I know that I have some form of power steering problem but I know absolutely nothing about power steering. Can some of you geniuses please point me in the right direction on where to start troubleshooting. I have checked my level in the reservoir and I do have fluid. It didn't smell to good. I have a oily residue on the power cylinder. It feels like a non PS car from a standing start but turns easily while moving. I know this isn't much to start with but any help would be greatly appreciated. :confused:


[Modified by LABulldog, 2:26 PM 9/7/2002]

 

With your engine running but your car stopped. Do you have any power assist?
With the car stopped and you rev your motor tp 1500 rpm in neutral. Do you then have any power assist?
Does your pump make any additional noise when you try to steer with the engine running and the car stopped?
With the car stopped and you turn to full lock, does your pump make any additional noise?

If all the answers to the above are NO, your problem is most likely in the pump.

Answer back as to all the answers to the above.

 

With the car stopped and the engine running, I turn the wheel and I get noise (more than just tire noise) and the steering wheel slightly vibrates. If you turn the wheels, say to half way, the noise is constant while turning but when you release the pressure on the steering wheel, the noise goes away. The rpm increase did not help anything. If you turn the wheel to the stops, the noise does increase along with the vibration.

I take it, Jim, from your questions, is that I have a bad PS pump. Do you agree or is there any other test I can do?

PS By the way, thanks for the response!

 

Jay,
It is always a challenge to try and diagnose a problem on a 20+ year old vehicle. Your comment on the smell of the fluid makes me think that the power steering fluid is old and "burnt". In other words it may have experienced a lot of heat and has lost its lubricant properties. It could also have left "varnish" deposits on the various pump and control valve components.

You could first try and drain as much of the original power steering fluid out of the system and replenish it with fresh GM power steering fluid. Get the power steering fluid from any GM dealer. You might have to get two full bottles so that you flush as much of the old fluid out of the system as possible. See if this makes the system perform better.

I have also mentioned another idea when some other Forum people have complained about loss of assist. Unfortunately, when people get things fixed and back on the road, they rarely get back and report what was actually wrong and how they corrected it.

Anyway, on the back of the pump, where your pressure hose connects, is what is called a discharge fitting. You first need to unscrew the hose nut and remove the hose. Then use a big wrench (1 inch?) to unscrew the discharge fitting from the pump. Inside the pump, and right behind the discharge fitting there is a plunger (called the flow control valve). This plunger has a spring behind it that pushes it up against the discharge fitting. This plunger should move smoothly in the pump bore.

You should be able to take a screwdriver and push the plunger against the spring and feel it move smoothly back and forth. If for instance, the plunger has a lot of varnish deposits on its surface, this could cause it to stick resulting in the pump recirculating fluid inside itself and not sending sufficient fluid out to the control valve.

Let me know what you find. The last alternative would be to purchase another pump or rebuild your current pump.

Hope these ideas help.

 

Check the belt tension first. If it's loose and the pulley is slipping the pump can't do much good.

-Noel

 

Check the power ram and the mount to the frame. Sometimes the ram can bend at the end where it mounts to the frame and you can lose power efficiency. I had a lovely little bend in mine. With the noise and vibration you describe when stationary it sounds like the pump is working but the valve and ram are'nt getting it together. :cool: