This is on a 1977. I rebuilt the control valve and replaced all the hoses. I balanced the control valve like the rebuild kit suggested. With the ram disconnected from the frame I turned the adjusting nut and the ram moved in and out like it is supposed to. I centered the adjustment between the two extremes and hooked the ram back to the frame but there is no power assist. With the ram disconnected from the frame I can have someone turn the wheel and I can feel the control valve move back and forth and the ram moves in and out but I can grab it with my hand and hold it back or even push it against the direction it wants to go. Either the control valve is not working 100%, or the ram needs to be rebuilt or the pump is not making any pressure. Any suggestions on how I tell what the problem is before I start replacing parts?

Thanks,

Mike

 

If the pump was making pressure before, it should be making pressure now.
If the ram was working before, it should be working now.
You should question your rebuild of the C.V. Did you watch the Willcox video, step by step on rebuilding the C.V? Its very helpful.
By any chance did you NOT criss-cross the steel lines that should be?

 

I did crisscross the lines and I did watch the video. I will pull the CV again and see if I can see anything wrong.

I can feel the spool valve moving in the CV housing but how far is it supposed to move? It moves maybe 3/4 of an inch between the two extremes.

 

I recall there was a special washer inside the C. Valve that could / should only go one way.

Was the system bled? Might be air trapped in there. I don't know why they call it bleeding. There is no valve or bleeder to open, but anyway . . . . .

 

I know what washer you are talking about, it was pointed out in the Wilcox video. I put it on the right way...according to the video. I have not bled the system but I may play around with that before I pull the valve.

The car has not been on the road since 2013 so while I did feel some power from the steering before I rebuilt the valve, I don't know how well it was actually working. If the ram or the pump were on their last legs, rebuilding the CV and loading the system might have put them over the edge.

 

With the fronts wheels off the ground (jackstands) engine running, turn the steering wheel from lock to lock about five or six times. That should purge any bubbles to the PS pump where they will dissipate.

 

I worked on it a bunch tonight. Went through the CV several times and I'm convinced it is put together right. I'm trying to understand how it is supposed to work but I'm missing something. I understand that the ball stud will move left and right based in steering inputs and when it moves it will supply pressurized fluid to one port or the other on the ram. The part I don't understand is that when it is all together I can move the ball stud to the right by hand (as if making a left turn). It moves easily and the control valve moves a fair bit and springs right back when I release it. I believe that it is moving against the larger diameter spring in the CV. However, when I attempt to move it left (as if making a right turn) it barely moves at all. The same spring that it moves against in a left turn seems to hold the ball stud all the way to the left with the ball stud carrier up against the plate between the two halves so there is no way for it to move any more to the left. Does it center itself once there is pressurized fluid?

I believe that my pump is bad. The first time I started it up with after I rebuilt the CV, the pump made some very loud noise like it does when it's low on fluid. I didn't have the pressure line fully tightened and it pumped a fair bit of fluid out on the ground. I shut it off, tightened everything up, filled it back up and it all seemed to be good. Tonight, with the engine running, I broke the lines from the pump to the CV loose and it barely pumped any fluid out. There certainly wasn't any pressure in the lines. When I'm centering the valve and the ram hits the end of it's travel, I do not hear the pump loading up at all. I've bled the system and I do get some fluid out of the lines but it is little more than just draining, no pressure at all. I'm going to replace the pump tomorrow and see what that does for me.

 

It could very well be the impeller in the pump itself. IDK.
At the rear of the pump is a steel line and a rubber return line. On the high pressure steel line, I seem to recall a brass screen under the fitting. It can only be seen by removing the HI-pres line of course. I believe the screen kept contaminates from entering the system (anything that fell into the dipstick tube) Maybe that screen is blocked?