C3 General General C3 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Power Steering Problems

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Mar 2, 2006 | 10:48 AM
  #1  
whitesnake81's Avatar
whitesnake81
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Brandon Ms
Default Power Steering Problems

How can you tell which unit needs to be replaced, when you are having power steering problems? The Power Steering Pump, Control Valve or the Steering cylinder. The P/S is making noises and jerks when the steering wheel is turned.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!
Reply
Old Mar 2, 2006 | 04:04 PM
  #2  
SIXFOOTER's Avatar
SIXFOOTER
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime Gold
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Default

If its jerking the steering control valve may be damaged. A rebuild kit is about $25. You can jack up the front end and rotate the steering back and forth with the engine off and it should be stiff but move smoothly if the cylinder is ok. Is the system full of PS Fluid?
Reply
Old Mar 2, 2006 | 04:18 PM
  #3  
81cali's Avatar
81cali
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 841
Likes: 0
From: High Desert California
Default

Could that be the same with my power steering too? When it warms up, my steering gets stiff and I mean REALLY stiff. You can hardly tell when running but if you try to make a 3 point turn or parallel park, be prepared and make sure you just got out of the gym. Any suggestions what could be my problem?????????????
Reply
Old Mar 2, 2006 | 10:44 PM
  #4  
whitesnake81's Avatar
whitesnake81
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Brandon Ms
Default

Originally Posted by SIXFOOTER
If its jerking the steering control valve may be damaged. A rebuild kit is about $25. You can jack up the front end and rotate the steering back and forth with the engine off and it should be stiff but move smoothly if the cylinder is ok. Is the system full of PS Fluid?
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
Reply
Old Mar 3, 2006 | 08:21 AM
  #5  
mbeeman350's Avatar
mbeeman350
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,529
Likes: 27
From: Auburndale Florida
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
St. Jude Donor '03-'05-'06-'07-'09
Default

Originally Posted by 81cali
Could that be the same with my power steering too? When it warms up, my steering gets stiff and I mean REALLY stiff. You can hardly tell when running but if you try to make a 3 point turn or parallel park, be prepared and make sure you just got out of the gym. Any suggestions what could be my problem?????????????
Good post..I am having the same issue....when I was test driving the car. I stopped, got out and opened the hood to be sure it had PS
Reply
Old Mar 3, 2006 | 11:15 AM
  #6  
Silver00V6Camaro's Avatar
Silver00V6Camaro
Drifting
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,258
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville Alabama
Default

Originally Posted by mbeeman350
Good post..I am having the same issue....when I was test driving the car. I stopped, got out and opened the hood to be sure it had PS
i have the same issue but mine is because i have a small crack where the return line ties in on the pump.
Reply
Old Mar 3, 2006 | 03:36 PM
  #7  
gliot1's Avatar
gliot1
Safety Car
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,768
Likes: 2,514
From: Buckeye, AZ
St. Jude Donor '12-'13
Default

I wish I could snug my steering a bit, but I am told that a '78 has that kind of floaty feeling. I am used to a 2000 Mustang steering so I guess it's driver error.
Reply
Old Mar 3, 2006 | 08:29 PM
  #8  
Sprzout's Avatar
Sprzout
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,078
Likes: 0
From: Santee CA
Default

Originally Posted by whitesnake81
How can you tell which unit needs to be replaced, when you are having power steering problems? The Power Steering Pump, Control Valve or the Steering cylinder. The P/S is making noises and jerks when the steering wheel is turned.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!
Definitely sounds like the control valve. I just replaced mine, after trying unsuccessfully to do a rebuild (the seals just kept blowing out) and when I put PS fluid in the system with the valve improperly adjusted, it wrenched the steering wheel out of my hands, HARD. If it's jerking, you may have a torn seal inside somewhere. Best way to diagnose that is to look and see what color/consistency the grease is that's around the control valve. If it's runny and has a milky look to it, pull the control valve, because you've got a blown seal and the PS fluid's leaking past it.

Get a good strap wrench to take that sucker off, too, because you'll be spinning the valve off with very little clearance, and the wrong wrench will trash it. Same goes with taking the hoses off; get some AN/flare nut wrenches to remove them, or else you'll round the nuts, forcing you to replace the hoses. I tried to pull one off with an open end wrench, and rounded one of the nuts slightly. Using a flare nut wrench helped save the other hoses.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-8

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
Old Mar 3, 2006 | 08:56 PM
  #9  
ICEMAN59's Avatar
ICEMAN59
Drifting
Supporting Lifetime Gold
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,360
Likes: 0
From: COVINGTON LA
Default

Originally Posted by gliot1
I wish I could snug my steering a bit, but I am told that a '78 has that kind of floaty feeling. I am used to a 2000 Mustang steering so I guess it's driver error.
I have an 80 and my steering is "floaty" it drifts from side to side when cruising, if your clipping along it can get scary
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Power Steering Problems





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:15 AM.

story-0
2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Is the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 the best Silverado yet?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-16 08:01:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers

Slideshow: 5 best and 5 worst Corvette daily drivers

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-15 10:32:13


VIEW MORE
story-2
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained

Slideshow: The headlights of every Corvette generation explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-15 10:17:14


VIEW MORE
story-3
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 most overrated Corvette track packages ever.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:46:45


VIEW MORE
story-4
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

Slideshow: Every 2027 Corvette engine explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:16:31


VIEW MORE
story-5
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-08 19:53:43


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE