VR Power Steering leak

[67wogval]

Hi i have a vr berlina v6, and the power steering reservoir is leaking on the bottom from where u fill it up. Is there a way of taking this reservoir off, because i think there must be a way of changing the seal from where the reservoir meets the pump. If anyone can give me any advice it will be appreciated, thanks.

[Brett_jjj]

The power steering fluid reservoir just pushes into the pump,there is a seal in there .You should be able to pull the reservoir out of the pump body easily enough.The pump has to be removed from the engine first though.

[67wogval]

ok thanks for the reply, any other handy tips i need to know, im more then capable of doing the job myself, just haven`t done it before.

[woteva]

There is 1 bolt securing the resi to to top of the pump. It is only an o-ring in there. Look at the rear of the resi for the 1 bolt holding it down.

[67wogval]

okay no worries, think i`ve seen the bolt your talking about, so do you agree also in saying the pump has to come of as well to get the reservoir of?

[Brett_jjj]

You might be able to get the reservoir off without removing the pump itself,we had changed pumps and used the old reservoir on a new pump and I cant remember if we had to remove it to first to get it off or not.If theres a bolt at the back,undo it,the reservoir might just come straight out.If not, it is not that hard to remove anyway.

[Brett_jjj]

Just had a look at a workshop manual,and it says to remove the reservoir mounting bolts,then remove the reservoir and discard the o-ring.Then remove the pump from the engine.So the pump does not have to be removed from the engine first.Sorry about the bad info I gave you earlier about having to remove the pump first.It has been a while since we did it.

[67wogval]

Ok thanks for that brett, sounds easy to do. I just wasn`t sure as i dont have a work shop manual. But thanks for making things easy for me, i might even attemp to do it today, i`ll let u know how i go.

[v6lux]

The O-RING is a special thickness type, usually only easily available from Holden Parts, DO NOT attempt to use a standard thickness O-Ring!

You WILL need to remove the front pully to get to one of the res bolts, 5/16" or 7 mm socket I think, (not sure on size) with long extension. You can get to the other two before you start to confirm actual size.

First you will need to loosen only, the 4 pulley bolts with 10 mm 6 sided socket or ring and possibly a 10 MM (or 8 mm, not sure) allen key socket in centre, to stop it turning.

Then remove the drive belt, 18 mm ring spanner on tensioner, pull it to left (draw picture where belt goes before removing it).

Then remove pully bolts and you will see the hidden res bolt.

Get some rags and a long clear tube and siphon all the oil out you can get to or have a big cup or bowl to catch the oil. This is a very messy job!

BE EXTREMELY CAREFULL when removing SIDE HOSE attached to res. It is brittle plastic and will snap easy. Be sure you know where to get another before attempting this in case you break it off. Have a second car available too, because you will be going nowhere, without doing damage, if you break it.

Be sure to clean O-Ring seating surfaces well and reverse to put all back, except, tighten Steer Pump pulley best you can before replacing drive belt.

DO NOT over-tighten the 3 res bolts, as the alloy thread on bracket can strip easy!

[v6lux]

do you agree also in saying the pump has to come of as well to get the reservoir of?

I would say NO, because I have done it twice on different VRs.

You may find the pump internal O-RINGS may have failed. They go hard and crack, the pump does come off in this case. (2 more 17 mm bolts and a 15 mm nut, plus hose to deal with) I have done this job twice as well on different pumps.

I don't know what this 1 res bolt thing is about, as mentioned above, with the VR steering pump, because all of mine have had 3 res bolts. Perhaps some people don't bother replacing them all!

[chrisdoesitbetter]

the pump can stay on, and there are 3 bolts secruing the resorvior to the pump. take of the pulley and the lo pressure side and withdraw it from the pump. DO NOT buy the "genuine" holden o ring, they slugged me $13 and it made the leak worse. go to sprints or similiar and buy a complete re-seal kit for about $17. i know because i did this last weekend

[v6lux]

go to sprints or similiar and buy a complete re-seal kit for about $17

Excellent advice. I wish I knew this when I did mine. Holden wanted about $70 for a complete kit!

