POWER STEERING LEAKS/NOISE REPAIR PROCEDURE OUTLINED. Cadillac Limousine 1987

For 1990-2009 cars

# POWER STEERING LEAKS/NOISE REPAIR PROCEDURE OUTLINED

#### MODELS AFFECTED: 1987 DE VILLE, ELDORADO AND SEVILLE

1987 De Ville, Fleetwood, Eldorado and Seville power steering systems include an adapter which transfers power steering fluid from the return pipe to the fluid reservoir and from the reservoir to the pump inlet. See Figure 1. Some vehicles may experience fluid leakage at the connection between the pump and the adapter or at other adapter ports. Additionally, some cars may exhibit pump cavitation noise due to air entering the system at the adapter.

A revised adapter has been released for production and service and is available from GMSPO (GM Service Parts Operations) using part number 1643653. Adapter details are shown in Figure 2. The new adapter includes a seat protector ring at the pump inlet, as well as other dimensional changes which improve the fit of the adapter-to-pump connection. 1987 model vehicles built after the following breakpoints utilize the new design adapter.

#### Model Broadcast # ----- -----------

De Ville & 246893 Fleetwood

Eldorado 603321

Seville 802611

All adapters include a part number and date code which are molded into the adapter body at the locations shown in Figure 2. The date code includes the following information:

244 6 B

244 = Julian Date 6 = 1986 (Year) B = Shift Code

The date code and part number will be used in the following procedure for identification of suspect parts.

If power steering fluid leakage or pump cavitation noise is encountered, use the following procedure to inspect and repair vehicles.

1. Remove serpentine belt and belt tensioner. Inspect the adapter for leakage from the molded plug area, shown in Figure 2. The plug faces upward in its installed position and should be inspected without removing the adapter from the vehicle. If leakage is noted from this area, the adapter should be replaced with P/N 1643653.

2. Inspect for a gap between the adapter pump inlet port and the pump housing as shown in Figure 3. This gap should not exceed approximately 1.5 mm (0.060") and should be uniform around the circumference of the adapter port. If the gap is uneven or exceeds 1.5 mm (0.060"), see Step 8 below when reassembling the system.

3. Remove the adapter from the car using the following procedure. Refer to Figure 1.

A. Remove as much fluid as possible from the power steering reservoir.

B. Remove the reservoir from the car by removing the two reservoir mounting bolts and carefully disengaging the reservoir tubes from the adapter ports. DO NOT PRY ON THE ADAPTER TO REMOVE RESERVOIR.

C. On Eldorado and Seville, remove the power steering return pipe mounting nut from stud on water pump.

D. Remove both power steering pump mounting bolts. It is not necessary to remove the pulley or pressure pipe fitting from pump.

E. Disengage adapter from the pump iniet port.

F. Remove plastic clip from adapter return pipe port and remove adapter from car.

G. Remove the large (5/8") O-ring from the pump inlet.

4. Check adapter part number and date code. If adapter part number is 1636145 and date code is lower than 2446B, replace adapter with P/N 1643653.

5. Inspect all O-Rings for nicks or cuts. Two O-rings are located in each of the internal adapter ports. See Figure 2. Replace any damaged O-rings. O-rings are available from GMSPO using the following part numbers:

Large (5/8"): 7845176 Small (3/8"): 26001582

These O-rings are made of a special high temperature material which is green in color. Only these special O-rings should be used in this application.

INSPECT ALL NEW O-RINGS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION. DO NOT INSTALL ANY O-RING WHICH IS CUT OR NICKED.

6. Inspect the return pipe end (which is inserted into the adapter during installation) for any roughness, sharp edges or burrs. Remove any rough or sharp edges with emery cloth.

7. Inspect the ID of the return pipe outlet. The pipe opening should be at least 7 mm (9132"), and can be checked by attempting to insert a 1/4" drill bit into the end. The 1/4" drill bit should easity fit into the end of the pipe. If it does not, expand the pipe end opening as required.

8. If adapter P/N 1636145 is being reused and the gap between the adapter pump inlet port and pump housing was greater than 1.5 mm (0.060"), as described in Step I above, install TWO 5/8" O-rings on the adapter pump inlet port. DO NOT INSTALL TWO O-RINGS ON THE NEW DESIGN ADAPTER (P/ N 1643653).

9. Install adapter using the following procedure:

A. Lubricate all adapter ports with petroleum jelly.

B. Install plastic retainer clip at adapter return pipe port and carefully slide adapter onto return pipe.

C. Position adapter pump inlet port in pump housing and reposition pump to allow mounting bolts to be installed. When installing adapter at pump, be extremely careful to prevent O-ring damage. Tighten pump mounting bolts to 25 N.m (18 ft. lbs.).

D. Install reservoir by sliding reservoir tubes into adapter and then install reservoir mounting bolts.

10. On Eldorado and Seville, install return pipe mounting nut on stud near water pump.

11. Install serpentine belt and tensioner.

12. BEFORE STARTING CAR, BLEED STEERING SYSTEM AS DESCRIBED BELOW:

A. Raise front wheels.

B. Fill fluid reservoir to the FULL COLD level.

C. With the engine stopped, SLOWLY turn steering wheel back and forth the left and right stops.

D. Inspect fluid in reservoir. If bubbles appear in the fluid, or if the several times between fluid has a foamy appearance, allow the vehicle to sit until the bubbles are no longer visible.

E. Repeat Steps C and D until no bubbles appear.

Bleeding all air from the steering system BEFORE STARTING THE CAR is extremely important. Air which is suspended in the power steering system will cause the pump to be noisy.

13. Inspect power steering reservoir cap vent holes for blockage. If the vent holes show any sign of blockage, remove foreign material before installing cap.

14. Start car and inspect for leaks and noise. Evaluate system noise levels while turning the steering wheel with the car on the ground both at idle and also at part throttle.

15. If pump noise levels are still unacceptable, it may b e necessary to repair the pump. Extended operation of the P/S pump with air ingestion or low fluid may damage internal pump components. Refer to the appropriate Service Information Manual, Section 3B3, for pump repair information.

For warranty purposes, use operation E8500 at .7 hours for inspection and repair of the power steering adapter.

General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.