How do you change the power steering pump on a 1996 Chrysler cirrus?

Answer 1

Not the easiest vehicle to change a pump on, but it is certainly doable.

1. Start by removing the negative battery ground from the driver side strut tower.

2. Remove as much fluid from the reservoir as possible.

3. Lift vehicle, place on jack stands and remove front passenger side tire and splash shield.

4. Disconnect high pressure line and reservoir feed hose from the pump. If your vehicle has ABS, you'll also need to remove the heat shield from it.

5. Remove the Power Steering adjustment bolt as well as the attachment bolt in the rear of the pump.

6. Remove the wheel speed sensor wiring from the inner fender wall (carefully) and disconnect. This should allow you to access the pump pivot bolt. If no ABS wiring, there will be a rubber plug.

7. Remove the pivot bolt. Then remove the belt (if you haven't by this point).

8. Remove pump and the front bracket that attaches it to the support bracket you removed it from.

At this point, you'll need a special power steering pump pulley puller/installer that you can rent from auto parts stores like Autozone or Oreilly's. Make sure to follow the instructions provided with your new pump in regard to how to install the new pulley.

Installation:

1. Install pump and front bracket back to the support bracket, attaching it with the upper pivot bolt, front adjusting bolt and rear adjusting bolt. DO NOT TIGHTEN THEM YET!

2. Attach the high pressure hose and reservoir feed hose.

3. Install drive belt and tighten pivot and adjusting bolts so that the belt is fairly tight.

4. Install ABS heat shield (if ABS equipped).

5. Install splash shield and wheel. KEEP FRONT OF VEHICLE RAISED!

Bleed the system:

1. Add fluid to full mark and let settle. Start engine for a few seconds and shut off. Keep repeating this until fluid stays full.

2. Start engine and slowly turn the wheel left and right, contacting the wheel stops each time. Do this at least ten times.

3. Check fluid level again. Also look for foamy fluid. If this is the case, let vehicle stand for about 5 minutes and then repeat step two.

4. Once fluid is no longer foamy, lower vehicle. Turn wheels from left wheel stop to right wheel stop and back to the middle again once. Check fluid again. If foamy, start over. If not, congratulations! You've just replaced your power steering pump.