Power Steering

No, it will just be a little harder to turn. Once you hit 5 mph, you wont notice it that much

Not true...

If your car comes factory with power steering and it stops working, chances are your out of power steering fluid. In this case you can burn up your power steering pump causing particles of the burnt pump to enter your steering box and that would cause damage. It could just wear it out (i.e. causeing loose steering) or it could bind up (i.e. wont turn completely in one direction intermittenly. If you notice your steering getting harder to turn, I would recomend you checking your fluid and toping it off if necesary.

U need to purchase a Chevy power steering pump removal/install tool. its a small pulley type tool and will take the pulley off of the pump. once its off, there should be 3 bolts that hold the pump in place.

remove cover from centre of steering wheel and you will see a nut undo it while holding onto the steering wheel with one hand and undo then pull the wheel towards you giving it a bit of a wiggle.

There is a specific tool for this operation. It is a power steering pump pulley puller. This grabs the groove in the end of the pulley and pushes the punp shaft away from the pulley. Available at your parts store.

Look for the lid marked power steering or check your owners manual. DO NOT PUT POWER STEERING FLUID IN THE WRONG RESERVOIR! Use a trany funnel(long flexable neck) or even roll up a sheet of computer paper into a funnel if you're stuck. Stick is attached to lid with min. & max. lines on it. Try not to overfill as it will leak out the reservoir when running and when it gets hot.

I'm working on it as we speak - it is a difficult job and I have a lot of tools and am fairly experienced. I got the new belt on but am having trouble getting the tensioner assembly back together. Carve out a day. If you're a novice, consider taking it in. The accessory belt in front of it is a piece of cake. 1) Loosen the nut on the idler pulley, 2) back off the tensioner with a 14mm socket gently (directly on top of the tensioner puller). 3) Back off the tensioner aways to make room for the new belt.

BiggDogg357:

It takes about thirty minutes to do both belts on the two belt configuration. Remove the passenger side tire and any covers. Loosen the idler pulley nut then go back up top and loosen the tensioner, this will allow you to remove the AC/alternator belt. From underneath you must loosen the power steering pump bolt on the back (if you have a racheting 14mm wrench it makes the job easier) then loosen the top bolt on the tensioner, then loosen the adjustment bolt on the bottom of the tensioner. Installation is reverse order.

Not necessarily but 99% of the times a whining noise emanating from the pump depicts it to be damaged by friction. It has minute fins which can be scratched by contamination or usage of wrong oil viscosity or with an insufficient oil level.

Sometimes a blockage in the system (usually pipes/valves) causes it to wear out quicker and has to be replaced along with the problem diagnosed and repaired or the new pump will also wear out soon. Also change the oil and properly bleed the system for any air trapped within.

transmission fluid can be used very similar to power steering fluid

transmission fluid can be used very similar to power steering fluid

Ever hear of the term, "Failure to Control"? Seriously, it's obvoius your brake pedal will keep getting closer to the floorboards. If it goes too far - you won't stop. Check all of your brake lines, from the Master Cylinder, all the way through to and including the wheel cylinders to make SURE there's not a leak somewhere. Also check the reservoir on top of the Master Cylinder to be sure it isn't seeping, too.

The 2010 Chevy Cobalt power steering wheel will cost you about $400.

The steering pump reservoir is towards the passenger side of the compartment, on the firewall side of the engine. It's not easy to get too, really. Viewing from the passenger side of the car, you'll not see it, because a wire bundle and terminal blocks your view of it. I just filled mine before answering this... I had to approach it from directly above the engine. I'm fortunate that I'm light weight enough to balance on the edges of the compartment. Even still, you'll need a long stemmed funnel to reach the reservoir.

Recommended oils for your steering system are: SeaStar Fluid, P/N HA5430 (1 quart), HA5440 (1 gallon). The following brands are acceptable: Chevron® Aviation Hydraulic Fluid A, Esso® Univis N15 or J13, Mobil® Aero HFA, Petro Canada Harmony HV115 (in Canada only), Shell® Aero Fluid #41, Texaco® HO15 and other fl uids meeting MIL SPEC H-5606-G. Automatic transmission fl uid (Dexron II®) may be used in an emergency. Never use brake fl uid. Any non-approved fl uid may cause ir rep a ra ble damage, loss of steering, and cancellation of warranty. In cases of extreme emergency any non tox ic, nonfl ammable fl uid may provide temporary steering. Generally, 2 quarts are required for single station, single cylinder fi lling. Add one quart per additional station or cylinder. Please note that SeaStar Capilanosystems use Dexron II ATF, not SeaStar steering fluid.

The steering gear is a rack and pinion type unit. To replace it:

1) Tie the steering wheel in place so that it cannot turn, then disconnect the steering column from the rack.

2) Disconnect the two hoses from the rack. Be sure to catch the power steering fluid and dispose of it in accordance with local regulations.

