Chrysler Repair: 2000 Concorde LXi 3.2L Power Steering failure, concorde lxi, power steering failure

Question
Good morning Roland,

And a Happy New Year to you and your family!!  

My 2000 Concorde LXi 3.2L Power steering pump failed a week ago. The car has 154,000KM (about 96,000 Miles) on it.  I had it replaced with a NAPA rebuilt the following day, and that lasted all of 30 minutes, when it started to go again (high turning effort at low RPM's, slight whining sound).  WIthin 24 hours, it was gone completely, with only minimal assist available at high RPMs  (above 3000).

I have another pump on order now but due to the holiday season, it will take a bit more time to arrive.

My specific question is:  could there be another source of the power steering pump failure (such as a failed valve of sorts at the Rack & Pinion,  contaminated fluid, etc)?

All other components were not changed - just the pump.  The entire system was not drained thru the rack either (using a flush or high-pressure air).  Everything up front was drained and cleaned, including the reservoir.  We did notice that the existing fluid was rather dark and thick (heavy) at the exchange.  But no burnt smell, nor anything too abnormal.

This car hasn't been abused, no frequent stop-to-stop turning (just the usual minor occasional ones due to tight parking spaces at work), and so on.

My worry with the last replacement is that something else may be causing the pump to fail prematurely and my next replacement is going to let go again.  Considering the amount of work to simply get at the pump due to the tight confines, if I need to look / check at something else at the same time, I want to do it right this time around.

Can you shed some light on what may have killed the new pump so quickly?  And what else I should look at to ensure that everything else is in order ?

Thanks!  

Answer
Hi Robert,
I would suggest that the trans cooler be flushed just in case its flow is impeded. Do feel free to ask me for the pages from the shop manual.
Roland


Hi Robert,
I looked at the '99 manual for the LH-body vehicles and notice a couple of things: there are several different systems that could be in the vehicle so it is important to have the correct pump; the trans fluid cooler needs to be flowing freely to avoid the pump overheating so that might be something to check in light of the early failure; the installation procedure is rather complex so it would be good for whoever does it to have it in hand. I would be pleased to xerox copy and postal mail to you the pages from the manual. If you find them helpful, after you receive them, please send back four 42-cent stamps to cover my costs.
Roland
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