ledzepp2994

so my breaks are hard for the first couple times i press them usually...as in no power assist. none of the warning lights come on or anything, but then its all back to normal no issues. yesterday I got back from a short 1 mile drive and figured i should check fluid levels because it had been a while...when i opened the PS. it was steaming and very frothy...the pump has been leaking a little for a while. every now and then the steering gets heavy...but the break pedal being hard started after i replaced the break lines a week or two back.

thoughts?

Lucas

yodasfro

Your leaking pump and possibly hoses are drawing air into the hydraulic system causing what is known as a pentosin volcano. Fix the leaks and the problem should go away.

yota-toy

Pentosin Volcano, haha, I like that and you're right, air will cause the foam. If too much air is drawn through the pump it may be warn beyond repair however if the problem comes and goes you may just have a bad suction hose.

oh, and change the fluid. drain the resevoir, refill and drain 2 to 3 times following the repair

ledzepp2994

Yeah I have dealt with bad pumps and foam/bubbles/leaks...this was steaming though. which has me confused. i opened the cap and vapor came out.

yota-toy

hard brake pedal indicates a warped master cyl. (they also hang up and self apply). I wonder if you have a collapsed suction line. pump would starve for oil and def. overheat.

ledzepp2994

I will have to go look for a collapsed line. The thing that gets me is the breaks work fine after maybe 1 min of driving. and will work even if i shut the car off and go do something for half an hour then get back in. which if the master cylinder were warped wouldn't it be stiff more random/at any point in driving.

i dont know. think im going to rebuild the whole engine this summer anyway so ill rebuild the pump/new lines maybe and see if that helps.

lucas

yota-toy

possibly, mine would begin acting up at the same place on my drive home. I tossed a damp rag over it one day and made it home without any symptoms. I guess somtimes they feel weak also. all 3 of the 5ks I've put on the road I've had to replace the masters (and ISVs).
Now as far as the steering fluid is concerned, was its above temp or misty from frothing in the reservoir? For that oil to boil it would have to be well above 300 degrees. Do you have steering noise or whine? Are you using Pentosin or ATF?
Did you drain and fill yet. I did this for a customer with a Volvo V70 with 254k. Fluid had never been changed. It was noisy and foamy with lots of metal in it from the worn steering parts. Changed fluid and the noise went away.