EJ22 Power Steering Pump Rebuild Step by Step How To Guide

Well, I've been putting it off for years and finally decided to do it this. This is my second time doing it. The first time I bought a power steering pump on Ebay to rebuild at my own pace while I still had the original one on. The pump I got on Ebay leaked like a sieve after rebuild and install, so I decided to rebuild the original.

I did this because from all the threads and videos I've seen on this topic certain steps are always missing. So I wanted to do a step by step how to that covers it from start to finish. Let me know what you think and if I missed/screwed up anything. Here we go!

 

Tools needed:

 

• Metric socket set (10, 12, 19?, and 24mm)
  
• Breaker bar
  
• Ratchet wrench
  
• Torque wrench/wrenches
  
• 17mm crescent wrench
  
• Vice
  
• Mallet/hammer/press
  
• Turkey baster
  
• Container for old fluid
  
• Forceps/tweezers
  

Parts needed:

 

• Subaru power steering pump rebuild kit, part No. 34419AA150
  
• High pressure line connector O-ring, part No. 34123AA040/31260GA050 (one is cheaper than the other and from what I've found these two seem completely interchangeable)
  
• ATF, Dexron II or IIE (I used Mobil synthetic Dexron II/IIE equivalent), need less than one quart unless you want to change it all
  

Now that you have that ready, lets start!

 

 

1. Open the hood, unbolt the accessory belt covers as well as the power steering hydraulic lines from the brackets on the intake manifold.
   http://i.imgur.com/HKor2Te.jpg
   
2. Loosen the alternator/power steering pump belt tensioner screw (lower screw first, then keep unscrewing the upper screw until you can slide the belt off).
   http://i.imgur.com/K0UwosY.jpg
   
3. This is what it will look like after you're done doing all that.
   http://i.imgur.com/wNshpxn.jpg
   
4. Now you must take of the radiator fan in front of the steering pump. You need to do this because the fan bracket gets in the way of PS pump right mounting bolt. There are four bolts holding the fan ( one on the top, two on the passenger side, and one at the bottom).
   This is the top one (hard to miss):
   http://i.imgur.com/D9qGOTG.jpg
    
   This shows the where the two on the passenger side are:
   http://i.imgur.com/z629xPN.jpg
    
   The one on the bottom was hard to photograph, but it's right in line with the top bolt. Disconnect the fan plug while you're down there (its all the way right (passenger side) of the fan.
   
5. After you have the fan loose, slide down as far as it will go, just enough so you have access to the right bolt.
   
6. Using a turkey baster and some sort of empty container pull out as much fluid as you can out of the reservoir. Don't forget to remove the filter mesh to get all the way to the bottom.
   
7. At this point loosen and pull out the hydraulic lines from the pump. The high pressure line you will unscrew with the 17mm crescent wrench. Use pliers/channel locks to undo the clips on the hose connecting the low pressure line to the reservoir return. Then pull off the hose of off the reservoir return leaving it on the lower pressure line. Move the lines over to the side, away from the pump. Try to tilt them upward to stop dripping hydraulic fluid.
   http://i.imgur.com/1P3ivh8.jpg
   
8. At this point you can also loosen the pulley nut (although if you are going to use a vice you don't have to do this now), since this is more difficult later. Use something to hold the pulley from moving (as you can see I used a socket and wrench on one of the bolts holding the pump to its bracket).
   http://i.imgur.com/WaYwME1.jpg
   
9. Now using a breaker bar and 12mm socket loosen the three bolts holding the PS pump to its bracket. After you break them loose they are easily unscrewed by hand using the socket with an extension or if you have the ratchet with the rotating top you can use that also to unscrew by hand.
   http://i.imgur.com/OHZSL8a.jpg
   http://i.imgur.com/c9dWNSE.jpg
   http://i.imgur.com/PkdUXws.jpg
   
10. After undoing all the bolts you can pull off the pump. It should look like this:
    http://i.imgur.com/ppkI2MC.jpg
    
11. Now move the pump to your work bench and place it in a vice (since I don't have a work bench or a vice I used a monkey wrench on the kitchen island, don't recommend this method but it worked for me).
    http://i.imgur.com/f6XsOO1.jpg
    
12. Using an extension and a 12mm socket to remove the bolt inside the reservoir as well as the one on holding it to the back of the pump.
    http://i.imgur.com/cGBc9y9.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/5T5mv63.jpg
    
