sumcollegekid

Hey guys...

Getting close to being finished with my resto and I've got some issues with the power steering. Per all of the videos and instructions turning the balance nut CLOCKWISE should make the rod go out and vice versa. Mine is opposite. Also the rod moves a bit slowly but I can still balance it despite the seemingly reversed adjustment.

Sooo... I thought I was out of the woods with bleeding. When driving the car it's like there is no P/S and there is a clunking sound now when turning left/right abruptly which wasn't there when I drove the car with some fluid in the reservoir but without the system being bled.

Here's the back story.

Bought the car with 77K mi and the power steering worked great for the few times I drove it before it went right into restoration. Rebuilt the P/S control valve because it was leaking and I had to disassemble it to be painted anyway. I re-used all of the major parts that didn't come with the repair kit from Zip. The ball/socket had some wear but there were no issues before so I re-used those also. I added new hoses new ram seals and o-rings etc. etc. and they are installed with the criss-cross top-bottom/bottom-top configuration per the instructions.

Removed the guts of the P/S pump to clean and paint the housing and replace gaskets and seals but didn't get into the "guts" of the pump- as I said it was working well before.

Didn't have any P/S fluid so I put about 1/2 cup of trans fluid into the pump as lubricant. I started and drove the car on and off the trailer and down the street etc. without having the P/S full of fluid but with the belts hooked up.

Initially went to balance and I didn't bleed the system enough with the wheels in the air. As a consequence I basically emptied my P/S reservoir onto my garage floor and into my engine bay through the P/S reservoir cap relief hole. I removed the High Pressure hose and the relief valve in the pump moves freely, so I re-assembled and tried a more thorough bleeding. I didn't remove the screen on the relief valve to clean it but it appeared to be clean. After a proper bleeding with the engine off (where I could feel resistance and hear the fluid moving through the cylinder when turning the wheel) I had hope when I started the motor saw the rod moving but unfortunately I'm still having the above issues.

Ideas???

Sum

Jim Shea

I can only make a couple of observations:
1. You indicated that you rebuilt the assist cylinder and control valve. You also disassembled the pump in order to paint it. So I assume there was no fluid in the system. You then added about 1/2 cup (4 fluid oz) of ATF. A completely empty PS system should be filled with 20.5 oz of fluid. Depending on how far you drove the car, you could have damaged the pump. Also, with only 4 oz of fluid in the system it would be impossible to bleed the system.
2. Your basic problem appears to have started after you rebuilt the control valve. I am not familiar enough with the "guts" of the control valve to be able to tell you why it could now seem to be operating backwards when you rotate the adjusting nut.
3. I always recommend using genuine GM Power Steering Fluid for maximum durability of the system. However, ATF fluid should not damage the pump. However, driving with only 4 oz of fluid in the system could have caused damage.
4. You really need to get the correct amount of fluid in the system, then bleed it without starting the engine. It is quite possible that insufficient fluid could be the biggest reason for your problems.
Jim