Mike might live in the Sunshine state now, but you can hear that Texas raisin' comin' through. "Squallerin sound"? I love it!

One more thing I would add to the power steering pump saga. After getting a good pump and getting the belt tension correct as they said, don't use ATF for fluid. Go to your local parts store and get some of the oil marked "Power Steering Fluid". Modern ATF has additives that are good for transmissions and not good for the seals in your power steering. The Power Steering Fluid is a little more expensive than ATF, but it will save your pump. Been there, done that, and lost a pump because of it.

The original pump on my 240D made it past the half million mile mark though, so it don't think of it as a chincy (see my Texan is comin' through too) item. And as Benzmac said, I got a used pump.

Good luck,

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Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles