Main IndexAuto Repair Home Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS
Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE
Log in LOG
IN









Search Auto Parts

'04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement


  Email This Post



mdevour
User

May 22, 2016, 11:46 AM

Post #1 of 12 (1753 views)
  post locked   post icon '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

'04 Buick Rendezvous, 3.4 liter, front-wheel-drive, abs, traction control.

Power steering pump is leaking: won't hold fluid, passenger side of engine drenched from top down.

I'm trying to replace it, but don't have a manual. Chilton and Haynes don't even print one for the Rendezvous/Aztec, and the OEM book is beyond the owner's budget.

I've got the three mounting bolts out and the little plastic guard with the belt routing on it removed.

It's going to be tough getting the fitting and hose off...

To begin with, what is the fitting wrench size for the high pressure line? It seems to be 16 mm, which is missing from my set! Mad

What else does the service procedure have you remove to replace the power steering pump?

It looks like it'd help to move the fuse block out of the way and remove the washer fluid resevoir. The one time I ever tried to unmount the fuse block on this vehicle I couldn't find all the fasteners and figured out some other way to do the job. Exactly how many are there and where are they?

And, please, I hope like heck I'm not going to have to remove the water pump as well? The front bolt seems to go through an ear on the water pump housing. I THINK it will slip out from behind it okay, but let me know if not. Tongue

Once the pump is in I'll make sure everything is sealed and bled. If there are any other problems, I'll deal with them then.

Is there anything else I should be thinking about?

Thank you.

Mike


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

May 22, 2016, 12:41 PM

Post #2 of 12 (1748 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

You don't need to remove the fuse box. Just loosen the line clamp on the front of the engine which will give you some movement in the pump and them remove the lines.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



mdevour
User

May 22, 2016, 1:36 PM

Post #3 of 12 (1744 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

By the "front" of the engine, you mean the passenger side end?

I can see a spring metal clip lower down, and pull the lines out of it. The pump moves around a little bit already, completely loose, but the attached lines run into brackets for the alternator and an idler pulley, stopping it from doing more than rattling around a little bit in place. I don't see any other clamp, yet. Can't pull the pump upwards without the lines hitting stuff. Can't pull the pump away from the engine because it's behind a piece of the water pump housing at the forward edge.

Can you be a little more specific where this clamp should be?

Thanks,

Mike


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

May 22, 2016, 1:38 PM

Post #4 of 12 (1741 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

I know everything that is in the way. Disconnect the lines and it will come out.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



(This post was edited by Hammer Time on May 22, 2016, 1:39 PM)


mdevour
User

May 22, 2016, 6:26 PM

Post #5 of 12 (1728 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

Getting the fitting off and disconnecting the hose is the point. Getting access to DO those things is the problem.

Tomorrow I go and buy a 16mm flare nut wrench to complete my set. Then I will try one more time to get a wrench on the nut.

Meanwhile, if you will be so kind, please consider the merits of my idea of removing the washer fluid tank so I can get the job done. It doesn't harm you, me, or the vehicle if I spend an extra couple of hours doing the job. I'm not on the clock here, but I WOULD like to get the job done before Thursday of this week, please. In which case, if I still can't get the nut off with the 16 mm fitting wrench, I will need to move the fuse block, and remove the cross-brace and washer fluid bottle to finally gain access.

I will need help un-mounting and moving the fuse block, since the last time I tried I couldn't find all of the fasteners, or something was preventing it from letting go of it's mounts.

Thank you.

Mike


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

May 22, 2016, 6:31 PM

Post #6 of 12 (1724 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

You do it any way you want but I've done a number of these and removing the line is not that hard if you unclamp it from the block.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

May 23, 2016, 12:10 AM

Post #7 of 12 (1715 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

mdevour : Side note on tools. Metric sets frequently will lack 5.5mm, 16mm and 18mm. Both sockets and wrench sets so you do buy those if you want the whole real set - lousy game they play. FYI - there are NO SAE sizes that work for 16mm or 18mm but do for 5.5mm = 7/32, 8mm = 5/16th and 19mm = 3/4. That ends there.


HT said this doesn't require it for this and I believe that. Only point is that tools and sizes are a wild game usually needing two of each size and sometimes short, long, 6, 12 point, flare nut sizes of each. Doesn't make it easy for assorted things that would be routine if you had them all to get to one silly clip properly,


T



mdevour
User

May 23, 2016, 11:15 AM

Post #8 of 12 (1699 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

Thank you Tom. Yep, I just had to "complete" the set of flare nut wrenches I bought the other day by buying a 16/18mm.

I finally succeeded in actually getting the wrench ON the fitting. However, the only orientation of the wrench that allows that does not allow me to actually turn the nut. Flip it to go for the next 15 degrees? Sorry, no chance. Too close to the washer bottle.

I suppose I can take a grinder to it and remove the other end of the wrench to make it shorter...

But I'd STILL just as soon take the time to move the fuse block and take out the washer bottle.

HT mentioned that there are supposed to be a metal clip (which I found easily) and seemed to suggest there was another clamp of some sort holding the lines, and releasing them should allow the pump to move enough for better access. I asked for more detail on the location of that second clamp, but with no reply yet. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding him.

I'm about to start working on the fuse block. If I get stuck again and I have to ask for help elsewhere to proceed, I will do so.

Mike


(This post was edited by mdevour on May 23, 2016, 11:25 AM)


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

May 23, 2016, 2:07 PM

Post #9 of 12 (1692 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

Just follow the lines down and see where they are clamped



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Discretesignals profile image

May 23, 2016, 5:39 PM

Post #10 of 12 (1687 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

Did you remove the power steering pump pulley? If you remove the pulley, you'll easily be able to unscrew the power steering pressure line fitting. You need a special tool to remove and install the pulley.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.


mdevour
User

May 28, 2016, 3:56 PM

Post #11 of 12 (1644 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  


In Reply To
Just follow the lines down and see where they are clamped


Okay, managed to finish this up today, I hope...

The only clamp is the metal clip. Down below, the hard tubing transitions directly to hoses which are attached to the rack. No other clamping arrangement to be seen.

What finally did the trick was using a 16mm open end wrench rather than a flare nut wrench on the high pressure fitting. This let me tilt the wrench up or down relative to the fitting to find some swing room. With a flare nut wrench I was stuck with only one or two angles, all of which ran into the washer bottle or other obstacles.

While the pump was off, I used a hand vacuum pump to suck as much fluid as possible from the return line, cycling the wheels lock-to-lock while pulling a vacuum.

Swapped the pulley across while on the bench using the custom puller borrowed from the store.

Getting the pump back on was almost as tedious as getting it off. Mating the hose and getting the spring clamp in place being the hardest part. Changed the o-ring on the HP fitting and reconnected it with little difficulty.

Once everything was back together and the reservoir filled, I cycled the wheels and refilled the tank until the level stabilized with the engine off. Then I drew a vacuum and cycled them some more. Finally, running under vacuum seemed to get the last of the bubbles out. Once I relieved the vacuum, what noise there was in the pump quieted down to where it's almost, but not completely silent.

I hope that's good enough!

I have wheel bearing questions next... for another post.

Mike

(This post was edited by mdevour on May 28, 2016, 3:58 PM)


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

May 28, 2016, 4:13 PM

Post #12 of 12 (1638 views)
  post locked   Re: '04 Rendezvous Steering pump replacement  

Nobody said this stuff was easy. Glad you finally got the best of it.

Closing question now.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.







  Email This Post
 
 


Feed Button




Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap