Engineering Design
Delica L400 Power Steeing Issue.
Written for www.delicaclub.com members.
Over 2 years ago my power steering
stopped working as a result of doing donuts on the beach. I discovered
that this was due to
the pressure relief valve inside the steering
pump getting stuck. This seems to happen if revving the engine while
the steering
wheel is at full lock. Here is a brief insight to the fix.
Step 1: Remove intercooler, batteries and power steering reservoir.
Step 2: Remove the power steering pump. The pic below shows the engine bay with pump removed.
Step 3: With the pump securely held in a vice, remove the top fitting. Note soft jaws on vice, and be careful not to damage fitting.

Step 4: With the top fitting removed, the relief valve should come out, unless it's stuck! Gently bash the pump upside down on a
soft
surface. Make sure you catch everything as it comes flying out!
Compressed air in one of the other ports may also work.
I noticed a bit of scoring on
the side of the plunger, and used some very fine wet and dry paper with
some kero to polish it up. It
has been working without problem for 2
years, although I've given up doing the donuts!
