Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

[2001firebird]

It was the first day of rain in a while and since that's the time you can slip out most, I wanted to go out and have some fun. I pull out my car to the end of my court, which is pretty wide and with no parked neighborhood cars or pedestrians around. So I do about maybe 1 or 2 doughnuts when I feel my wheel completely turn stiff. Odd to me, I pull back my car into the garage and inspect the Power Steering Resevoir. The level is pretty low, a little less than the "ADD" line. So I buy Valvoline Synthetic and add to the appropriate level. Run my car and turn the wheel left to right a few times. The power steering does not come back.

My question is, was it me running the fluid too low causing the pump to mess up or me doing the doughnuts? I've read a few threads about what to do, and one of them said his pump went out doing doughnuts. I really dont know where to start. I could buy a new pump, but I'm just trying to figure the cause and if I necessarilly need to replace the pump. Please if you have any ideas of things I should try to troubleshoot this, that'll help.

Thanks everyone for their help.

[vr4gasm]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

since it was low my bet is all the fluid shifted and it allowed the pump to go dry for a few seconds and burn it up

[Rob Bell]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

If you had your steering all the way against the stop, that's what probably did it. It says in the owners manual not to hold your steering against the stop. I'm sure it's even worse if you do that and then floor it.

[Vracer111]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

TeH puMP is ToAsT...

Don't replace it with a stock power steering pump, get a Turn-One Racing replacement.

TurnOne

[vr4gasm]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

which one of those pumps would fit a 3800

[2001firebird]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

Thanks everyone for all the help. It makes sense that when I was spinning around, what was left of the fluid leaned to one side of pump causeing it to dry up. Thanks for pointing that out.

Yeah what i'll do is yank the old pump out and buy a replacement. Vracer, do you have turnone pump? If so, how do you like it? Any benefits?

[Vracer111]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

Yes I have a TurnOne pump - it does it's job on track unlike the stock unit which overheats and boils the powersteering fluid at autocrosses and trackdays, ultimately killing itself... No more whiney pump when turning the wheel and the reduced pump ratio of the TurnOne unit doesn't seem to increase steering force compared to the stock unit, even with the 330mm Sparco Ring race wheel and wide sticky 275/40-17 Nitto NT-555RII R-compound tires (when the stock pump died on me after coming off a track session it was REALLY noticeable... major workout from a stop had to use all my upper body and wrench on the wheel!)

Not sure how much the stock powersteering pump is, but the TurnOne is $225+shipping. It's worth the price since the stock ones just do no last that long at all (mine was toasted at 74k miles and complaining when I got the car at ~67k miles). Reason the power steering pump doesn't last long if you do more than regular daily driving with it is that the pump is kind of overdriven and it is right by the left exhaust header bank. Item code for my '98 Camaro V6 powersteering pump is CB40V6F (Call or E-mail them for ordering.)

[2001firebird]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

Thanks for the info. Yeah my cars around 72K right now, so it lasted around the same as yours. Hell yeah it's was a pain in the *** too when I came to a stop. I'm running 275/40/17 555's so it took a little more muscle to turn the wheel. As far as taking it further than daily driving, I do plan on trying my car through turns such as Autox and such. So I guess I'll spend the money and buy the Turnone pump. Hopefully this'll pump will be more efficient. Once I get it in I'll let eveyrone know how it works out.

[97burnout]

Re: Power Steering out...how? Please Help.

thats what I was doing when mine went out... cookies... took a day to replace....