3) Remove the front wheels and the outer tie rod ends.

4) Lower the back half of the front subframe about 4 inches.

5) Unbolt the steering rack

6) Mounting hardware, then remove the rack.

7) Reverse this process to install the new unit.

8) Fill and bleed the powersteering fluid using the correct (+3 or +4) type of power steering fluid as specified in the owner's manual.

9) Set the toe-in.

Note that when starting the engine for the first time with the new rack it is critical to keep your body clear of the steering wheel. If you have accidentally reversed the fluid lines to the rack, the steering wheel may gyrate back and forth at high speed and with great force posing a risk of injury, or it can cause a hose to burst.

1000psi

Most cars that call for normal power steering fluid can take transmission fluid as a substitute but there are exceptions. Hondas MUST use power steering fluids that meet Honda's spec and must never use ATF. German cars must use Pentosin mineral oil that costs about $50 per litre. Some cars specify Dexron-III/Mercon ATF for their power steering systems like Nissan and Toyota. Just remember to NEVER use Ford Type-F ATF, only fluids that meet or exceed the Dexron-III/Mercon spec can be used as a substitute in vehicles that specify "power steering fluid".

Never put power steering fluid in the transmission.

The transmission and power steering are usually two different systems. The transmission drives off the back of the engine and the powersteering pump normally drives off a belt on the front of the engine.

Sometimes you have to remove the pump.

It is important to use the right types of fluids in a car. A 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier uses GM Power Steering Fluid or alternative fluids that meet GM specification GM9985010.

Loosen all visable bolts on power-steering pump (4.0 Liter only). Take a 12mm socket with approx. 4-6" ext. (3/8 drive will do nicely....) and reach UNDER the right-hand side of the pump, and you should find a tensioning bolt. Relax tension until belt comes off. You may need a small pry-bar to push unit inward once tension is released. Install is opposite of de-install. *NOTE: If you get the old belt off and forget how to put the new one back on, just remember, no matter what make,model, vehicle, the OUTSIDE of the belt runs on slick pullies, and the INSIDE of the belt runs on the pullies with raised grooves.............If you don't have PWR STR you'll probably have an idler bracket & bearing (rider's-side) with adjmt.......Hope this helps.

start by checking your front end for wear in the tierods and all other linkage. the I would suspect your steering box is shot.

Did this last weekend (2May09) and was a PITA. My experience was for a 2.7L engine. First make the engine safe by disconnecting the battery. Then Remove the belt driving the pump. Loosen the center bolt on the idler pulley then find the adjustment bolt that is to the passenger side from the pulley at about 10 o'clock from the front. Loosen this using a socket and long extension. Should turn easy and the belt will loosen. Then release the oil return line from the pump reservoir. It is held in place with a spring clamp. Just slide it back. Pull the oil return line off the reservoir and catch the oil in a pan. It will make a mess. You should remove the pressure hose which threads into the bottom of the pump. If you find a wrench that fits this space, then yea! I was not that lucky. Anyway, the rubber hose has a crimp on metal pre-bent tube that runs to the pump and attaches to the bottom at an odd angle. You can see it from above but just barely. It is rather tight. In case you could not get a wrench on the pressure hose, move on. Remove the three bolts that hold the pump to the engine. Access is through the holes in the pump pulley. Don't pry on the pulley as it is plastic. There is a split bushing that pushes into the pump for clamping pressure on the bolt at the 9 o'clock position. It must slide out to release the pump. Wiggle and pry the pump to get this to move. In my case, I had to release the wiring harness that passes just above the pump along the valve cover corner. This allowed the pump to tilt back enough to get a wrench on the above mentioned pressure hose fitting. Remove the hose fitting and lift out pump. You must use a power steering pulley puller to get the pulley off. I got a borrow tool from auto parts place. Remove power steering pulley. Remove the 3 bolts that hold the reservoir to the old pump. Transfer it to your new pump. Replace the O-ring with a new one (my kit had it included). Reinstall bolts. Reinstall power steering pulley using bolts in the removal kit. Do not hammer or press the pulley on as it will damage the small mechanical seal (ceramic) on the shaft inside the pump. Reinstall the pump in the its hole. Depending on your luck with the hose the steps will change. But in my case, I put the pressure hose back on using a new O-ring, installed the 3 bolts, put the return line back into place, reinstalled the belt and tightened it, filled the pump with ATF-4+ (TSB recommends this now), hook up battery and start it up. Run the engine and turn the steering fully to each side and back. Check and add fluid to reservoir as needed.

It is possible to drive with a bad power steering pump. However, this is not a good idea because the wheel won't turn as it should.

Power steering belt slipping?

The power steering box is on the right side behind the motor close to the finder wall. Get a flash light and look behind the motor and don't try to reach it while the motor is hot.