power steering stop leak?

That stuff probally has some Shellac in it, to swell up the seals.It most likely won't work long time.

Lucas brand is pretty good but fixing the problem is always better than anything that comes in a bottle.

There is a downside to owning a damn Chevrolet. I had something like this and first replaced a weepy hose. Then, the power steering pump failed miserably. I rebuilt it. It lasted til I got out of the rest room.

Try stopleak if you will. I think that, eventually, you will have to fix this POS>/

Gee, you sound bitter. When's the last time you even owned a Chevy? Why would you try - and fail - to rebuild something like a Chevy PS pump when you can pick up a rebuilt with a 3 year warranty for 50-75 bucks at the parts store? This is a tech group here. We're supposed to understand our cars, and outsmart them. If you can't outsmart a Chevy, you probably did right buying that Toyota. Anyway, the real answer for the OP is to just put some regular PS fluid in to get it to operating level. Maybe a cup or 2. Then check it every year instead of every 2 years. It will make noise and give you plenty of warning before it fails. I would rather just replace a bad pump than have crap running through my rack. It's an easy job replacing the pump, no more than an hour if you're good with wrenches. You need to borrow a pulley puller from the auto parts store if you don't have one. My son has replaced 2 of them on our old Chevys, both Corsicas, a '90 and '93, and replaced the one on my '93 Grand Am. All high mileage cars. My '88 Celebrity pump was replaced under warranty at about 33k, and was still on it at 190k. My '97 Lumina has the original with +170k. I've had 4 other high-mile Chevys with no PS pump problems, including an '85 Cav. I've heard 2 failure modes. The Chevys started whining/groaning. The Grand Am just knocked and sounded like a bad wrist pin. Only time I was happy to replace a PS pump. PS and water pumps, and alternators are pretty commonly replacements with the GM cars I've had. None ever stranded me, and all gave me plenty of warning. Always cheap and fast to replace.

it's a short term fix, but not good for the long term. it works by swelling the seal polymers, but unfortunately that means they also soften and wear quicker.

best to just refill as said by others, try and identify and fix any leaks, and keep an eye on it for the time being.

It has been a while, admittedly. The car was a couple of years old and low mileage. For some reason, a rebuilt was not available at the time, so I bought the parts and rebuilt it. The leak was at the shaft, but there was no sign of scoring or excess wear, but the leak recurred very shortly thereafter. I ended up having to buy a brand new unit, which was a lot more than $75.

Yes, I agree with you, if you want trouble free performance, buy a Toyota.

The prices on replacement parts are pretty reasonable. I couldn't believe some of the price on some parts - they seemed too low. A few days ago, while at a mall lot, I parked next to an 84 Cavalier that I used to own. I was surprised to see it cause I sold it to some college kids over a decade ago. I can recognize it from the front fascia being pushed in on the sides. My wife ran into a car which them rammed the two cars in front of it. She said the car in the middle looked like an accordion.

Oddly enough, there wasn't that much damage to the Chevy. I replaced a headlight and bought a bumper complete with energy absorbing struts from a junkyard and did a little prying of the sheet metal and the car ran and looked fine. The bumper system worked pretty good: the turn signal lamp on the bumper had the filament support bent 90 degrees but one of the headlamps still worked.

Some parts prices are quite reasonable, and the quality can be very good.

Dealerships still tend to be a bit pricey. I tried to buy some strut cartridges from a dealership here, and the price was over $129.00 each. The parts man then told me that I could go to NAPA and buy the VERY SAME cartridges for about $30 each. Which I did.

On the power steering pump, I think the dealership price was a couple hundred bucks. My FLAPS buddy bought it for me and, with his discount, I got it for substantially less.

I realized how much time I had wasted with the re-sealing, time, parts, etc, and - had I known what a hopeless case it was - would have gone that way first.

Thanks to all who replied. I used the straight stuff.

(Embarassing disclosure: Since buying the car (2 yrs ago), it's occasionally had a short 'clashing gears' noise, right after starting. It sounded like when you hit the starter with the engine already running. I'd thought the starter was having trouble disengaging from the ring gear, and I'd have to replace the starter in a while. But, since adding the P/S fluid ... no more noise. Oops.

Maybe I need to check it more than every 2 yrs.)

George

You don't know what gives until an accident. A woman taile-ended my wife's '85 Cav, and it did some damage to her, end, but not a scratch on the Cav. I was careless once on a right turn from the highway, thinking the guy in front of me had gone. Smacked the tail of his Taurus with my Celebrity, giving it a good thump. We got out, and he didn't have a scratch. Partially collapsed one of the bumper shock mounts on my Celebrity, and my bumper was pushed in a bit on one side. Of course I apologized, but the Ford guy just looked back and forth from my car to his with a smirk on his face. BFD. That's okay, I was happy he had no damage for my insurance to pay.

