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1988
Merkur
XR4Ti
2.3 turbo
205k miles

Hello all,

I recently installed a remanned Cardone power steering pump in my Merkur. This is the standard Ford CII steering pump that was used for a long time. The rack and return lines are less than a year old. The feed line is probably about ~5 years old. The previous pump was original and making 'some' noise that was unable to be resolved by fluid flushing and it had high mileage. Upon startup the new pump whines (like there is air, low on fluid) whenever the wheel is turned. It is hard to tell whether the noise is there while it is stationary idle. I vacuum bled the system 10-15in while idling, rotating the wheel, with only limited success, bubbles did rise from the reservoir but the noise did not improve at all. I have driven the car about 10-15 miles since the install and that has not helped the noise either, it is still louder than the old pump was. Any ideas before I try to get a replacement.

Thanks

You really need to just ignore it for a while. Most every one of those Ford pumps I ever purchased had a notice packed right in the box with it saying it will be noisy for around 500 miles. You also need to give the aerated fluid time for all the air to separate and rise to the top. that will happen on it's own.

Thanks for your reply. I was concerned that I was going to ruin the pump driving it like that. I will give it some time and check the fluid level often.