[childsy_1985]

Is the leaking power stearing a common problem in VR's? because mine has the same problem

[67wogval]

hmm all conflicting advice here lol, think i`ll order the re-seal kit then through auto-barn or something, then i`ll see if i can get the reservoir of first with out removing the pump. Cheers everyone

[TheForgotten]

Is the leaking power stearing a common problem in VR's? because mine has the same problem

yep it is common. the pump shaft seal dying is rare though, and from what i've heard requires use of a press to remove/replace. "rebuilds" are really just replacing a few o-rings, dead easy if you just take your time and pay attention. hardest part of the whole operation is removing/refitting the housing end/circlip

yes you can remove the res without removing the pump from the engine, but you do need to remove the pulley which as stated is 4 bolts

[chrisdoesitbetter]

Excellent advice. I wish I knew this when I did mine. Holden wanted about $70 for a complete kit!

i always thought holden were genuine people, but lately everyone who has been through them for parts have just been rogued! oh btw lol the o-ring they gave me for the resorvior was the wrong one...even though they were positive it was first as it was the only one in their system!

[chrisdoesitbetter]

Is the leaking power stearing a common problem in VR's? because mine has the same problem

as far as i know the resorvior is a common problem, but the pumps are usually pretty good as long as you dont thrash them

[chrisdoesitbetter]

hmm all conflicting advice here lol, think i`ll order the re-seal kit then through auto-barn or something, then i`ll see if i can get the reservoir of first with out removing the pump. Cheers everyone

i did this last week, i got the kit from repco, and replaced the resoirvor o-ring whilst the pump was in the car.

1: with the serpentine belt still on, remove the pulley bolts. they shoudl come of without too much trouble just use your ratchet as if it was an "impact" rachet lol.
2nce the pulley is off, there are 3 bolts holding the resorvior on the pump. remove them but leave the resorvior on.
3: grab a container to catch the fluid.
4: loosen and disconnect the lo pressure line for the resvoir. to prevent it breaking twist it back and forth gently to unseal it then with the same motion pull it off whilst holding a container to prevent messy spills.
5yphon fluid out of the resorvoir, or if you dont like the taste of atf, just pull the res out of the pump and quickly put it over the container. the o-ring will probably stay in the pump so pull it out.
6: once out cover the hose and the pump entry where the res was sitting.
7:inspect the res for other leaks/ damage.
8:wipe clean the pump and all surroundings to make it easier to spot any leaks in future.
9:install res with new o-ring ensuring that its sitting flush, the resorvoir should be a tight fit compared to when it came out.
10: installation is reversal of removal.

[67wogval]

Got my repair kit from repco for $17 as well, might not attempt to do it today as the misses needs the car 2morrow. Im thinking on Friday i`ll give it a go so that way i have the w/end. Whats the deal with possibly having to get a seal pressed in, even the guy at repco mentioned i may need to do this. What seal is he talking about? Is it in the pump itself?

[TheForgotten]

yep it's inside the pump housing. the front shaft seal. you'll know it when you see it, but being that they rarely die i wouldn't worry. i didn't do mine when i did my pump 3 years ago and it hasn't been an issue

EDIT: this might help dude, it's a printout of the pump in exploded view i got from holden when i did mine. press-fit seal is part number 2

[67wogval]

Ok thanks, well its not leaking from the front of the pump, its obviously leaking from the bottom of the reservoir to the pump itself. So i wont worry about the pressed seal either then, the leak is that bad as soon as you fill it up, dont start the car or anything and it basically pours straight out again.

[TheForgotten]

ummm yeah that's pretty bad. replacing that seal is a 5 minute job, might even consider replacing that asap even if you don't do the pump internal seals

[chrisdoesitbetter]

yeah mine took about a week, but it just made everything so messy. i suggest changing the o-ring on the res for now as an interim measure and then when you get a day do the whole pump

[chrisdoesitbetter]

oh a vitally important part i missed in the how to, dont forget to bleed the power steering system. to do this:

fill up the resorvior
jack up the fron of vehicle so both wheels clear the ground and can easily reach full lock
with the engine off turn the steering wheel left to right lock several tiimes.
remember to check the level frequently and top up accordingly
now start the car and do the same

best results may take time, after bleeding my system it wasnt quiet til the next day

[v6lux]

As I stated before, you might still have a leak from the internal O-rings after res o-ring replacement if your pump has never been done before. But it's always better value if you do the easiest things first.

In the diagram above, the two number 8s are the internal o-rings. Once these are replaced, you should have no more issues, providing you do it right - for another 5 - 10 years. Part 3, the pump body has a hole near the rear that assists in removal and replacement of the Circlip - 18. You can start by pushing in the domed rear plate against an internal spring - 16, then if still intact the original paint seal is cracked and the plate will move in, a very small screw driver can then be inserted to push the Circlip out.

For install, hold the plate in with the small screw driver in the hole whilst you deal with the circlip.

If you understand what I am saying, you will find how easy this job is. For the pumps I have replaced the internal o-rings, I didn't do the shaft seal. One was about 8 years ago and still no probs!