Body parts are especially cheap at boneyards. I helped my son (mostly kept him company in the garage) put our '93 Berretta and his '93 Corsica back together after he totaled them. Half the cost for parts that the insurance company paid for the total Even color matched. Hoods, fenders, grillwork, etc. But he's "really" good at that. I couldn't do it. My main contribution was encouraging him in rough spots - sometimes. I was mostly hands off after teaching him simple wrenching early. He was only 16 when he smashed up his Corsica, and my wife told me he was in the garage crying. I usually stayed out of there because I was pissed at how he and her had messed it up. I like an organized garage. I only let that happen because he had taken over all the routine maintenance on our cars, and I was working long hours. Anyway, the frame members in the engine compartment were bent up from the radiator getting caved in, and he was frustrated and losing confidence. Winter time, unheated garage. I really felt he should junk that car, but it was his first and he loved it. So I took him to Ace and we bought some angle iron, then to Big Lots and bought some big, cheap Chinese C-clamps. Spent maybe 50 bucks. Straightened everything with that.

About a year later he converted the auto to a Getrag floor stick with all boneyard parts. He didn't tell me what he was doing until he was almost done. Why would he do all that work on a '93 Corsica? I'll never know, because I'm me and he's him. Anyway, he only got half a mile from the house before a half-shaft came out. Once again he was tearful, frustrated and not enough money to get the car towed. I picked up the tow, and told him he just needed to talk to a half-shaft pro, and looked one up for him. He went over there, and that guy fixed him right up with the exact length half-shaft he needed dirt cheap. He learned from that. After that, nothing stops him. I admire him for his wrenching abilities and tenacity. I rebuilt a couple engines when I was young, singlehanded, but wouldn't tackle some of the stuff he's done. He just loves this shit. I only used to "like" it.

Back to Chevys. The latest I owned is my '97, and since my son does most the work on them now and makes everything look easy, I might have my head up in the clouds a bit. A Chevy never stranded me. But if some lady asks me what car she should buy, I just tell her to buy a Corolla. Because I know those "little" 50, 100, and 200 buck jobs my son does in the time it takes to drink a beer or two, will cost her 250, 500, and 1000 bucks, put her car down in a shop, and make her life miserable. She probably won't get them done when they should be done, and just compound her misery, and blame it all on GM. Best for her to get a Corolla.

The '85 Cavalier wasn't a good car, just cheap for me to operate. I had to do the water pump, heater core, fuel pump and ECU. Door hardware was crap too. But I paid only $900 for it and we drove it for 10 years. I never liked the Beretta at all, Wife and son pushed me to buy it because it was "pretty." It was on the street with a for sale sign. Paid $1500, and it was a second car for about 8 years, except for a couple years a daughter used it for college commuting. The son of the old guy I bought it from had used it for that too. He kept the maintenance book, and I saw they spent a *lot* of money on repairs. But it never gave me any trouble at all, except maybe an alternator.

The TCC went out on both Corsicas (and my '93 Grand Am.) Just unplugged them, since they're only fit for local driving anyway. I always have a bigger Chevy for my highway trips. Only took a Corsica, the 2.2 , on a couple "long" trips, 600 miles. My ass was hurting after 150 miles. None of the small Chevys I've had are good for long road trips. Seats aren't made for it. The Grand Am has good seats though. Have to keep resisting my son telling me he wants to fix the TCC on the Grand Am. Like I say, he just loves wrenching. I don't like the Grand Am either, for the same reason I didn't like the Beretta. 2-doors, with big honking doors you can't swing open in a parking lot.

Anyway, I don't tell anybody they should buy a Chevy. But they worked for me, and I know quite a bit about them pre-98. No big deal now with the internet, but I used to talk to pro mechs before I bought a car. Got steered straight. Always got them used, and steeply discounted because of rampant anti-GM sentiments in the marketplace. Women don't seem to care much about brands. The daughter who was driving the Beretta was happy with that. A year after she became a school teacher she took a $30k note for a new Japanese SUV. She never asked me what to buy, because she knows I'll point her at a 7 year-old Chevy. I owned a mess of cars in the past 46 years, and haven't spent close to that buying all of them. Only had 2 small notes, paid off quick. And I get what HLS said that a PS pump can be costly. I saw something like $450 for the Celebrity pump on the invoice for the warranty work. But I've never paid more than about 50 bucks for the couple I've done. So when he slags Chevys on a tech group, instead of talking about how to fix them, well hell, excuse me. I fully expect to get another late model Chevy in the next few years, because my Lumina is rusting. If I do my homework, it'll be a good buy for a reliable car. Probably a Malibu or Impala. There's always going to be a steep discount on GM cars while guys like HLS are around. That's how it works. And I take advantage of it. Because I'm a stone cheapskate with cars. That's how I retired early. Chevys.

You pay shit prices for shit products.

You are a good guy to help your son like that. I have done it with my sons and my daughter.. This builds confidence, no matter what else happens. Heck, they dont know what to do when they have bought or inherited a POS.. You and I help them work it out.

If your comment about me was intended as an insult, I can take the heat.

