# car trivia



## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

So, I'm a bit of a greenhorn when it comes to fixing cars. Actually, quite a greenhorn. anyway, what would you blame if this happened to you:

you're turning around in front of your house, when suddenly your power steering locks up and you can hear an ear-piercing noise? The car is headed straight for your garage so you back in and turn the car off, and open the hood. Smoke is coming from the silver box attached to the valve covers (timing belt holder?).

In fact, this very situation happened to me today. If I have any idea what i'm talking about, then this is what happened: the timing belt (assuming it is where i think it is, in that silver box attached to the valve covers) has torn, or burned, or something. 

That's what i think is wrong, but then i don't know why my steering doesn't work, unless the timing belt controlls that?? no idea. When i start the car, the engine quickly loses power, even if revved, and stalls.

I'm glad it happened in front of my house, and not on the highway where i'd been a few minutes before. But now i don't know what to do. I was hoping some guru could suggest what i should investigate, cause i don't know if some kind of chain reaction went off and wrecked the steering pump as well..

thanks in advance

-Spelch


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

Hmm, sounds like somehow the PS pump got locked up? The Timing belt won't have anything to do with your PS, and if the pump is locked up that might explain the "ear-piercing" noise(belt spinning on a locked pulley) and not being able to turn. Try taking the PS belt off check out the pump.


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

yeah that's possible.. especially since the ps pump is pretty close to the timing cover.. the smoke could just look like it's coming from there.. i'll take a closer look tomorrow
thanks!


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

it's the power steering pump after all. I figure it's taking all the engine's power because of the friction between the belt and the pulley, because the pump is siezed. So, I think im gonna get some new hoses as well.. since they were leaking before. If you know of a good place to get some hoses cheap please pm me.. that'd be awesome cause im kinda broke right now

thanks a bunch

-spelch


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

Wow, looks like that pump is gonna cost ya a pretty penny, right around $200 every place i see it, I'd probably go to a salvage yard for that one, but this site seems to have decent prices on there pressure hoses http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectP...tTypes&SearchFor=Power+Steering+Pressure+Hose
The return hose is just clamped on if I'm not mistaken with those cheap compression spring clamps, so if you wanted to go cheap on that and just get a hose of the same O.D.(outside diameter) and I.D.(inside diameter)designed to carry fluid I can't see a problem in doing that. But here's a link for the return hoses as well http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectP...artTypes&SearchFor=Power+Steering+Return+Hose
Hope the repairs go well!


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

parts america doesn't ship internationally .. i live in alberta 

ill call napa today.. they always seem to have parts for my car for way cheaper than anyone else.


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## kwd2kSE (Jul 9, 2003)

http://www.car-part.com/

If you buy the pump from a salvage yard, maybe the seller will keep the original hoses attached. Might help you out.


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

well i think i might have found the best deal of all. I phoned a parts place today and the guy quoted me $214cdn for the pump, which is good to begin with. then he was like, wait a second is that an 87? it turns out he has an 87, same color, in good shape (great cause the body on my car is kinda shabby) and the steering assembly is still all there, he took the engine out to do a swap but never got time. he said i can have the car for 50 bucks! I just gotta find a way to get it to my house.. the only problem is that he said it was a 1.6 liter, so it mighta been an e16i, in which case I could only use the body parts... but still, this is great!

I'll keep posting about this in case anyone wants anything off the car (headlight assy, mirror, etc) should all be there.


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

Id definitely grab that!


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

yeah, am i ever glad i phoned that guy (so far)!

I figured out what's wrong with my car. I took the steering pump out and it didn't seem like anything was wrong - didn't croak or anything, but then i took the pump all apart and realized that the shaft was bent, and the pump mechanism was missing a vane! Any idea why this could happen? It's almost half an inch thick.. crazy! and I wonder where that vane went..


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

That's nice, it probably got chewed up and cirulated through your PS components before the pump locked up if you can't find it. I've never heard of a PS pump doing anything like this before, it's wierd.


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

minute rice sentra said:


> That's nice, it probably t chewed up and cirulated through your PS components before the pump locked up if you can't find it. I've never heard of a PS pump doing anything like this before, it's wierd.



i have, but usually only for a few reasons:

1) Not enough fluid and the pump heats up causing the vanes to get very hot and flexible, then if it cooled off enough it got brittle and any kind of jolt to it would break it......since it happened when he was making a hard turn could be the pressure back up from the box was enough to shatter the vane

2) Crap in the fluid. Not literally but you know what i mean and its kinda self explanatory

3) bearing failure on the shaft could cause vibration and rubbing causing a chain reaction.



whatever the case, i'd advise you clean through your whole power steering system to make sure you dont have chunks and metal somewhere, like say the box which would be bad


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

I would convert to non-PS if I were in his shoes , but that's personal preference.


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

well, i dont really know how to convert to non PS, but I will tell you that the steering fluid smelled terrible. I'm actually replacing the entire pump assy cause there's a leak in one of the hoses (which in hindsight, could quite possibly be responsible) and i don't want to deal with this again. that pump is buried and really annoying to get out.


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## Spelchy (Jun 24, 1987)

crap. the guy i was talking to had an 87 sentra (e16i) so i don't get that good of a deal... How hard is it to convert to non PS?


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## minute rice sentra (Mar 21, 2003)

I don't know how different the pulsar steering setup is from the sentra setup(i would think they're pretty similar) but here's some useful info in this thread http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?p=417809#post417809
Maybe you should post your question(s) in the E/CA or B11-B12 section, it would probably get more responses there.


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