are backward compatible -- this is often not the case. Dex III was a big development.

My first job placed me in the financial side of a company that was refining the original fluids in US battleships from WWII -- this was in the 80's .. you can't believe how many gallons of hydraulic fluid is in a battleship. Lots of whales died to fill those things ... and the USA military spent untold millions helping develop alternatives. No substitute was found for the battleships -- too risky.

 

Hi yeldogt,

I don't know where you could get Mobil ATF 320 in the U.S., but Mobil 1 ATF is widely available and is approved by General Motors in applications where Dexron III was originally specified. Some of our members are using it successfully in the XJ40 and X300 ZF 4HP24 transmissions. Redline D4 is another excellent Dexron III substitute that I used in our XJ40. See the Material Safety Data Sheet I have attached, which shows General Motors' approval of Mobil 1 ATF.

Specifically sperm whale oil, wasn't it? As far as I know, the use of sperm whale oil as a friction modifier was discontinued with the introduction of Dexron II, and Dexron III never had any whale oil either, but that's fascinating to know how dependent our battleships were on whale oil into the '80s!

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi Don- Thanks for the info-
A loose electrical connector is possible as I replaced nearly all of the front suspension last summer. I'll look under the car when I am able and see if there is an electrical connection that has been loosened. Where is this electrical connection?
The belt is moving fine and so is the idler pulley.
As for debris, It's possible, but I tried to keep anything from getting in there.
If there is something in the lines, how would I flush it out?
Thanks-
-Cash

 

Hi Cash,

The Servotronic electrical connector is on the pinion housing, the part of the steering rack where the steering column connects.

If something is clogging the lines somewhere, you might have to disconnect all the hoses and run compressed air through them in both directions, but I forgot that you said you could see the fluid in the reservoir circulating. That would seem to suggest that it is flowing through the system properly.

Hmmm....

Please keep us informed!

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi Don-
I'll look for the connector. I did lower the rack when I was working on the suspension.
As for the fluid circulating. I must have miss-typed. I do not see fluid circulating. I saw what looked like a little bit of bubbles, but I do not see what i would say is fluid movement.
Thanks-
-C

 

Also... Lucky me-
It looks like there must have been a heater core leak in the past on this car.
There does not seem to be a leak into the passenger compartment, but when lifting the car the other day, I notice a rust hole in the floorboard just aft of the frame support that sticks out of the frame rail at the very front of the floorboard.
Now I get the source a floor board. ;op
The rad fluid is green so someone has flushed and changed the fluid to the green stuff.
-C

 

Did you disconnect any of the hydraulic lines from the steering rack, and if so, is it possible two were switched when reconnected? Off the top of my head, I think at least one of the lines uses a larger fitting, but the others may be of the same size. I still think this is unlikely since the pre-bent pipes serve a guide as to where they fit.

Let us know about that connector.

In our fluid reservoir I can see the fluid swirling when the engine is running.

Cheers,

Don

 

Well I looked under the car and grabbed the electrical connector on the rack. It is firmly in place, so that's not it.

I did hook up the hydraulic hoses correctly, I don't think they can be hooked up wrong.
Kind of at a loss here, but I was able to source a used PS pump, so if I can't figure this out, the other pump is going in.
-Thanks-
-Cash

 

Did you try driving the car since you replaced the PS pump? I had the same symptoms after I replaced my pump - the steering was initially rather heavy with the car stationary but became light (normal) as soon as I drove the car for a few metres (and remain normal at all times thereafter).

 

Any good body shop can fix the floorboard. Pretty cheap repair. Just be sure they clear away all combustibles in the interior before tack welding in new metal.

On my last 01, when the ps got heavy, my indy suggested Lucas' power steering enhancer (Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak). Worked like a charm, cleaned up the steering, stopped leaks. Good stuff. Used in my last Range Rover, worked there, equally. Sometimes when a part has been sitting on a store shelf for a long period, gaskets and seals can dry out even on a new piece still in the box.

Changed the rotors on my 01 back in 2014, six weeks after back surgery: ain't fun!

 

Hi Cash,

Just a crazy thought, when you replaced the pump, did you clamp the low pressure hose from the reservoir to prevent all the fluid from draining out? If so, did you remove your hose clamp pliers?

Is the new pump making unusual noises?

Cheers,

Don