About 2 years ago I replaced the power steering pump on my 98 XJR. It was a catastrophic failure, fluid gushing out like crazy. I replaced it with a Eurospare pump from Partsgeek. Right from the start, the pump had that hum when turning the wheel that usually indicates air in the system. I just figured that's what it was and that it would go away soon enough. I would occasionally turn the wheel back and forth, but the hum never really went away. I should have tried to return it, but I don't drive the car as much as I used to, and just didn't really do anything about it. The hum wasn't too bad, so I chose to live with it. Fast forward to now, and the "new" pump is dripping a tiny bit of fluid and it still hums.

I need to take the time to replace it, but I want a good quality one. Does anyone have any recent experience with the current crop of power steering pumps on the market? I don't mind paying extra if I can get good quality. They're probably all made in the same sweat shop in China with different labels slapped on, but I'm hoping there is a standout brand that has a good reputation for quality.

Any recommendations? Thank you!

 

There are many sources for these pumps. Even Advance Auto has both new and
used pumps available. The NEW Bosch is over 400 dollars.

 

I’m sorry, but I can’t give a recommendation for a specific manufacturer.
But I can give you a heads up that the genuine Jaguar pump can be rebuild, as long as it's just the gasket. What caused your old (original) pump to fail? Was it a mechanical fault, or was it simply a leak at the seal between the two halves? If you still have the original pump and the problem was only a leak at the gasket, the pump can be rebuild with a high quality gasket paper.

 

I have a similar situation. My original pump spewed a few quarts all over the driveway one day, bought a cheap pump from Amazon and it worked like a charm but started making the moaning noise after a couple weeks. It had a 12 month warranty, so I did that process after about 9 months, replacement sat in the box for another year maybe before I put it in...then it started moaning after a week or so of operation. Now it a year later and still doing it of course, so I'm back to I want the damn thing to be quiet again. Curious about rebuilding my original pump, which I believe is OEM and for some reason I couldn't bring myself to throw out, is there an actual rebuild kit for these or is it a case of just trying to match up gaskets and things?

 

I know a forum member who recommended the user just turn up the radio volume.
We never heard back from the one with the problem.

 

Take it to an independent and have the system bled. Sounds like worn seals.

 

I swapped out the XJR for the Series 3 VDP at my Indie's shop yesterday and one of the things that was on the list for him is the power steering pump as I'm afraid it's past just being worn seals (although I'll be happy if it that's all it turns out to be). I'll let you know what transpired when she gets picked up again, hopefully next week.

 

Will bleeding help if there are worn seals? It's a new pump, so it doesn't seem like there should be worn seals...or do you mean worn seals in the steering rack? I followed the Jag recommended procedure to burp the air out after installing the new pump, but it didn't help. How do you bleed it, and is that something I can do at home?