Power Steering Pump Seals: Replacing What’s Necessary

What the Power Steering Pump Seals Do

Over a period of time, the seals of the power steering may get damaged to wear and tear, or if the vehicle is involved in an accident. Hence the vehicle owner will have to purchase Power Steering Pump Seals, to ensure that there is no leakage from the pump, and the power steering will function as desired. The power steering is an important part of every vehicle, since the driver has to apply only a small amount of pressure to steer the vehicle in the desired direction. The power steering system has a pump and has seals to ensure that the fluid does not leak.

When seals have to be replaced

Usually vehicles are supplied with a warranty of a few years, during which the manufacturer will replace any faulty part of the vehicle including the Power-Steering Pump Seals for free. If the vehicle driver, experiences any problem in steering the vehicle, he should check the vehicle thoroughly, to troubleshoot and fix the problem. If there is a problem with the pump of the power steering unit, it is most likely to be a problem with the seals. The seals are subjected to wear and tear, friction, due to which they may develop holes or tears. This can result in leakage of fluid, and they should be replaced at the earliest.

Seals for Vehicle Pumps

The most important part in selecting the Power-Steering Pump-Seals is ensuring that the right pump seal is selected. Most manufacturers will use different types of pumps for their steering system, based on the design of the vehicle, year of manufacture, and capacity of the vehicle. Hence it is important to ensure that the seals for the pump of the power steering are designed to fit the vehicle. The companies selling the pump seals will usually specify the model number the seals should be used for. The seals from specialized seal manufacturers are usually inexpensive compared to the spares sold by the vehicle manufacturer.

Seal Specifications

Most of the spare part manufacturers are selling kits containing multiple Power-Steering Pump-Seals which are required for the pump. These seals are of almost the same material as the seals used in the original vehicle, and dimensions are also matching. Usually only one of the seals of the steering pump may be damaged or leaking the steering fluid, so the pump should be checked to identify the damaged seal which has to be replaced. The other seals should be stored carefully along with other vehicles spare parts, so that they can be retrieved whenever required in future.

Seal Replacement

After the damaged Power Steering Pump-Seals of the pump has been identified, the vehicle owner should decide whether he wishes to replace the seals himself or use the services of a mechanic. If the vehicle owner has the experience in replacing vehicle parts and the required tools, he can do so himself. This will also save some time and money. On the other hand, if the vehicle owner has no experience in repairing his vehicle, it is advisable to use the services of a garage mechanic. The vehicle owner should observe the mechanic replace the seal, so that he can replace the seals in future himself, to save some money.

Have an issue with a power steering shaft seal leaking? Click the link for tips!