Best method to install power steering pulley.

[Jerseydevil]

I just got a new power steering pump and pulley. I got the pulley about halfway on with a medium length ratchet( while holding the pulley on a rubber pad by hand). It's on about as far as it is going to go this way. Anyone have a proven method? All I can think of is a bigger ratchet or cheater pipe. Maybe a strap wrench to hold the pulley from turning.
I am using a bolt with 2 nuts and a few washers instead of the "tool" some pulleys come with.
Ps It seems to be on pretty straight but I'm thinking maybe it is cocked a bit and that's why it's so tight.

 

[chase8266]

they mite have a installer at china zone you can rent to do it right,but i have never had to put one on yet,good luck

 

[thegreatjustino]

A decent pulley tool set will have a bearing that you use for installation that makes a world of difference over just a washer. Autozone will rent you a set for free - just put down a deposit and get it back when you return the tool.

I got so tired of the local store having theirs rented out, I just bought a $35 one on Amazon.

 

[Pa PITT]

It's been a while since I did one but I had a good KD brand tool set that I'd done a half dozen then I had one that would not go Until I broke the KD set .
... So I now own a Snap On set It's done several and for some reason it does work better than the KD every did.. But I think it was $140.00 hard to handle ..

 

[Jerseydevil]

Thanks guys, I saw the tool with a bearing online this morning. It is different than the one they give you when you buy some aftermarket pulleys. They come with what looks like a bolt with a thick washer attached to the head. I guess the way I'm doing it transfers so much tourqe to the shaft that I can barely keep it from turning muchless press the pulley on. Thanks again and have a good weekender.

 

[gearida]

I think you can install with washers and without the bearing tool, if your careful of course. It will be tight going on with the tool too. The problem with most homemade tools is due to the harden or grade of bolt causing the threads to pull and ruin the shaft of the pump.

 

[Steve83]

Use 2 washers with EP grease between them, and apply grease to the bolt threads where the nut WILL touch. Use a strap or chain wrench on the pulley, OR use a pipe wrench on the thick steel hub of the pulley. Check the depth frequently - it's a LOT harder to back it off if you go too far.

 

[Jerseydevil]

Thanks guys. I'll try everything y'all suggested and post the results asap.
PS. I see from a diagram that came with the pump, that the head of the bolt tool goes in a vice to hold the pulley from spinning and you turn a nut to press it on. I'll try that methode too.

 

[Jerseydevil]

Rented the tool today from Pepboys. Had the pulley on in about 5 minutes. Had the tool back in under an hour. Whew! What a great invention!

 

[Lloyd]

I went through this last month. I got my PS pulley about 1/2 way on before it got stuck. I broke the "installer" bolt trying to install it. I took it to a mechanic friend of mine who showed me how to do it. After he pulled the stuck pulley off we started over. Get the pulley started on the shaft and the "installer" bolt snug. Put a socket over the end of the bolt and against the front of the pulley and hit it with a hammer. This will loosen pressure on the installer bolt. Snug the bolt again and hit the socket again with a hammer. Stay with this process until the pulley is installed. Don't get the installer bolt too tight or it will lodge the pulley against the pump shaft. This process worked great and I had the pulley on in no time. I didn't even put it in a vice. Hope my instructions were clear enough to understand.

 

[Steve83]

I'm glad it worked for you, but I'd never beat on a PS pump shaft. They aren't built for it.

 

[Lloyd]

The hammer never hits the pump shaft, it hits the end of the socket. The other end of the socket is against the flange of the pulley. You don't pound on it. Just hit it hard enough to take the pressure off the bolt. Then snug the bolt another 1/2 to 3/4 turn and do it again.

 

[Justafordguy]

The right tool make all the difference and they aren't to expensive. I have installed and removed dozens with the kit I have now and it was less than $50.

 

[Jerseydevil]

If in the future anyone reads this and decides to buy the tool, they sell it at pepboys for $29.00 but it doesn't come with a case. They rent the same set for the same amount and it comes in a case. When you rent, you pay the $29.00 which they refund when you return the tool. You can opt to keep the tool if you want it no extra fees. The point is, if you do it that way, ya get a nice carry case for the same price as the set with no case.

 

[Steve83]

The hammer never hits the pump shaft...

Doesn't matter - the shock load still goes onto the pump bearings. It's like putting a piece of tissue on your hand, and then hitting it with the hammer - you're not hitting your hand, right?

The right tool make all the difference and they aren't to expensive. I have installed and removed dozens with the kit I have now and it was less than $50.

I have the Matco set for work, and it's probably made at the same factory as the Cornwell set. The Snap-On looks a little different.

. .

 

[Lloyd]

Steve83, you are correct. I fully understand what you are saying about shock loading the bearings. I concede that the technique I am describing is probably not the best. (My friend who helped me is a heavy equipment welder/mechanic. His solution for everything is to get a bigger hammer..ha ha).

If I put my hand flat on a steel table and hit it hard with a hammer it would hurt bad. If I hold my hand suspended in the air and hit it with a hammer it doesn't hurt as bad. We didn't hammer straight down on the shaft with the back of the pump against the table. The shaft was parallel to the table with nothing behind the pump. The pump would scoot on the table as you hit it. You hit just hard enough to take tension off the installer. However, I'm sure there was some shock load involved. Therefore, I concede this argument to Steve83, I was just sharing a technique passed on to me that seemed to work very well.