Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Z 71 Power Steering Flush

Need some advice. My 2004 Z 71 with 62,000 miles is making a whining noise that rises and falls with engine rpms. Dealer tells me that water 'somehow' got into the power steering pump and that the system needs to be flushed and refilled ($148.00). If that doesn't fix the whine the pump will need to be replaced. Extended warranty covers pump replacement, but not the flush. Sound right?

How does water get in the system in the first place? Shouldn't what's touted as an off-road vehicle have critical components be sealed from the weather? I do drive off road during the hunting season, but not in much more than six or eight inches of water and at that not very long. Mostly mud.

By the way, my wife's 2005 tahoe had the identical problem with the power steering pump whine at 20,000 miles. No water in the system, just a bad pump.

Anybody know if power steering pumps are prone to failure in late model Chevys?

I have an '03 Z71 with 120,000 miles on it, nothing wrong with the power steering. Just a speedometer that doesn't come back to zero when it is in a bad mood. Fuel pump has had a high pitched whine for the last 80,000 miles though, waiting for it to leave me on the side of the road someday.

Yes. But only slightly more likely than other manufacterers. Some pumps just seem to have a shorter lifespan than others--luck of the draw.

My 96 lost the pump at at 71,00mi, my 91 steering pump is still fine at 255,000mi. Of course, I bought the 91 new and the 96 with 55,000mi on it. I've changed out the fluid on the 91 several times.

I'm highly suspicious of the water thing. Check the pump dipstick and/or dip a rag in and look at the fluid. Or shine a flashlight down in there. Water should be visible and water will turn the ATF brownish color if it has been mixed in for a while.

If there is water, then yes, one will have to drain all the fluid. Otherwise I just use a very large syringe (like what we use on cattle and horses) with a peice of surgical tubing attached to suck out all the fluid in the pump. Repeat it a couple times within the month (ATF is cheap) and one has replaced most of the fluid in the system. Takes a few minutes.

Casey

P.S. When fuel pumps go out in most trucks, They generally quit when one turns the key on. In other words it was running fine when we shut it off, but now won't start.

REALLY IMPORTANT: Buy a fuel pump from the appropriate dealer of your brand of truck. If you own a Chev--see Mr Goodwrench, If you own a Dodge--go to Mopar, ect, ect. DO NOT BUY A AFTERMARKET FUEL PUMP. I went through 4 NAPA "lifetime warranty' fuel pumps before that was explained to me. I have 3 good friends who are service manager/mechanics at dealerships. When a different brand of vehicle comes in--they go to the appropriate dealer to buy a fuel pump--they no longer cross reference their own pumps into a different brand of vehicle.

And...if you don't change your fuel filter regularly and plug or even partially plug the filter--most likely one will be replacing the fuel pump within 6 months. My Ford mechanic friend showed me on the computer 6 months worth of fuel filter replacements where the filter was plugged/partially plugged, and almost every one of the vehicles were back in for pump replacement within 6 months.

Thanks for the tips--

"If there is water, then yes, one will have to drain all the fluid. Otherwise I just use a very large syringe (like what we use on cattle and horses) with a peice of surgical tubing attached to suck out all the fluid in the pump. Repeat it a couple times within the month (ATF is cheap) and one has replaced most of the fluid in the system. Takes a few minutes."

Thanks for the advice. I let the deader replace the fluid at a cost of $148 plus tax. It didn't help the noise any. Guess I'll have to let them replace the unit. Any idea how water got there to begin with? Seems to me it should be a sealed system.

Lo and behold 2 months after the pump flush at the dealership I checked my power steering fluid the other day and it looks like muddy water again (and still sounds like hell). And this time I can't be accused of submerging the truck during the deer season since I haven't been in the woods or in any water since January. Why would Chevrolet put such a crappy system on an off-road vehicle? I think I'll go back to Ford next time around.

my 92 isuzu rodeo's powersteer pump whines. Its all GM under the hood so its probably just a common thing. I dont think flushing it will do any good. Im about to spend a whopping $65 for a new one and get rid of that noise.

FYI to you Chevy owners:

After reading some bulletins and doing a bit of research on Chevy power steering pumps I come to find out that the discolored milky looking fluid in the pump reservoir is an indication of the fluid becoming aerated due to an air leak at connections or hoses. Has nothing to do with water in the system. You'd think Mr Goodwrench coulda figured that out to begin with.