Loose Parts in Power Steering Pump

[pjmoreland]

The serpentine belt on my '89 K1500 has been chirping. I replaced the belt, tensioner and alternator so far. I took my power steering pump apart and found some little roller bearings and something that looks maybe like a piece of bearing cage in the bottom of the reservoir. Did these pieces come from my power steering gearbox?

[mongocanfly]

Wow....
Looks kinda like part of a thrust bearing
are those pieces small enough to go thru the hoses?
What did your fluid look like?

[pjmoreland]

They are definitely small enough to go through the hose.

The fluid was dark, but it didn't look particularly glittery.

[kwmech]

Front pulley support bearing? Only real bearing in the pump

[pjmoreland]

I opened up the pump itself by removing the snap ring and big round cover. There were no loose parts inside. The shaft feels stable and rotates smoothly.

I went ahead and ordered a replacement steering gearbox. This one is quite worn anyway. The steering doesn't feel smooth. Regardless of the source of these metal parts, there were several more smaller pieces as well, and I don't want to hook up my new pump to a potentially bad gear box that is going to fill it with metal. The odd thing is that none of the metal pieces made it to the little screen on the pressure relief valve in the pump.

[kwmech]

I'd replace them both just so you do not run the risk of metal contamination throughout the system

[pjmoreland]

For sure. I already installed a new pump last night. Got a rebuilt gearbox and new lines from Napa this morning.

[pjmoreland]

Based on what I see in the following video, the power steering pump shaft rides on a bushing as opposed to a bearing. You can see the bushing at the 9:09 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1LQt9B660M

I guess that means the roller bearings must have traveled up the return line from the gearbox.

[pjmoreland]

I replaced my steering gearbox this evening. Several more metal pieces fell out of the gearbox when I turned it upside down to drain it. Now that I have it removed from the truck, it is obvious that it has issues because it is difficult to turn it. The new gearbox feels like it should.

[mongocanfly]

Wow....that coulda been bad if the steering had locked up you while driving

[pjmoreland]

No kidding! I feel like I dodged a bullet with this one. My wife and her friend took the truck down a windy road into the canyon near our house a couple of weeks ago. That could have been ugly.