I have been in this a long time, and have suffered under the shit that GM produced.. I dont any longer. Toyota is not the master of the world, BUT GM, before and after bailout, really didnt care a lot about its customers.

Take care of your children and your wife.. Nothing is more important.. And, you never want to send them out on the highway with something that will leave them stranded, or that will break and kill them, or that will put them in any situation that will cause them undue worry or harm.

I guess that sooner or later most of us learn about this time vs money vs hassle thing.

Some of the best times I've ever had, some of the most interesting people I've ever met, and some of the weirdest sex I've ever had were all the result of having broken down on the highway in some POS automobile or motorcycle. Life is an adventure and you don't live without taking some risks. Buy an Ural and have fun.

--scott

My father in law will be 100 years old in October. He never traveled much because he was always worried about what would happen if a tire failed, or if the car broke down. I tell him that if it happens, we will stop and fix it, but the point is that he wasted a lot of years being "house bound" when he could have enjoyed a lot of things with his wife.

I am the adventurous one: my wife is definitely not.

Really guy, I never suffered from your misjudgment of cars.

Still can't resist piling on the insults, eh?

That's evident from how you took it up the ass from GM many times. No, I've been fair with you, and didn't insult you. Until now. Let's start with you don't have enough head beans to outsmart a Chevy PS pump replacement. Stick to chemistry and Toyotas that never need fixing. Like I said, I always tell the ladies to buy a Corolla. Old ladies with loads of money should buy an Avalon. Excellent.cars. Less chance of making a bad decision. Solves all their car fixing issues, until something has to be fixed. But whatever needs fixing, it's God's will, not GM's. God is more merciful than GM.

Wah, wah, wah, your crying never stops. Took you a damned long time of "getting screwed" to wise up, and not waste money on what you can't handle. I never caught that affliction either. Can't understand how somebody willingly keeps bending over, again and again. Then keeps whining like a baby about a sore asshole.

What is that, your family version of "You need to change your oil?" I suppose you mean to imply there that all GM cars are "unsafe" and I endanger my family. Only follows, given your GM hatred. You're a real trip, you are. Don't expect me to take any of your car advice seriously. Or anything else for that matter. I demand sanity from those I listen to. You're over the edge. You're a wacko, HLS. Am I the first to let you know? But guys/women like you discounting various cars they couldn't handle mechanically allowed me to retire early. Takes all types to make the world go round. . I'm good with that.

You could do the same hitch hiking, Or just pull over and pretend your car broke down. I know, I know. It just wouldn't be the same.

My wife damaged 3 cars, probably totaling one of them, and didn't get a scratch. Inexplicable.

The Cavalier we had was a good, practical, car. It was easy to drive and

2L pushrod engine was better than most of the OHC engines I've had as far as smooth power and fuel economy goes. The Subaru I had at the same time had a gutless wonder of an OHC engine that never felt right with any of the gears in the manual. The Chevy with an automatic had enough power for my driving and always felt responsive enough and returned 27MPG to boot. The best I could get out of the Subaru as 21-22. I hated that thing!

Different strokes for different strokes. I know nothing, personally, about Suberus. They have a LOT of followers.

I had some GM products that got 33 mpg, between failures.

It was nice to drive for non-hotrodders. We drove ours 90% local streets, but it went well on the highway. Acceleration was borderline for me. Had to more careful than I like when pulling into a street with fast traffic. A trade-off I could live with. The 2L was a workhorse. I never touched it in 10 years except plugs/wires/oil, and after 10 years gave it to a brother. It was badly rusted. He drove it 3-4 years more. Had about 150k miles on it when he junked it. Nearly all city driving. I never checked MPG on it, but it was a gas-miser compared to most else. Last time I saw it my brother drove over from where he lives near the Indiana border, about 30 miles. He had 24' gutters tied to the roof, for my garage. Picture that. I thought that was bad, but a couple years later I advised a workmate to have a truck out to roll getters for him. Later he told me he got them cheaper by picking them at the gutter company, driving them home about 5 miles tied to his car roof.

40' footers. On a K-car. Picture that.

I measured 34 mpg on the Corsica with 2.2 for a 400 mile highway trip, but that's my only measure. Another gas miser, on the highway at least. I measured the '88 Celebrity 2.8 many times on 2500 miles trips.

6 passengers (4 kids), trunk stuffed and riding low, A/C on.. Always 28-29 mpg. '97 Lumina with 3.1 gets 27-28. Both better than what EPA says. I'm a pushrod fan, but might have to go OHC. If I get a Malibu it'll be the Ecotec 4. Rented a 2004 2.2 for a long trip, between the Celebrity and Lumina. Loved it, got 34 highway, and real good off highway. Problem is I don't like the used Malibu prices - too high. I'll have to get HLS to work harder on that. That's easy enough. Haven't priced the used Impalas yet. If they're too high I'll get Nate to work on that. Twist the coverings off some more Impala steering wheels, and have his employer's mechs f*ck up some more rotors. Plenty of help here. Might even be a good place to sell a Vega.