| possible power steering pump failure
Hi, Last week I noticed my power steering pump had gone silent and the steering became intermittently heavy, after turning off the car and then driving it again an hour later the power steering was fine. However a few days later the pump has gone totally silent and there is no assistance with steering at all. I checked fluid levels and pipes for leaks and all is fine, I then removed the pump and took it apart to check for wear or bad electrical connections, I span the pump side with a screwdriver and allowed fluid to run through the pump and all was fine. The only visible problem I could see with the electrical side of the pump was a build up of dust however I just took this as wear on the magnetic plates that surround the coil. I put the pump back and bleed the system and the pump is still failing to work, however when the car is first started the pump works for about 3 seconds and then cuts out again. Can anyone distinguish if I need a new pump or I have a simple wiring fault somewhere along the line? Has anyone had symptoms like this?  | 
