power steering pump seal

[kmix99]

I'm on my third power steering pump shaft seal on my 96 SL2 with 130,000 miles. So that's about 44,000 mi per seal. The first bad seal was detected & replaced by the dealer (under warranty), the other two were replaced by me.

Just wondering if you guys thought this was normal.

Thanks.

[Low Saturn]

I have just over 250,000 miles on my orginal in my 1993 SW

[kmix99]

250,000? ----- wow. I guess it's just me then.

I thought maybe the shaft was bend or something causing it to wear prematurely but it spins pretty straight.

[Low Saturn]

My guess is that there is a faulty part on the pump itself causing the seals to go bad.

[madpogue]

Luke's at over 400,000; ask him. A bend or imperfection in the shaft sufficient to blow the seal over tens of thousands of miles won't necessarily be visible as a deviation in the spin of the pulley.

Have you had to remove the pump to change out this seal? How much has it cost each time, compared to a new pump? Based on that proportion, if you plan on keeping this car for several hundred thousand miles, a new pump might be in order. 'Course, if it's relatively cheap, you might just want to consider it another periodic maintenance item, like coolant or tranny fluid.

[kmix99]

I pull the pump out myself and replace the seal for about $10.00 per seal plus the cost of new PS fluid. I borrow a pulley-puller from a friend.

I thought about getting a new pump but a the cost scares my wallet--$300.00+ (most in this forum recommend oem from dealer).

thanks for all the input.

[Low Saturn]

Try the junkyard. Just search around and find one that doesnt look like its been leaking. Heck, you could pull a good one and replace the seal while it out and you should be good to go.