1456 steering loss

I am working on a 1456 steering problem that is giving me fits. I have replaced the MCV and pump, the pilot valve assembly and the hand pump. It seems like it is getting air in the system. At the lowest idle it will not steer. At just above the lowest is steers with some effort. At mid to high idle it has absolutely no steering and the wheel stammers and shakes violently. Where the heck is the air coming from?

Don't overlook the o-ring on filter housing. Some of them don't fit very well and or the cover gets damaged. After that, most likely you are taking air in around the o-ring in split between rear and speed transmission. Main suction tube in rear end may have come loose also. Overfill at least 5 to 8 gals to see if it helps problem so as to cover that area with fluid. If all that fails, you start plugging holes and apply air pressure and listen for air leaks. What was reason for replacing pump to start with. Does main pump work ok. You can pull air in through them also if they are shot or suction tube seal to it is bad. With oil at normal level, if you pull filter, no oil should continue to run out of rear end, you may get a little out of main rear suction tube but I don't think so and if you do make sure it isn't coming from around the tube o-ring. You can plug that tube and over fill to see if it comes around the outside of tube. You will be able to tell if seal on rear pump suction tube is leaking also. These seals are very small and delicate, often times damaged when pump work is done. You will have to pull whole tear drop cover off to get a good look and work inside filter area.

Thanks for the info. Guess what! I checked out the filter and it was full of bugs BUGS! I replaced it and the problem was fixed. I went through a lot of wrenching and all it needed was a new filter. NOTE TO SELF! Always check the simplest thing first!

When working with hydraulic problems check the fluid level first and then the filter.