13. Remove the back cover bolts using a ratchet and a 12mm socket.
    http://i.imgur.com/ZbuP7Vh.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/bARZfzF.jpg
    
14. I arranged the back cover bolts and the rear bracket reservoir bolt like so to keep track of them.
    http://i.imgur.com/tgQ4oJj.jpg
    
15. Remover the rear cover with the knock/guide pins.
    http://i.imgur.com/QjkCuIi.jpg
     
    The inside of your pump should look like this. It's important to note that the letter side of the cam ring faces the rear of the pump (note the two little trapezoidal holes in the cam ring, if you put it in backwards the holes will not be in the correct position). Same goes for the rotor (although not sure it's as crucial as for the cam ring).
    http://i.imgur.com/mClMhMf.jpg
    
16. Remove the cam ring, rotor, vanes, and side plate. They should slide right off the shaft if you turn the pump front (pulley) side up. Pay special attention during this step to make sure one of the vanes doesn't bounce of the table and go flying (I highly recommend doing this step over a cloth/towel/box).
    http://i.imgur.com/0j20gob.jpg
    

1. This is what the inside of the housing will look like. Note the centre O-ring and the bigger perimeter O-ring. I don't recommend replacing these until you have the new main oil seal in place and the shaft and bearing back in.
   http://i.imgur.com/deyssMp.jpg
   
2. Now remove the pulley nut, washer, and pulley. If the pulley is rusted and stuck to the splines on the shaft, give it a couple of whacks on the back and it should fall right off.
   http://i.imgur.com/YEPz7bV.jpg
   As you can see there is a lot of leakage from the front where the bearing sits. This is due to the main oil seal deteriorating.
   
3. After cleaning off the front side of the pump use circlip pliers to remove the circlip that's holding the bearing in place.
   http://i.imgur.com/0FCnsZu.jpg
   
4. After you've removed the circlip, reposition the pump so that you are able to hammer the shaft and bearing combo out of the pump housing. I used a stool covered with a towel to sit the side of the pump on and a hammer to knock it out. This is not ideal by any means, but my resources are limited. Instead use a vice and a plastic cover or rubber mallet (or a press if you have access to one). It should only take a few strikes to get the shaft and bearing out.
   http://i.imgur.com/0TS599p.jpg
   
5. After you have the shaft and bearing out (these function as a single unit, DO NOT try to separate the two, the bearing is more or less bullet proof but you can spin it to see if there is any resistance), you can see the main oil seal. Pay attention to its orientation when you put in the new one.
   http://i.imgur.com/bNfs1cS.jpg
   http://i.imgur.com/LKb2XEH.jpg
   
6. To remove the main oil seal, I used a flat head screwdriver to pry the seal out. I put the screw driver in like so (make sure to not jam it in there too hard to avoid scratching the pump housing), and moved around the circumference while prying to get the thing out.
   http://i.imgur.com/OKLMdj3.jpg
   
7. This is what's inside the rebuild kit. Match the O-rings by size. There are two O-rings that are the same size (although one has, at least in my kit, that rubber "dusting" on it as did the perimeter O-ring in the back). One of these is the inner O-ring in the back of the pump, while the other is used on the connector that hooks up to the high pressure line.
   http://i.imgur.com/2206Lf1.jpg
   
8. Now, put in the new main oil seal. Seat it inside the pump in the right orientation (the spring inside it should face the back of the pump). Then push it in using your fingers/thumbs as much as you can around the perimeter (I stood up and pushed down with my thumbs while putting weight on it). Don't worry about getting it all the way in, you will do that in the next step. This is what it should look like now:
   http://i.imgur.com/ku6kgIr.jpg
   
9. Place back the shaft and bearing. I coated the outside of the bearing with ATF to help it slide back in. Again, using your finger and thumbs push it in as much as you can, making sure everything is aligned. Then hammer the shaft from the front end to push it and the bearing back in. Make sure that you can see all of the groove for the circlip. You will also note that now the shaft doesn't turn as freely, but don't freak out! I thought that I fubar'ed the bearing from all that hammering, but it's actually just the new main oil seal "gripping" around the shaft better and doing its job.
   http://i.imgur.com/NthP9Z5.jpg
   
