Join Our Ford Truck Forum Today

Document your Ford truck project here and inspire others! Login/Register to view the site with fewer ads.

Saginaw Power Steering Pump Swap on 302/351W F-Series/Bronco

Skandocious

Post Whores Make Me Sick
19,076
655
California
This is a tech article on how to swap the more powerful Saginaw power steering pump in place of the stock pump on a 302/351W with air conditioning. I believe the same principles apply to the 4.9L but it will require different bracketry.

Total cost for my project:
$30 (pump + bracket) + $13 (high pressure hose) + $20 (new serp belt) = $63

Benefits:
-Silent pump (no typical Ford pump whiiiiiiiiiiine)
-More power!! **Tim Taylor grunt**


The stock belt length on my 351W was 102". The new optimal belt length is 103.75". The belt I used is a Gatorback belt (I highly recommend these belts) and the part number is 4061037.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GTR-4061037/

The stock belt WILL fit but it's extremely tight and it will wear out your pulley bearings much faster. I don't recommend running a stock sized belt for very long after swapping in the sag pump.

Finding the right pump and bracket
The Saginaw pump can be found on many different trucks and vans, and not just Fords either. The pump itself is widely used across makes and models but the bracket is the deciding factor for whether or not you're going to be able to do a bolt-on swap. The pump is easy to recognize because of its trademark "teardrop" shaped fluid reservoir, as shown on the left in the picture below:


ps-pumps.jpg

The stock pump looks very different in that it has a round reservoir with a long cylindrical filler neck that sticks out the side. There is no mistaking a Saginaw pump when you see it.

The vehicle that has the correct pump, bracket, and high pressure line for THIS swap is going to a Ford E-Series van. But be careful because there are a few subtle differences in the bracket between the different eras of this van. The van that this pump and bracket must come from will be a 92+ E-series van with a 302/351W, like the one shown below:

800px-Ford-Club-Wagon.jpg

These vans eventually changed over to modular engines so not every one that looks like the above picture will be a good candidate-- it must have a 302/351W engine. Be wary of the body style shown below, as it does NOT have the right bracket. The bracket looks IDENTICAL to the correct one except that the bolt holds for the A/C compressor are slighly larger and WILL NOT work with your A/C compressor. Stick with the 92+ vans.

For the high pressure hose-- you will need to use a hose from a van the same vintage as the pump. If the high pressure hose from your donor truck is in shabby shape (as was mine), you'll need to purchase a new one. I ordered mine from AutoAnything for real cheap-- part number 3767673 on their site for a Gates hose.

Pulling the parts
Instead of renting a pulley puller and detaching the pump from the bracket, we'd rather just take the entire bracket off the block, pump and all. To do this, just remove the 4 bolts that hold the A/C compressor to the bracket, and push the compressor to the side. Then detach the lines to the pump and remove the 3 larger bolts which secure the bracket/pump assembly to the block. You can see in the picture below that the A/C compressor is not bolted directly to the block, but rather to the 4-bolt cradle on the same bracket that holds the PS pump. In this picture you can also see the 3 large bolt holes for the block attachment bolts.


iPhoneUpload-2.jpg


If the above removal instructions are confusing then scroll down to read the stock pump removal from you F150-- the steps to remove that pump are exactly the same as the one on the van.

Stock pump removal
Start be removing your intake hose(s). This is not necessary but it'll make your life a whole lot easier. Next you'll need to remove your serpentine belt. You can unhook it from the pump and compressor only, but you might as well take it off because you'll need to use a slightly longer one after the swap is done. Then remove the two electrical harnesses from your A/C compressor (one on the front/side, one of the rear/top). Then you'll need to remove the 4 long bolts which secure the A/C compressor to the PS pump bracket, and pull the A/C compressor out of the way. My A/C lines were pliable enough that I was able to just lay it on top of the engine:

DSC019191024x768.jpg
DSC019201024x768.jpg


Next unscrew your high pressure hose at the pump, then trace it and unscrew the other end at the steering box. Be sure not to unscrew the wrong line from the box.

DSC019211024x768.jpg
DSC019261024x768.jpg

Leave the return hose clamped onto the nipple at the bottom of the pump reservoir. We're going to remove the bracket from the block before unclamping that line because the reservoir is still full of fluid. Alternatively you can drain the reservoir first but I didn't have a turkey baster handy.

