How Hard Is It To Rebuild a Power Steering Pump

[wihaltom]

I walked out in the garage the other day and saw a large puddle under the left front of my 66 300.
Upon raising the hood, I saw that the front seal of the PS pump was leaking.
I'm just glad it held together till I got home from Power Tour!!
Anyway, I ordered the PS pump seal repair kit from RockAuto.com.

	Part Number	Part Type	Price EA	Core EA	Quantity	Total
1966 CHRYSLER 300 6.3L 383cid V8
GATES	351400	Power Steering Pump Seal Kit	$ 10.24	$ 0.00	1	$ 10.24
Discount		$ -0.51
Shipping	First Class Mail	$ 3.14
Order Total		$ 12.87

My main question is: Do I need a specific puller to get the pulley off the pump shaft without bending anything?
And what about reinstalling the pulley?
You can't just beat it back on, I wouldn't think.
Any thoughts or information?
Thanks in advance.

 

[jake]

Yes, you need a p/s puller, use them free at your local autozone with a deposit. I used a vise to press my pulley back on. I have a huge vice. Do not beat it on. Take your time, the springs on the inside get a little squirrely, but other then that its pretty simple.

 

[1978 NYB]

The P/S puller is a dual use tool. It is used to press the pulley back on too. The P/S Tool will have directions on how to do it properly.

 

[BillGrissom]

For others, check if the leak is from the large O-ring around the reservoir, since that is an easy repair.

I rebuilt the TRW pump on my 65 Dart ~3 yrs ago. It looks the same as the one on my 65 Newport. Should be the pump you have. It has 2 bolts on the rear, not 1 bolt like the later, similar-looking Federal pump. I used a pulley puller set I already had from Harbor Freight (cheap, ~$10 on sale). Came off w/ no problem. I recall the shaft didn't have a threaded hole to pull the pulley back on, so I probably used my 12-ton shop press (w/ reservoir off). The front seal came out easy. I don't recall if pressed in or a circlip. There aren't many parts inside. The trickiest part is getting the spring-loaded shoes in. I held them in with a multi-wrapped steel wire (rebar wire), which pushes off as the assembly slides in. Take many photos (I don't find any). I couldn't remember exactly how the shoes orient since they are tapered, and had to stare at the factory manual and use common sense.

I painted it purty, but didn't put on my Dart since no longer fit after I changed to the later aluminum water pump that didn't let the bracket attach and they made no TRW bracket for that (small block). I had to buy a later Federal pump and brackets, which required changing the hoses and matching fittings on the steering gear. You shouldn't run into these problems if a big-block. Anyway, I never tested the TRW pump. It is sitting as backup for my Newport and "should work".

 

[wihaltom]

Yeah, I don't think it will be much of a chore to fix the leak.
I did check the pump and the seal is what is leaking.
You can see the fluid dripping from the area around the shaft.
I will have to check the shaft to see if there are threads in the shaft to use to install the pulley.
If not, I do have a press that will make short work of it.
Thanks for the info.