changing power steering pump.
 

i tried the search but i could not find any thing relevent to my case!
Any way here goes: my steering wheel on my 90 560 sel is hard to turn and the power steering fluid level slowly drops(under the car). should i replace the PS pump? how do i determine if the pump is bad? if so can some one give me details on how to replace the part, how to re-tension the belts etc....
thanks.

It might not be the pump. It could be the steering gear or one of the hoses. You need to clean everything thoroughly , fill the system and determine where the leak is before replacing parts.

Yep check the hoses first. Mine leaked (albeit slowly) and I replaced them and all is good.

moraine,
If it was a genuine MB part from the dealer (even rebuilt) and it is found to be defective, the dealer will pay the labor for the replacement! It's unbelievable but true. Hope I caught you in time.

-Tom

thanks for all the helpful replys. i will check the hoses thoroughly to look for leaks. also i heard that there is a filter somewhere in the power steering system,where is this located? if it is on my 90 560 sel. the part as far as i know is the orignal powersteering pump and has never been changed.
thanks
Karl

The filter on your 560 is at the very bottom of the power steering resevoir. If original, the filter will be a hard fibrous ring under the steady plate. Replacement filters are a pleated paper design with a steel top that replaces the steady plate.

moraine,
Sorry to hear about your bad experiences w/ MB dealers, I know exactly how you feel because I have to deal with a VW dealer - talk about poor customer service! At least at the MB dealer they schmooze you nicely while they screw up your car! ;)

Think of the free time you'll have instead of having to go back and re-do that tough job you just did! And you have the satisfaction of making MB, in effect, pay for their mistake (the defective part) by costing them the $300 labor they will incur!

Don't know about the warranty; if you ask while at the dealer let me know, I'm curious.

-Tom

That's brilliant! I agree! I think we should call this "the Moraine Quandary"

I see your points and I agree more than my last post indicates. I had free maintenance in the Passat and I did it myself for the reasons you have listed plus avoiding the incompetent VW mechanics.

I love working on the M104 engine, it is a masterpiece of engineering.

-Tom

Moraine,
thanks for the info.

I did my own service after the dealer over filled my oil (by one whole quart) and I called them and the service manager said "No problem, better too much than too little" I called VW they said have it towed to the shop for draining, filling the oil up as it was to 1 inch over the max mark would ruin the turbo...

I suctioned it out and haven't been back.

-Tom