Power Steering issues

[Sandbox Sailor]

OK, on top of being swamped with football (which is now over...) I haven't been on any runs because I am having issues with, what my wife has lovingly named, "the jaloppy". I know I have a rear mainseal leak, and I will address that when I can, but I also have a pretty bad power steering issue. It is leaking enough fluid that if I fill it on Sunday, the pump is whining on Thursday because it is starved for fluid. I think I can see where it is leaking from, but it looks like I have to pull the radiator (or at least move it out of the way...) and yank the pulley off of the pump to tighten ONE FITTING that looks to be loose and the source of my woes. Anybody have any other suggestions, or maybe wanna give me a hand, maybe Sunday, to try and get this corrected so I can get out and play, not to mention stop driving the mom-mobile.

[calvynandhobbs]

It's tight, but you don't have to remove the radiator to get to the power steering pump. I have replaced the pump on my 89XJ. You do have to remove to top valence that goes over the radiator though, which is easy. Let me know when you want to do it and I can try to give you a hand.

Roger

[Sandbox Sailor]

I am not trying to change the whole pump, I just want to tighten the fitting that goes into the top of the power steering pump. I am sure that is where my leak is. But the way the pump is made, you can't get a wrench on it without pulling the pulley off. Can you pull the pulley without pulling the radiator?

[calvynandhobbs]

I'm thinking that there almost has to be room because when I pulled my power steering pump out I disconnected all of my lines and removed the pump and used a bench vise to assist in removing the pulley so I had to have been able to get to the connections. When I leave work today I'll open the hood and take a look at it to see if it jogs any memories of how I did it.

[calvynandhobbs]

I don't know if they changed anything between 89 and 90, but I have a hard line going into the top of my power steering pump with a high nut collar that can be gotten to with a wrench just behind the pulley.

[Sandbox Sailor]

Maybe it changed, but mine is low enough that the body of the pump is in the way of getting a wrench on that nut. The hard line has a hex on it to hold it while you tighten the nut down at the pump. That is almost recessed into the pump, making it all but impossible to get a wrench on with the pulley in place.