10. Using the circlip pliers insert the new circlip back into its groove. Absolutely make sure it is in the groove, since you don't want your pump to fly apart when you are driving around.
    http://i.imgur.com/njqfp5L.jpg
    
11. Now turn you pump to the back again, and replace the inner and outter O-rings. The outer, bigger O-ring is quite easy to get out with you hands alone. For the inner I used some forceps to help me pinch it out. Again, for the inner O-ring there are two in the rebuild kit. I used the one that's "dusted" because the bigger perimeter O-ring is also "dusted." The other O-ring we will use later.
    http://i.imgur.com/3iBxccO.jpg
    
12. Place the mechanical components back into the pump. Start with the side plate then the cam ring. Make sure to line up the grooves for the knock/guide pins as you go.
    http://i.imgur.com/5E8hAqi.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/osfLlT0.jpg
    
13. Put back the rotor.
    http://i.imgur.com/J2S2Hmh.jpg
    
14. Now put back the vanes. Make sure that the squared end faces the centre, while the rounded end of each vane faces the away from the centre.
    http://i.imgur.com/d2Cxhsk.jpg
    
15. Place the new cover gasket either on the back cover or the pump body. Then align the knock/guide pins into their holes and replace the back cover.
    http://i.imgur.com/Pcj4Y23.jpg
    
16. Hand tighten the back cover bolts. Then use a torque wrench to tighten all four of them to 16±2N-m or 11.6±1.4lb-ft. Please note that in the service manual it says ft-lb, which is a typo and plain wrong since lb-ft are torque units and ft-lbs aren't. Also, I used a small torque wrench (since my big one is useless at lower torques) which was in lb-inches. To go from lb-ft to lb-inches just multiply by 12.
    http://i.imgur.com/Ajmw2tA.jpg
    
17. Replace the O-ring on the filler insert of the reservoir. I used a pocket knife to cut it off, since it didn't want to come off otherwise.
    http://i.imgur.com/Y6wxGxe.jpg
    
18. Take the bolt that goes through the inside of the reservoir and replace the seal washer.
    http://i.imgur.com/VW3bnkZ.jpg
    

1. Using an extension and a 12mm socket, place this bolt in there like so:
   http://i.imgur.com/NP9ZwKJ.jpg
   
2. Flip the reservoir upside down and guide the bolt through its hole in the reservoir. After guiding it through you can flip it back to attach to the steering pump, but don't tighten/torque the bolt all the way until the back bracket bolt is also attached.
   http://i.imgur.com/IeOC4Mk.jpg
   
3. Insert and hand tighten the back bracket bolt.
   http://i.imgur.com/QWjdHQd.jpg
   
4. Torque the inside bolt to 18.1±2.5N-m/13.35±1.84lb-ft. Torque the back bracket bolt to 15.7±2.4N-m/11.58±1.77lb-ft. Here's the finished product:
   http://i.imgur.com/IoRhCHk.jpg
   
5. Place the pulley back onto the shaft splines. Then add the lock-washer and hand tighten the pulley nut.
   http://i.imgur.com/0wetLt1.jpg
   
6. At this point I added some ATF to the reservoir and spun the pulley clock-wise several times to get it in the pump. I did this as a preliminary check whether the pump leaks or not. It didn't this time, woo!!! Back to the car!
   
7. Place the pump back in its bracket and only bolt it down with the right bolt (hand tightened). Try to tilt the pump to the driver's side as much as it will go. This is done in order so that the socket will fit in the next step (if you bolted the pump all the way, the socket won't fit due to the top radiator hose).
   http://i.imgur.com/Am4i7rH.jpg
   
8. Using a breaker bar and a 24mm socket, loosen the connector between the high pressure line and the spool valve.
   http://i.imgur.com/3F6EtjH.jpg
   
9. Remove the connector and replace the O-ring (the last one in the kit) on it.
   http://i.imgur.com/Re44XWb.jpg
   
10. Hand tighten the connector and then torque it to 74±5N-m/54.2±3.6lb-ft.
    
11. Now you can bolt down the pump all the way with the lower and passenger side bolts. Torque them to 20.1±2.5N-m/14.8±1.8lb-ft.
    Should look something like this:
    http://i.imgur.com/75SnAJI.jpg
    
12. Replace the O-ring on the nozzle of the high pressure line (this is the one that's not in the kit and needs to be ordered separately).
    http://i.imgur.com/zeeRJ9w.jpg
    
