MX5 Mk 2 / NB Power Steering Pump Failure

[youngsyr]

Hi all, hoping for some help with a little issue with my Mk2 1.8 - on the drive home this evening the power steering failed, no warning or anything else noticeable, just no longer had power steering all of a sudden.

Everything else ran fine.

Is there a fuse for the power steering (if so could you please tell me where?!)

Could it be a broken belt (again, if so, which one?!)

Could it be a broken pump (how would I tell?)

Or any other ideas?

Thanks for any help offered.

[gforceg]

If it really did go suddenly I suppose a broken belt is most likely.

Check the pump reservoir for fluid. If it's still full then check if the pulleys are missing a belt.

The car has proper mechanical power steering so don't go looking for blown fuses.

Er, that's all I've got.

[youngsyr]

gforceg said:

If it really did go suddenly I suppose a broken belt is most likely.

Check the pump reservoir for fluid. If it's still full then check if the pulleys are missing a belt.

The car has proper mechanical power steering so don't go looking for blown fuses.

Er, that's all I've got.

Ok, thanks - that's at least a start.

[youngsyr]

Can anyone tell me which is the power steering pump belt?

I take it it's not the one that also runs the alternator, as I haven't had a battery light come on - is the top right pulley the one for the power steering?

If so, what's the bottom right pulley for, as if the belt has snapped, that's not being turned either?

[youngsyr]

OK, think I've got it sorted. The PS pump pulley is the top right one, the bottom right one is A/C - I don't have that on my car, so no wonder I didn't notice anything else not working.

[gforceg]

Good stuff. Was the belt missing or very slack?

I guess if you don't have a/c that pulley is just a jockey wheel.

[youngsyr]

Checked this morning and the belt is missing, so I'm hoping that's the cause rather than a symptom of a larger problem (can the pump seize?).

Local garage is very busy at the moment, but I'm hoping to get it fixed by the weekend.

Thanks for your help.

Edited by youngsyr on Wednesday 17th April 10:39

[snotrag]

Its really very easy to fix yourself, you'll need 12, 14 and maybe 17mm sockets and spanners, thats it. Just loosening bolts, then tightening back up, nothing comes off or gets removed.

Belt should be dirt cheap from any motorfactor or autolink/mx5parts will post you one out within 2 days or so I bet.

[youngsyr]

snotrag said:

Its really very easy to fix yourself, you'll need 12, 14 and maybe 17mm sockets and spanners, thats it. Just loosening bolts, then tightening back up, nothing comes off or gets removed.

Belt should be dirt cheap from any motorfactor or autolink/mx5parts will post you one out within 2 days or so I bet.

Hmmm, I've never replaced a belt before, but you make it sound very simple and if I can pick a belt up today that would make things a lot easier.

Could you please post up a quick "how to" describing which bolts need to be loosened and then tightened and in which order?

[youngsyr]

Ok, think I've got it, thanks to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbuP1G7_iRQ

- Loosen 14mm “Pivot” bolt “A” (through hole in pulley)
- Loosen 12mm “Lock” bolt “B”
- Loosen 12mm “Adjuste/slacker” bolt “D”
- Loosen 14mm “Inner” bolt “C”
- Pivot the pump down up and outward
- Remove old belt

Edited by youngsyr on Wednesday 17th April 12:07

[snotrag]

Bingo, thats about it.

When doing it back up, you might find that the slots on the pulley dont line up with where you need to feed your socket through to tighten it up - you can either turn the crank pulley by hand with a big (21?) socket, or just turn the engine over for a split second on the starter until your lined up ok.

Have a good look at your alternator belt while your down there, its probably equally as old - check for cracking or frayed edges.

Alt belt is a bit more awkward to change, the bolts on the alternator are hard to get to - one to plan for though while you have the chance.

[MX-5 Lazza]

One of the belts has to come off to replace the other one (I can't remember which way around) so I'd do both belts just so you know they are both done

ETA: Thinking about it... those belts are usually changed when the cam-belt is replaced. Do you know when the cam-belt was last changed on your car?

[youngsyr]

Thanks for the tips - it's the alternator/water pump belt that sits behind the power steering/AC compressor belt, so no need for me to remove the alternator belt to get to the PS one.

The alternator belt was also replaced about 5k miles ago, so hopefully it's in good nick.

Anyway, picked up a belt at lunch time, so will have a go at it tonight. The bolts look quite corroded though, so it might not be as easy as I'd hoped.

[youngsyr]

Well, just finished up and that was one of the easiest jobs ever (assuming I've done it properly! ).

Took about 15 minutes all told!

If anyone else is going to do it, you will need a deep 14mm socket for the pivot bolt and an extension/breaker bar in case any nights take a bit of effort to crack off.

[youngsyr]

MX-5 Lazza said:

One of the belts has to come off to replace the other one (I can't remember which way around) so I'd do both belts just so you know they are both done

ETA: Thinking about it... those belts are usually changed when the cam-belt is replaced. Do you know when the cam-belt was last changed on your car?

The cam belt was last changed a month ago, but not sure if they did the other belts. The alternator belt certainly doesn't look that new.