VW B5 Passat Power Steering Pump Replacement.
Jennifer’s power steering pump has been acting up ever since she was in an accident and the steering fluid reservoir was broken. The damage may have been caused by the pump running dry or by having the wrong fluid put back in after the bottle was replaced.
To replace the pump, we began by flushing the system. I disconnected the return hose and placed it in a bottle. I then poured in the new fluid while Jennifer started and stopped the motor and turned the steering wheel. After almost a quart was poured in, the fluid coming back looked clear and green like the new fluid. Next, we disconnected the other hose and removed the bottle for a thorough cleaning.
To access the power steering pump on the 2.8 V6, the coil pack has to be removed as the pump sits right under it. We had already marked the wires from the coil pack replacement done a few weeks ago.
I discovered that with a long ratchet and a 17mm socket, I could loosen the belt tensioner without placing the car in service position. This saved a lot of time.
With belt off, I used a strap wrench to hold the pulley while removing the three hex head bolts that hold the pulley to the pump. Next, I removed the bolts that hold the power steering pump bracket to the engine. Leave the pump to bracket bolts in place until the bracket is off the engine. Also, loosen the banjo bolt before removing the bracket bolts.
With the pump and bracket off the engine, you can separate the two parts and swap in the new pump. I filled the new pump with fluid and placed it back on the engine.
The shop manual says to always replace the crush washers at the banjo bolt. We had a very difficult time finding any in town and the new pump did not come with them. I ended up using one 16mm copper washer and reusing one of the aluminum washers. It is leak free for the moment.
Once it was all back together, I filled the system with the proper fluid. It is called Pentosin and was in stock at our local NAPA store. It comes in a green metal can. It is available cheaper from internet sources.
To bleed the system, we first lifted the car and turned the wheels lock to lock 5 to ten times with engine off. After no more bubbles came out, we started the engine and repeated the turning. After 5 or ten times back and forth, there were no more bubbles and we set topped up the fluid to the mark.
The steering is now back to normal and actually feels smoother than before the accident. Possibly the pump was going bad for a while now.
I just wanted to say that this was very helpful for replacing the power steering pump in my B5 V6. Thank you very much for putting in the time it took to make this post.