Remove the 3 large bolts which secure the bracket to the block. Upon removal of the 3rd bolt, keep one hand on the upper portion of the bracket to keep it from falling loose. Don't worry about supporting the weight of the bracket/pump because there is a guide pin on the water pump that is pushed through a 4th hole on the bracket.

(notice how I'm preventing the bracket from rotating around the guide pin by holding it with my left hand)
DSC019221024x768.jpg


Rotate the bracket/pump assembly up and to the left with your left hand, and with your right hand remove the return line from the bottom of the reservoir. Be ready to drop the line and cap the nipple with your finger because fluid is going to come gushing out of the reservoir.

DSC019241024x768.jpg
(you may have noticed that my high pressure line is still attached at the box-- no worries, I just left it on there and pushed it out of the way until I was ready to put the new one in)


Still capping the return nipple with your finger, slide the bracket+pump off of the guide pin and pull it out the entire assembly out of the truck. Congrats! That old whiney pump is a goner!
DSC019251024x768.jpg

Installing the sag pump and bracket
First grab your new high pressure hose and screw the smaller end into your steering box. Screw it all the way in and then back it off enough that you can still rotate the hose freely. Once you've got it in position, you may notice that the bends in the steel part of the hose are not very good for your truck-- on mine it was sticking right into my lower rad hose as you can see below:

DSC019281024x768.jpg

We better bend it a little more to make it clear that rad hose, as seen below.
(ignore the fact that the pump is already in place :p)
DSC019311024x768.jpg


Once you're done bending, tighten the fitting and grab your sag pump/bracket. Drop that baby in there and guide it onto the guide pin. While supporting it with your left hand, thread one of the 3 large attachment bolts in enough so you can let go. Finished threading in all 3 bolts.

Ooo that looks nice in there :)
DSC019301024x768.jpg

Head over to the back side of the pump and attach your high pressure fitting; feel free to use teflon tape or whatever you want-- I didn't use any and mine doesn't leak :p. This part is a little rough because again, the hose is not designed for your configurating. You'll be fighting it a little bit to make the threads sit square but once you get it there snug it down! I've still got a back ache from standing on my tire and trying to finagle the hose :headbang:

Dont forget about your return line. The nipple on the new pump is a little bit higher than the old one, and the return hose falls just a little bit short. I was able to yank on the hose (quit snickering you sickos) enough to make it budge another inch or so-- that was all I needed. If you cannot get the hose to budge, there is a bracket that attaches the cooler lines below to the crossmember-- you can remove the bolt and it'll give you plenty of slack. This of course is not preferable so if you want to install a longer hose you can do that too.

Pull your A/C compressor back over and onto the bracket-- drop the 4 bolts back in and reattach the 2 electrical harnesses.

DSC019321024x768.jpg

Throw your new 103.75" belt on and you're done! WAIT!! Don't forget to fill it with fluid :) Mine took less than a quart and I overflowed it :headbang: So pour slowly after about half a quart.

DSC019331024x768.jpg

FTF Ford Truck Enthusiasts
 
Last edited:

Cope&Dies

gab-d a snaks
17
0
Great write-up moon. This will make it really easy when I do the mod to my vehicle. Did you do a similar one on the e-fan mod?
:slap:
 
Awesome writeup Chris. It will definitely come in handy when I do my swap. :D

Rep+
 
This is a great write up, I have installed it on a 1993 Bronco, and have another pump and bracket to install on a 1997 F250.

Two notes, I didn't have enough belt tension on the Bronco with the belt mentioned, and had belt squeal. I found a Goodyear 4061030 worked better on my install. I also had an issue with the pressure hose. I tweaked it enough to allow it to connect, but didn't like it, and as a heavy equipment mechanic, I was sure it would fail, and it did after a couple of months. I bought a new hose for the van application, used a generic auto parts multi size tubing bender, and straightened the short 90° at the end of the steel line, routed the hose, then bent a similiar 90° at a better direction. This took much of the tension and twist out of the hose.

Thanks again, you did a great job with this. Almost made it too easy.
 

Ford Truck Articles

Top