SQuatt

HELP!
I have a recurring power steering problem in my 95' A6Q sedan. I had a bad pump (bubbling over at pump) and replaced it sucessfully. A week after instaling this presented itself upon start up power steering pump operates as normal quietly. After a hour of hard drivin' or more, pump emits a whine as a supercharger. Then while turning it sounds as if pump is bad and grinding and straining. Little to moderate steering strain After driving more pump returns back to normal operation, quietly as if nothing is wrong. I have replaced the new pump twice and even replaced new OE belt with old belt for fear of belb being too tight. Any insight? Cooler? Bleeding? Tentioner? Rack?

DMW96A6

Go to a parking lot that has a slope and is wide and steep enough for you to put it in neutral, roll down the parking lot with the engine revved over 2000 RPMs, and turn the steering wheel all of the way left and right several times so that your car is doing a slalom zigzag maneuver. I have used this technique to remove air from the rack in my 96 A6 after I rebuilt it.

It sounds like you might have some air trapped in the system somewhere. There is probably a procedure for bleeding the air but I don't know what it is other than what I mentioned above.

You might also want to try to bleed any air from the system by loosening the fitting on the high pressure line next to the passenger's side (USA) valve cover after the noise begins. I think it takes a 17mm and 19mm wrench to loosen the fitting and you should put a rag underneath it to minimize the mess.

The steering systems are high-pressure/low-flow so it is easy for air to stay trapped in the high pressure line which is the highest point of the system.

One mistake that I have made in the past was to leave a hose pinch clamp on the line that supplies the pump with fluid and it caused the pump to make quite a bit of noise. Make sure that there isn't anything restricting the flow of fluid to the pump such as a pinched hose.

David

Squirt-Tortuga

If you pry against the pump pulley, you're probably irreparably damaging it before it's even run. I have seen this several times.

SQuatt

Thanks man. I did it. I actually jacked the nose up to simulate the same effect. C4 back on track. Thanks guys.