Ford 3500 Power Steering Problem

nashranch

Well-known Member
Today i discovered my power steering resevoir was really low on oil and my crankcase was way overfull..at least a quart and maybe more.. that answers why my power steering quit working. So i pulled the PS pump to rebuild. Ordered a rebuild kit from this site.

Can i put Ford 134D hydraulic oil back in the resevoir or should i be buying Power steering to refill it with?

I do also have a 5 gallon pail of 303 hydraulic oil.

Which is the best?
 

Pump shaft seals leaking, fairly easy fix, does the kit include the filter, if not get one.

I've never used power steering fluid, 134D is the recommended oil.
Check the label on the 303, I think it's compatible with 134D.
 
Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think 134D is it.
Be sure to check pump end plates for wear & scoring, and the pump shaft for a groove worn in it by the seal. Latter is what happened to ours,
ate the first seals I put in it. Took shaft to a precision machine shop & they built that section up with an ultra-hard flame-sprayed ceramic,
then milled & polished to a mirror finish. Was pricey ($160) but has held up. The end plate wear will eventually get me, though. Btw, this
shop wouldn't do weld & mill on the shafts like this because the welding will tend to hotdog the shaft into a curve.
 
(quoted from post at 20:18:28 06/26/17)
Pump shaft seals leaking, fairly easy fix, does the kit include the filter, if not get one.

I've never used power steering fluid, 134D is the recommended oil.
Check the label on the 303, I think it's compatible with 134D.

Yep very easy fix for sure. The seal is definitely worn out and leaking into the engine. Any oil i pu
t back in there will be better than nothing
 
Can i put Ford 134D hydraulic oil back in the resevoir or should i be buying Power steering to refill it with?

I do also have a 5 gallon pail of 303 hydraulic oil.

Which is the best?

The current recommendation is Ford/New Holland M2CC134D.

303 was originally an older JD spec, and that spec does not meet the 134D spec, but there are many third party fluids out there that call themselves "303" that have different qualities. Most of them do exceed the original JD 303 spec and do actually meet or exceed the 134D spec, but check the label on yours to be sure that it does say that it meets or exceeds the Ford/New Holland M2C134D specification before using it anywhere in your 3500, except maybe the loader/backhoe hydraulic sump.
 

Today I rec'd the power steering rebuild kit. It was easy as I expected. Got it all put back on tractor. Filled resevoir with 303 tractor fluid. The steering turns easy to the left but real hard to right. Do I have to bleed the air outta the system? I did lower the bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground. It steers easily both directions that way. I turned the wheel back and forth a bunch of times. No help

Any help would be appreciated
 
Ya got me on this one. Is there a bleed screw? I even took the filter out and tried it. No help there. i can stick my hand down in the resevoir when running and feel suction on the bottom side outlet so i assume the pump is circulating fluid ok.

Any help would be appreciated
 
No bleed screw, nor any need to bleed. Turning the steering wheel from full stop left to full stop right back and forth several times will get all of the air out of the lines and cylinders. Turning hard in only one direction on that style power steering usually indicates that either the external linkage for the control valve (valve located inside the rearward end of the steering cylinder) is out of adjustment, or that there is an internal leak in the control valve itself. Since it turns easy in both directions with the front wheels up in the air, my guess would be a bad seal inside the valve.
 
Thanks Sean...i will check that out today..In the rebuild kit i got xtra shaft seals that are all the same. I used one in the pump.i may have screwed up in rebuilding the pump cuz i didn't take the alum. knobs loose on the rear of the pump. Not sure what's in there
a164675.jpg

a164676.jpg

a164677.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 07:49:03 07/03/17) Thanks Sean...i will check that out today..In the rebuild kit i got xtra shaft seals that are all the same. I used one in the pump.i may have screwed up in rebuilding the pump cuz i didn't take the alum. knobs loose on the rear of the pump. Not sure what's in there
a164675.jpg

a164676.jpg

a164677.jpg

Just had the steering cylinder off to check it out...it looked good..I worked the ram rod back and forth and it squirted oil outta the ports real well. No leaks at the rod seal. Put it all back together and refilled resevoir. Started tractor up and still no steering so raised front end up to take weight off wheels and it cranks back and forth real good. cranked to left extreme and the right a bunch of times.Let it back down on wheels and still no power steering. I don't get it, i can see oil churning around in resevoir. One note is it used to turn easy to the left but not to the right, now nothing either way...HELP!!
 
Good thing that you posted pictures this time or we would have been going around and around. That tag that says ANADOLU on the cylinder says that it is not a factory power steering system. It is an aftermarket power steering system, which I believe is made in Turkey. I am not familiar with those systems, so I will bow out and hopefully someone more knowledgeable with them will step up and assist you.
 
(quoted from post at 17:53:49 07/03/17) Good thing that you posted pictures this time or we would have been going around and around. That tag that says ANADOLU on the cylinder says that it is not a factory power steering system. It is an aftermarket power steering system, which I believe is made in Turkey. I am not familiar with those systems, so I will bow out and hopefully someone more knowledgeable with them will step up and assist you.

Nobody has stepped up yet to assist me in fixing this problem. Yesterday i had the pump off again to check out. All looks good with the o-rings,gears and the valving inside the alum. caps.
Put it back on tractor and still nothing. Now i have steering cylinder off and am checking it out. It seems to work good with air pressure.
 

Don't know anything about that particular cylinder but it looks similar to the ones that came on older 4000's.
The control valve is made onto the end of the cylinder and is shifted by the drag link, not sure what that bolt sticking out the end is for, appears to be a stop bolt for something. A better pic of that part of the cylinder may help.
If the control valve isn't shifting when you turn the wheel you won't have any power steering.
 
(quoted from post at 08:50:53 07/06/17)
Don't know anything about that particular cylinder but it looks similar to the ones that came on older 4000's.
The control valve is made onto the end of the cylinder and is shifted by the drag link, not sure what that bolt sticking out the end is for, appears to be a stop bolt for something. A better pic of that part of the cylinder may help.
If the control valve isn't shifting when you turn the wheel you won't have any power steering.

Here's acouple pics. .. The drag link is working good
244.jpg
245.jpg
 

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