Control Valve Balance Idea
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 113
From: Saginaw Michigan
Control Valve Balance Idea
I sent an eMail to a forum member last night concerning balancing a control valve. He had just rebuilt his valve and now it was extremely light effort and biased to the right.
It dawned on me that entrapped air in the system can not only cause a lot of steering noise, but it can also cause the steering to feel "different." I am not sure that even the Chevrolet shop manual addresses that fact that you may need to rebalance the valve after getting all the air out of the system. This means a 10 mile drive and even leaving it sit overnight to finally get all the air out.
Have any members found that after a control valve rebuild/replace that it took a day or two for the system to feel correct? Or did you find that you needed to go back and rebalance? Did the effort seem to change?
It dawned on me that entrapped air in the system can not only cause a lot of steering noise, but it can also cause the steering to feel "different." I am not sure that even the Chevrolet shop manual addresses that fact that you may need to rebalance the valve after getting all the air out of the system. This means a 10 mile drive and even leaving it sit overnight to finally get all the air out.
Have any members found that after a control valve rebuild/replace that it took a day or two for the system to feel correct? Or did you find that you needed to go back and rebalance? Did the effort seem to change?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 3
From: Wildwood IL
Re: Control Valve Balance Idea (Jim Shea)
Jim:
I can't answer your "rebalance" question because I won't be able to "drive it after steering rebuild". The engine is being put back together. But my 77 GM manual does contain the balance procedure after a pwr cylinder rebuild. It also contains the air bleed procedure after a full system fill. I will leave the pump belt off when I start it for the first time, as I dial in my new cam/carb etc.. then reconnect it when I can devote my attention to the steering system. I can post my findings for you then. Sound good???
Ed :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
I can't answer your "rebalance" question because I won't be able to "drive it after steering rebuild". The engine is being put back together. But my 77 GM manual does contain the balance procedure after a pwr cylinder rebuild. It also contains the air bleed procedure after a full system fill. I will leave the pump belt off when I start it for the first time, as I dial in my new cam/carb etc.. then reconnect it when I can devote my attention to the steering system. I can post my findings for you then. Sound good???
Ed :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 2,897
Likes: 0
From: Moon Township PA
Re: Control Valve Balance Idea (Jim Shea)
Jim is being kind because I am the one that asked about the "light" feeling in the steering after the control valve rebuild. The rebuild itself and the balancing are fairly straight forward and something that most of us can do. My problem turned out to the control valve had a VERY slight bias towards turning the wheel to the right. I took the cap off and backed off the lock nut about 1/4 of a turn. Not only did my bias go away but the steering feel tightened up. It nows feels like it did before I rebuilt the valve and replaced the hoses.
As a side note, the GM Service Manual gives a simple, easy to do control valve balancing. Other web sites give similar procedures but I think they copied and reworded portions of the GM Service Manual.
Off for a 400 mile journey from Pittsburgh to Asheville, NC on thursday. :)
Gary
As a side note, the GM Service Manual gives a simple, easy to do control valve balancing. Other web sites give similar procedures but I think they copied and reworded portions of the GM Service Manual.
Off for a 400 mile journey from Pittsburgh to Asheville, NC on thursday. :)
Gary
