Steering: Rebuilt Saginaw power steering pump leaking through”weep hole”

[bsrosell]

Hi,
ran my ‘57 289 w/ Saginaw power steering for the first extended time yesterday (20 min breakin run) and was very surprised to find a trickle of power steering fluid running down from the pump bracket. No leaks anywhere on the pump body, but when I removed it, could see it is apparently coming from the little “weep hole” behind the bearing.
I cleaned it off, ran it again for a while at idle, and there was a little more laying in that pump mount ‘valley’.

I rebuilt it a couple years ago, complete Phil Harris kit, hard to believe the seal in front of the front bearing could be bad.
Bearing itself and all gasketed joints are dry as a bone….

Any other possibilities, before I call him and order a new seal?
Thanks!
Barry
(3rd photo is simply the little pool of oil in the pump mount…)

[Big Dan]

I don't have an answer for you, but I'll bump this back up to the top of the list for another look see by everyone.

[bsrosell]

Thanks Dan; update since I posted; removed the seal, as anticipated, nothing wrong with it…. Examined the seal area of the shaft VERY closely, thought I found the problem with the pitting near the edge…. But from faint wear line (from lip) and vernier measurements, seems lip rides JUST inside all this.
BUT, just in case, I made a spacer to move the lip-seal a little farther in so there is no doubt. (There is plenty of space between the seal and bearing)
Also, planning to put some Permatex#2 around the seal in case it was weeping around the perimeter.
Phil has a new seal on the way; I’m sure it will be fine, just won’t know why it leaked the first time….

Sure wonder why they have a “weep hole” there, it’s not a water pump! Expecting the seal to leak? (And with the sealed bearing there, would it matter?)