Hi guys, lately i have been having some power steering problems on my
01 LS V8. When ever i would drive for more then 1/2 hour the power steering pump starts to lock up and whine, the belt slips then it overheats and car dies. We have extended warranty but the dealer quoted us around $800-900, and the warranty wouldn't cover it. At the dealer they said that the fluid was contaminated and it is not covered. I was thinking i could replace it myself, has anyone done it and how hard is it to replace it? any help would be apreciated thanks, max

if the fluid is burnt and the belt slips ,something is locking up. what parts did the dealer want you to put on. sounds like the place is trying to blame the fluid as the prablem starter,wich is not a covered item,so they dont have to cover the burnt up components

they are tryn to rip you. fight back. and contaminated by what???

today i checked the p.s. fluid and it looked almost like color of milk, and drove car for no more then 10min. it overheated, since we had warmer weather it overheats much more. i think now the pump is loking up all the time. ever since we had the car i think the belt had slipping noise, maybe the belt is worn out and can't drive water pump? and also where exacty is p.s. pump located it is very hard to see because of intake tube.
thanks for all the help

The power steering pump is really buried and hard to get to. I was quoted $850 by my regular shop, and ended up taking it to a shop owned by a friend (but far away) and having it replaced for $625. The pump itself is only about $250, it's mostly labor. You have to dismantle alot of Lincoln before you can even see the pump.