GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: BlackGT on 25 August 2013, 18:41
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The power steering pump bearing on my GTI 16v was making an awful noise, so replacement time! I ordered a refurbished pump and some replacement hydraulic fluid - the correct fluid is equivalent to Pentosin CHF 11S, Halfords sell a 1L bottle which is more than enough for the job. Apologies for the lack of photos, I didn't decide to write this guide until after I'd done the job...
So first part - remove the old pump. Jack up the car at the front, remove the plastic cover over the belt (you can just pull it off) and remove the three circled bolts in the image:
(http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/coolingmaint/pspumpremoval.jpg)
(Image from http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/coolingmaint/index.htm - this website is great by the way!)
The three bolts are two adjuster bolts and the long hinge bolt, which allows the pump to pivot for adjustment of the belt tension. Once the bolts are removed the pump will probably not move - mine was wedged in with dirt, grease etc. Going over the pump is a thin black metal bracket, I found that loosening off the bolts holding this on made the pump easier to move. If it is still stuck, a dousing of WD40 and a few taps with a hammer will shift it - I recommend placing a piece of wood on the pump and hitting the wood, to make cracking the casing less likely! Undo the two hydraulic lines - one is connected with a jubilee clip which is easy to remove, the other is attached with a banjo bolt which I found fairly difficult to undo, but came off with the help of a breaker bar. I'd advise having a collection container underneath at this point otherwise or, as I did, you'll end up with hydraulic fluid all over your drive!
Once the pump is disconnected, move it down, remove the power steering belt and work the pump off the hinge, you will be able to take it out underneath the car.
Unless your replacement pump came with a new bracket and pulley, the next step is to remove these from the old pump. I applied WD40, then managed to get 2 pulley bolts off by holding one bolt with molegrips, and using an alan key to remove a different one. The final bolt was a pain, but some heat from a blowtorch sorted it.
It's fairly obvious which bolts to remove to separate the old pump from the bracket, and I found they all came off easily on mine. Once the bolts are out, my pump was still stuck fast - I sprayed WD40 around the mating surfaces, and again using the hammer and block of wood managed to move the pump back and forth until eventually it was out. I then gave the bracket a good clean to make it easier to put back together - washing up liquid did a good job of shifting most of the grease.
Next, bolt the new pump to the bracket. Two of the bolt holes in the bracket contained spacers similar to split washers, which stick out a bit and make it very difficult to fit the new pump. Give these a gentle tap to move them out, and fitting the new pump is easy. When the bolts are tightened these spacers are forced in again, making the pump sit tight in the bracket. Attach the pulley, using a bit of thread locker on the pulley bolts is a good idea. Prime the pump by adding hydraulic fluid to the pipes and turning the pulley.
Now, fit the new pump and bracket back into the car! With the grease removed I found that the hammer wasn't needed, I pushed the pump into the space and got the long hinge bolt in. To get the pump round far enough I had to again loosen the thin black bracket bolts, as there is a lip on the pump bracket that jams against it. Refit the power steering belt, and tighten the 3 bolts.
Next was re-attaching the fluid lines. The bottom one is straightforward, just slip the rubber pipe on and tighten the jubilee clip. For the banjo bolt - Note: DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THIS BOLT! I decided it had to be really tight so as not to leak, put my whole strength onto the socket wrench... and sheared the bolt off! A new one was only £5 from the dealers, I would recommend buying a spare before you start the job, just in case... The Haynes manual recommends replacement of the copper washers, these can also be ordered from the dealer and cost very little. I did the new bolt up fairly tight, with a plan to tighten it further if it leaked at all (it didn't :smiley:).
So hopefully that's it! Add the new fluid to the power steering reservoir, and move the steering wheel from left to right a couple of times to remove air. Haynes recommends having an assistant start the engine, while you add fluid as soon as the level drops - this is good advice, the fluid level drops very quickly! Add fluid up to the "MAX" mark, and turn the steering from left to right a few time. The system is bled when no more bubbles appear in the reservoir.