13. Put back the pressure lines, screwing in the high pressure line and connecting the lower pressure line with the piece of hose. Tighten the high pressure nozzle with the 17mm crescent wrench and reclamp the hose on the low pressure line using pliers/channel locks.
    http://i.imgur.com/THtfNHv.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/x4y1vvU.jpg
    
14. Tighten and torque the pulley nut at this time to 61±7N-m/44.8±5.1lb-ft. Again, you will need to use something to keep the pulley from spinning. I used a ratchet extension as shown below.
    http://i.imgur.com/gzvdGyZ.jpg
    
15. Replace the alternator/PS pump belt and tighten the tensioner (long bolt until the belt is nice and taught (there is a torque for it but I could not get it to tighten to without running out of thread on the bolt), don't over do it to minimise stress on the pulleys. Then tighten the smaller bolt to keep the tensioner in place and torque it to 24.5±2N-m/18.07±1.48lb-ft.
    http://i.imgur.com/m3QXD0e.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/hrvsAkB.jpg
    
16. At this point, making sure the fan you unscrewed earlier is not touching any moving parts, replace the filler screen filter and add steering fluid to the reservoir. Check for leaks. If no leaks detected, start the car. If everything seems OK at this point, keep adding ATF to the reservoir since the level will go down as it's fed into the system by the pump. Move the steering wheel, locking it all the way left and right to get air out of the system. Check fluid level again. Check for leaks again.
    
17. If everything is still OK, shut off the engine. Replace the fan, bolting it in and reconnecting the plug into its socket. Then replace the belt covers and bolt them in place. Bolt the pressure line to the brackets on the intake manifold.
    
18. You're done! Go for a test drive.
    

Well that covers it! No more leaks (knock on wood) and ATF all over the engine!

Great write up! Thanks! I need to do this on the SS one of these days. Ill probably get a junkyard pump and rebuild it and then drop it in.

This needs to be stickied.

linked to it in the aftermarket guide

Great write up! Thanks! I need to do this on the SS one of these days. Ill probably get a junkyard pump and rebuild it and then drop it in.

 

Thanks! Really wanted to show how it's done all the way through so that others didn't have to struggle as much.

This is awesome! Thanks! Maybe I'll finally rebuild my PS pump as it is leaking from somewhere.

This is awesome! Thanks! Maybe I'll finally rebuild my PS pump as it is leaking from somewhere.

 

Hey, glad I could help! This is pretty manageable if you have a free day.

Great detailed write up! Over the years I've found the Subaru pumps really only leak from the front seal and the oring for the fluid reservoir. Both of these repairs can be fixed while the pump is still bolted on the engine. I have done many pumps for Subarus and other cars this way, it's saves time. The gasket for the pump case halves probably will never leak. Another thing people tend to miss or mistake the leak as the power steering pump is the oil pressure sensor. I don't think I've seen one not leak. LOL.

Hey spooln30, thanks for the input. You might be on to something about not having to take the pump off for the rebuild. Although I am wondering how you'd knock the shaft/bearing with the intake manifold in the way of the hammering? I think taking it out, especially if you've never done this before, makes it way easier and allow you to clean all the ATF the thing leaked all over. although my pump was definitely leaking (losing fluid over time), you're spot on about the oil pressure sensor! that's one of the couple of repairs that next on my list. care to share tips on how to do the rebuild (or at least main seal replacement) while the pump is still attached?

My PS area has a nasty leak and it looks like, based off the residue, the reservoir o-ring is leaking.

 

Do you know where I can buy just this o-ring? Or do you know the size so I can buy one from a local parts store?

nice and thorough write up, im gonna give this a try on both my cars at some point.

 

 

Great write up! Thanks! I need to do this on the SS one of these days. Ill probably get a junkyard pump and rebuild it and then drop it in.

 

make sure you look at the hose inlet when you grab one in a yard, i didnt notice until i got home that the later 2.2 and 2.5 has a banjo bolt instead of the one shown here in the pics. i thought it was a difference in 2.2 to 2.5 but both my 95 and 96 have the bolt that is shown here, the pump i yanked off of a 98 outback has a banjo bolt instead.

 

both my cars need this rebuild, but the GT has a serious knock inside it, i wonder if i can source the shaft/ bearing set up from subaru as well.