Powersteering - again?

[Iain Mannix]

Hi all; have a weird new problem with the PS in my 86 5kcsq; some
may remember the "volcano syndrome" I had with it a month or
so ago; replaced the pump with a recently resealed but old (180k)
pump out of my 87 5k.

When I resealed it, I did not do the seal between the halves.
Might be of interest later.

Anyway, the car has been great PS-wise(and otherwise, honestly)
since then(and the clutch master/slave debacle).  It lost ~1/4"
of fluid since then - and who knows if it even lost any, could
have been just slight changes. IE, no problems.

Tonight, driving home from skiing, the brake light came on.
Beeped at me, went away.  Huh.  OK.  Brakes seem fine, car seems
fine, whatever, will research later.

Turning off the highway, I found I had no power steering.  Oddly
enough, after the light came on, I found myself thinking that the
car felt very "light" and quick - it just felt good.

So, on city streets now, the brake light is on and off, although
brakes are fine.  OK.  No power assist for steering, but I live
fairly close to the highway - just drove it home.  I thought the
PS belt broke.

Pulling up to the garage, I smell burning rubber - just like
vaccuum cleaner belt burning rubber when you try to vacuum a
quarter off the floor.  OK, maybe the belt is almost broken,
spinning away in the pulley.

Opened the hood, belt is fine.  Pentosin is at the "low" line, a
little came out the cap(oh no...), restarted the car, belt is
spinning with the pulley on the PS pump.  The roads are really
soggy in Denver tonight, and it was a LONG trip back from
Arapahoe - 3 hours - maybe the belt got wet enough to slip,
causing the burning rubber smell?  Seems like a stretch to me.

SO, that's what I know.

Semi-sealed pump beginning to volcano?

What could the burning rubber smell be?

When the pumps fail, do they sieze?  It seems plausible to me
that the pump began to sieze, pressure dropped, brake light,
something broke in the pump which let the pulley spin again,
making the car feel light.  I guess in turn that could cause an
air leak into the pump, causing the volcano?  The siezing part
would explain the burning rubber smell.

Any ideas?  I'm _thinking_ that the pump might be the culprit,
but I don't know how they fail.  Seems that most fail through
leaks - what does a pump do when it mechanically fails?

Anyway.  I'm not sure what the story is - the belt is in need of
replacement, have a new one in the car - but the belt seems to be
working fine.  SOMETHING made a burning rubber/vac cleaner belt
smell.  It has no power assist - seems to me that the pump might
have simply died.

Am I barking up the wrong tree?


Thanks!  Searching the archives, I can't find anything about
burning rubber + ps pump, but will keep digging.


Iain(beyond this little issue, what a WONDERFUL trip in the
mountains - snowy roads, studded Hakka 10s, light traffic on the
way up.  Lots and lots of fun;)