Prior to rebuilding my front suspension and steering, while everything but the pump leaked, the power assist felt "right" - not overboosted or weak. I've rebuilt/replaced everything in the system and now when I drive the car, it doesn't seem to have much boost and I'm not sure where to start.

Following service manuals and instructions, I have bled the system and adjusted the control valve. Steering assist is the same in both directions, just not very much.

I have noticed one thing from when I was bleeding the system, I had my wife turn the steering all the way to the left and I could see the fluid in the reservoir go down and air come out. Then turning the other way the fluid level would go up. When the wheel is centered, the fluid is on the full cold line. Would this be normal due to the displacement of fluid in the power steering cylinder?

My first thought is to rebuild the control valve again. I'm wondering if I tightened the plug that holds the shuttle with the stud and seats too much and that is preventing it from moving back and forth enough to direct fluid to ram.

 

I take it you watched the video as you were rebuilding the C.V. If just one little part is installed backwards or incorrectly then . . . .

As far as the rez fluid level not being consistent. I think that's the first clue. The ram or cylinder should have PS fluid on both sides of the piston so as to expand & contract. So it sounds like something is blocking right turns, so to speak.

I think you should recheck the video and see if you think you missed something.

Then, with the front up on ramps, I would disconnect the ram at the frame bracket. (cotter pin, nut, washer) Push the ram to the center distance position.
Start it up. Does the ram STAY centered? Then have your wife turn the steering wheel again, back and forth while you observe the ram.
I think the C.V. is bias to one side and air is still in the system.

 

Yep, watched the video, paused, backed up, re watched….the one thing I do remember was wondering if i was making that plug too tight.

The steering cylinder is new, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. It does seem odd that the level would change if fluid was passing through the system correctly.

The ram does stay centered as i went through the balancing procedure, but i did not turn the steering wheel as you suggest. Seems easy enough to verify.

I think I’ll start with more bleeding and see if that changes anything. Then it’s off to the control valve - again…

 

hmm, I like a heavy wheel but I think the out put from the pump can be changed by the
washer at the hose connection.
smaller internal washer hole makes more pressure, I think,,,

 

Yes, not much to the cylinder, just basic hydraulic that can dribble from road debris. It's likely ok.

Your disconnected Ram is centered while idling. That's a good thing. Now have a helper put it in motion with no load.

Bleeding procedure is steering wheel lock-to-lock about a dozen times with the front tires off the ground. But I don't see why you couldn't get the same result with the ram disconnected. If that doesn't fix the issue, then it must be the C.V. needs a 2nd go-round.

The steel lines at the valve are crisscrossed right?

 

I’ve seen that, but I’m just trying to get back to where it was before i “fixed” it

 

I’m going to start with trying to bleed it more first. If i go after the control valve again, I’ll test with the ram disconnected first as you suggest.

 

Just as anecdotal data, I had a pretty light/loose steering feel on my ‘71. I changed the leaky directional valve only, nothing else, with a remanned valve. The steering was noticeably heavier after that. I liked it better that way so I left it alone.
Yes I did get all the air out and balanced the valve.
So the difference could very well be in your valve.

 

Went out to the garage today and found it’s leaking. So it’s coming out and I’m going to rebuild it….for the second time.

Hopefully I’ll get it right this time

 

<cough>
Borgeson Conversion
<cough> <cough>

 

Yes on my next corvette. Returning this LT-1 to its original condition. BTW, I have a borgeson box on my 69 Cougar. I’m a big fan.

 

That was my first thought too....

 

Well it’s coming out tomorrow, so we’ll find out

 

Control valve rebuilt. No appreciable difference in steering effort. Appears not to be leaking, but will be sure tomorrow morning…..

I’m still unsure about how tight the plug that holds the shuttle should be. The instructions say to make it “tight” and then back off to align the slots. I ran it down till it bottomed and then backed it off about 1/4 to align. I hate to take it apart again, but it’s either that or the pump isn’t putting out enough pressure.

I hate throwing parts and money at this, but I’m pondering gettting a new pump….

 

Are you 100% sure your car came with power steering? If you don't want to convert to Borgeson (on your car with 17" wheels), perhaps swapping (back?) to manual steering would get you on the road quickly.

Pumps are cheap, but a pain to install. Hopefully that fixes it!

 

Yep, born with PS.

Yes, huge pain to install. Looking online, I see a lot of reman and new pumps. Seems like for the price difference, new is the way to go.

 

Ok. Well that's good. You're knocking down the possibilities. Don't get discouraged. Borgeson isn't the path of least resistance at the moment. Like you say, next thing is to ensure the pump is putting out the right pressure. Aftermarket pumps often have a universal valve.

Did you replace the power steering pump, or was it like that when you got the car/PS setup. You could rig up a gauge on the pressure discharge and check the pressures. Would need to rig up some fittings. Or if you have an old hose, possibly modify that.

I can look in the manual later and get you the specs. Or maybe someone has a link online.

 

Next step for me is to disconnect the pressure line at the pump and make sure the relief valve is not stuck. After that I’ll try a new pump. While it’s a pain, they are cheap enough to throw one on to see if it solves the problem.

 

If you do go with a rebuilt pump, make sure its C3 compatible. Some GM Saginaws have a taller fill port. That will never clear the ALT and make it impossible to remove the dipstick.

I found the hardest part of the pump swap was the pulley exchange. I took the old & new pump to a machine shop where it took them 20 seconds to swap the pulley.

 

Interesting, I wonder if i already have one of those pumps with the taller filler neck. I had to get a longer belt to tilt the pump further so I could get the dipstick in and out.