power steering pump melt down

[lasvegas69charg]

hi.  i justed started my engine for the first time being in the car and after about 5 mins at idle i noticed my steering pump lid fell off and it started to smoke.  i shut the car off.  after looking further looking into it, the dipstick for the power steering melted away inside the pump and the fluid boiled over.  the pump got so hot that when i put a rag around the pump, it almost caught the rag on fire...thats how hot it got.  anybody know what happen or what i did wrong.  i put fluid in it.  i know i didnt get the bubbles out yet but i didnt think that was important until you drove the car.  is the pump ruined because it melted the dipstick inside it or can i just drain and flush the pump out and put new fluid in it. it seems like as i get closer the finish line more of the wrong things are happening.  thanks in advance.

one other thing, when the car started, the wheels turned all the way to the left hard and fast.

[hawkeye]

to get it that hot you must have metal on metal somewhere.  take the belt off, does it turn easily?  does it make a grinding noise?  or can you feel grinding when you turn the pulley by hand?  my guess is a bad bearing/bushing in pump.

[lasvegas69charg]

it spins freely with the belt off and no grinding noise. I did some research and found out why the wheels turned to the left. It has something to do with the centering valve on the steering gear. The way I read it is to loosen the 2 bolts and tap it towards the firewall but would this also cause the pump to get that hot?

[cdr]

YOUR GEAR BOX is not adjusted correct if the stg wheel spun when the car was started,in turn it overheated the pump
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,61109.msg682304.html#msg682304

[lasvegas69charg]

does this mean that my pump or gear is toast?

[Cooter]

Have you replaced, or had ANY part of the steering box apart? I know the valve on top HAS TO BE "CENTERED" or what you describe will happen.
Sounds like you burnt the pump up. DO NOT DRIVE it until you can fire it up and the steering wheel stays in one place.

[lasvegas69charg]

yes it was a new pump and gear. I think what I'm going to do is replace the pump and center the valve and get the air bubbles out. I know I won't make this mistake again. With the valve not centered does that mean steering fluid was not going thru the steering gear.

[cdr]

it is like turning the stg wheel to the lock & holding it there

[lasvegas69charg]

Nice

[Chryco Psycho]

I never start a new engine for the first time with the power steering belt on for this reason , the last thing I want to do is shut the engine down early & potentially waste a cam because of a problem with the power steering

[lasvegas69charg]

here is pics of the whats left of the dipstick that i found inside the steering pump...

[charger Downunder]

Wow that is bad i dont want to touch mine now.