sumcollegekid

Guys,

My 1969 427 390HP frame off is done... sitting and waiting to be driven and I can't figure out this power steering issue. This is super frustrating.

The car drove fine before restoration with all the same major components.

Here's the problem:

The adjustment nut for balancing the PS valve should push the rod on the cylinder OUT when turned CLOCKWISE but mine is reversed. The steering wheel bucks and fights when driving confirming that something is backwards.

What else I've done:
- New hoses
- New seal kit on the Slave Cylinder
- Opened the PS pump but decided not to rebuild it and just painted/re-assembled.
- Full bleed of the PS with car running and not, wheels in the air and on the ground, per GM, and Lonestar, and any other directions I could find (basically all the same).
- Replaced PS control valve with a new one built by Lonestar... same issue as the old one I rebuilt
- Hoses cross coming from the control valve are installed like they are supposed to be (Top on the CV connected to the bottom of the slave cylinder and the Bottom on the CV connected to the top of the slave cylinder).
- Engine belt routing to the PS pump is correct.
- Removed check valve from the PS pump at the high pressure line removed, inspected, and replaced.
- The inlet and outlet hoses from the PS to the control valve are different sizes and only go on one way.
- The hoses to the slave cylinder are exactly as the GM manual and all pictures that I've seen say they should be. The make one cross at the slave cylinder then are parallel over to the slave cylinder.

What the hell is going on?

Help!
Sum.

MelWff

did you route the hoses correctly?
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...L9cvpVfeuDbnbA

sumcollegekid

Yes hoses are definitely routed correct. I checked this against the GM Assembly Manual.

MelWff

just double check against this link
http://repairs.willcoxcorvette.com/c...ower-steering/

TimAT

My 69 the PS hoses cross at the control valve end.

bradleyb66

It sounds like your hoses are correct, based on your description in your original post (top to bottom, bottom to top). I was hoping a control valve expert (like Willcox) would chime in with an opinion on if the control valve could have been rebuilt incorrectly?

I don't think this is possible to change, but the hose connections on the slave cylinder are on the 'front' of the cylinder, correct? (looking at the cylinder from the side of the car, the hose connections should be on the left of the rod coming out of the cylinder) If the cylinder was somehow twisted 180 degrees, then the hose connections would be backwards...

Maybe a couple of pictures would help?

lionelhutz

You can't have the hoses backwards or it would power the steering to the stop.

Did you adjust the valve in between the points where the cylinder starts to move?
- run steering to purge air.
- disconnect cylinder.
- turn screw one way until cylinder just starts to move. Mark position.
- turn screw other way until cylinder just starts to move. Mark position.
- adjust the screw centered between the 2 positions found above.

sumcollegekid

Here is a video and some photos of the issue. Everyone that I've talked to is clueless as to what could cause this.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZne...ature=youtu.be




Properly crossed hoses



Hoses run parallel from valve into the slave cylinder



Inlet and outlet hoses to the control valve are completely different and only connect one way



Hoses coming from the back of the PS pump.

TOM B1

Looks like you have it correct.
So check the pump pulley as it may be slipping on the shaft.
have some one turn the steering wheel as you watch the pulley and belt, does it hesitate or stop at some point. Tires on the ground of course.
check the fluid with car running, can you see flow or foaming which is air mixing with fluid.
With steering disconnected from box and front end off the ground you should be able to turn the wheels freely, if not then you have a drag link or ball joint getting tight.
also now that the steering box turns free while you have it disconnected.

lionelhutz

Start with the cylinder disconnected, the valve adjusted and the wheels on the ground. Try turning the steering. Does the cylinder go the right way to assist the steering or the opposite way? If I get this right, trying to turn right should make the cylinder retract because it should assist by pulling the linkage to the left.

Peterbuilt

Your PSCV is OK, the cylinder is bad.

Jim Shea

You mentioned that you removed the high pressure hose and then you removed discharge fitting from the back of the pump. Are you sure that you replaced the spring #5, flow control valve #6, and the discharge fitting asm #24 in the correct order? Did you orient the flow control valve so that the screen end went into the pump first?


Jim