Why?

That's the question most people asked me when I told them I was putting a power steering pump from a Ford van in my truck. If you drive a late model Ford truck, you undoubtedly know of the whining noise the stock steering pump (C2) makes when you turn the tires at low speeds. That whine is the pump's inability to put out sufficient line pressure to turn the truck's tires. The Ford C2 pump was used all through the Ford lineup. You can find it in everything from Escorts to F-150's. The pump is marginal, at best, in a stock truck with 31" tires. For heavier vehicles, Ford used the more popular and venerable Saginaw Steering pump that was used in many older cars and trucks made by the Big 3. The Saginaw has been around a long time, and it has proved itself.

Gathering the Parts

The most important part that you will want to acquire first, is the actual bracket. There are two ways you can do this. One way is to purchase the part at a local Ford dealership. It is part number F4UZ3C511A and costs around $45-$50. The second way, that I would recommend, is to visit a local wrecking yard with a lot of vans. They are semi-rare, though. In the last two trips, we were lucky enough to find 3 brackets. Dave got one the first time, and then Mark and I bought them on our second visit. Mark sold his since he did this swap several years ago. I pulled mine of an '89 E-150 with a 5.0. Mark found his bracket laying on the ground. They classified the part as a power steering pump, so the bracket, pump, and pulley were sold to us for a grand total of $32. If you don't get a pump and pulley from the junkyard, you have to pay the $30-something core charge on a pump and find a Saginaw pump pulley since the C2 pulley has a smaller hole.

After you have the bracket (and hopefully pump and pulley), head on down to any parts store and bring your wallet. You can try out the junkyard pump, but I went for a new pump and reservoir. Another item that should be on your shopping list is the high pressure hose. Since the van uses the same steering box as a Bronco/F-150, you don't have to have a custom line made.

The Saginaw Pulley is slightly larger than stock. A longer serpentine belt is needed if using this pulley.

New Saginaw Pump with reservoir.

New high pressure line: Ford Steering Box to Saginaw Pump. Powercraft Part # 71202

It is also a good idea to use synthetic power steering fluid. I purchased 3 quarts of synthetic Red Line fluid and one cheap bottle of power steering fluid to flush the lines with. A good parts store will also have a power steering fluid filter. A fuel filter can also be used in a pinch, but look for one with a plastic element, if possible. Adding a power steering cooler is also a nice addition to the power steering system. This is very good for trails where you are at low speeds and fluid temperatures begin to rise.

Here is a diagram of my steering setup:

Looking under the front of a late model Bronco, you'll see what passes as a power steering fluid cooler in the OEM system. At the front of the engine cross member, there is a metal tube that wraps around itself. While it is in a good position for the wind to cool it, the metal tube can't match the heat dissipation capabilities of a finned cooler. I purchased a Perma-Cool cooler from Jeg's to keep fluid temperatures down. Using synthetic fluid also keeps temperatures slightly cooler.

You don't have to use a cooler or a filter, but they do help keep your power steering system in good shape.

Installation

Lay down a drop cloth and a used oil catch basin to collect the old power steering fluid. I'm assuming you are familiar with what is involved in removing the power steering pump bracket. If you are not, I wouldn't recommend attempting this swap on your own. Remove the fittings from the C2 pump and pull out the bracket. Now that there is some more room to work with, remove the high pressure line from the steering box. Now install the new high pressure hose onto the steering box. You may have to tweak the metal tubes as they are bent to be used in a van, not a Bronco or F-150. Now go ahead and bolt up the new bracket and pump (bolted to the bracket first).

You'll notice that I have a different pulley on my pump. I run the Bronco Air bracket and that was the only thing that had kept me from doing the swap. Lots of people do the Saginaw swap, but I'm the first person to do the swap and use the Bronco Air bracket. I needed to retain the combination V-belt/serpentine belt drive pulley so I had it machined to fit the Saginaw shaft. Besides not having a gigantic drill bit, I wanted it to be a precise fit. There are tolerances in pulleys and the pulley is also aluminum. Plus I could have it pressed on to the pump while it was there. $60 total charge.

One thing I would do different is put washers between the pump and bracket to help the belt line up a bit better. Note the distance between the bracket and the pulley.

Back under the hood, you can attach the high pressure line to the back of the steering pump. Now is also a good time to plumb your steering system. Connect everything except the low pressure return line to the pump. Route this line down to your catch pan and fill up the pump with the normal power steering fluid. Bolt on the AC compressor and route the serpentine belt. Crank the engine to prime the pump and refill it. Then let the truck run and work the fluid through to flush out the old fluid out. After the fluid coming out looks clean, turn off the engine and connect the low pressure return line to the pump. Fill up the fluid to the appropriate level with synthetic fluid.

There are a few variables in the installation that I'll cover. One difference you may find is the size of the four bolts that hold the AC compressor to the bracket. Ford used two different sized bolts during the Bronco's 87-96 production run. If you have the smaller bolts, you will need to drill out the holes in the AC compressor and use the larger bolts that thread into the bracket. I was lucky enough to have the larger bolt size, so mine went right in.

My power steering fluid filter sits on top of the steering box.

Note the extra washers used to tilt the bracket up and away from the pump.

Here you can see where I placed my power steering cooler.

Another thing that caused me the most grief was the Bronco Air bracket. It was hitting the power steering fluid camp. To fix this, I added washers to one side of the bracket to tilt it up and away from the pump. This worked to a degree, but as of now I can't get the cap off without at least loosening the York bracket. With some purpose-built spacers, there would be no problem at all. I'll have to look into that on my next trip to the hardware store.

The Results

I've had this steering system in place for one week of street driving and notice a big improvement. Gone is the annoying whine when making turns. Also I have the ability to turn my tires lock to lock when I'm at a stand still. This was impossible with the old pump. Another advantage is using power steering fluid. The Ford pump calls for ATF Type F and my AGR box required power steering fluid. PS fluid has better lubricants than ATF, but I had to concoct a nasty mixture of ATF and PS fluid to keep the pump and the box happy. Now I can fun straight PS fluid.

The last word is that this is an easy swap that really improves steering on and especially off road. If you like projects that make you say 'why didn't I do this sooner?', then this is the swap for you.

John Denholm
jdbronco@hotmail.com

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