power steering pump question!!

[puleosei89]

Im looking to buy a 1991 accord and it says it needs a power steering pump. first of all how hard is it to drive with it broken and second home much labor is involved in installing it? :help:

[AccordEpicenter]

its easy fix but rare for a ps pump to go bad... id investigate

[RobT5580]

More likely the steering rack is bad which is not a cheap nor simple repair. So i would look into it cause the part rebuit if its the rack runs $350 and labor would be up there as well assuming you cant do it yourself. If its the pump it would be a simple repair and you could get a used pump from a junk yard since they rarely go bad.

[AccordEpicenter]

More likely the steering rack is bad which is not a cheap nor simple repair

Yeah racks are not cheap or easy to install... another thing that goes bad alot are the high pressure steel lines to and from the rack and surrounding control valves and they are generally expensive and hard to replace (read: PITA) as well. Unless you absolutley know for sure, no other thing it could be, that its a ps pump id steer clear (no pun intended) PS problems can be complicated and very expensive and are rarely solved by switching pumps.

[puleosei89]

So should i have it looked at by a mechanic first?