I installed a rebuilt power steering control valve I had ordered from Corvette Central. It was pre-centered and lubed and said 'do not adjust or lubricate'. I installed the valve according to the Haynes Manual and now the steering is very stiff going to the left or right. The old valve worked better but the ball stud was very loose and leaking. Does anyone know why my steering would be so stiff? Please help

 

Did you do anything to get the air out of the system before you started your engine? When you steer is the system noisey? Air in the system will give you short term problems as you describe.

Look at the fluid in the pump reservoir. Is the fluid milky? This indicates that air has been whipped into suspension in the fluid.

Let the car sit overnight. The next morning, jack the front end up so that you take the load off the front wheels. Without starting the engine, rotate the steering wheel to full lock right and left turns about a dozen times. Recheck the fluid level in you reservoir. Refill as necessary. Rotate the steering lock to lock several more time. Refill again if necessary. Now go drive the car.

I think that your stiff steering problem has probably gone away.

Let us know.

Jim

 

with Jim. Check this out. I found it on the web. Hope it helps.

Ken


REPLACING AND BALANCING THE POWER STEERING CONTROL VALVE

The purpose of this paper is to provide some helpful hints when replacing and/or balancing the Corvette power steering control valve. There are two pages from the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual that should be included with this paper. They are pages 9-34 and 9-35. They have been scanned and are provided as word documents; ValveReplace&BalancePic#1.doc and ValveReplace&BalancePic#2.doc.

A Word Of Caution: It has come to my attention that some new replacement control valves have been very poorly balanced. Starting the engine with a very out of balanced valve can result in the steering system self steering without any steering wheel inputs. Some steering systems have been known to “whip” the steering wheel all the way to full lock. The assist cylinder (or ram) can develop up to 1700 pounds of force. So an out of control power steering system is nothing to mess with! Therefore, as part of this procedure, I strongly recommend that you disconnect the assist cylinder from the frame before ever starting the engine.

Removal
You can start with the second column on page 9-34. As described in #2, the relay rod to control valve clamp bolt would be the bolt that goes in the tapped hole on the extreme left end of the valve as shown in fig. 69. It is NOT the bolt with the arrow in that picture.

A hint: Count the number of revolutions it takes to remove your original valve from the relay rod. Screw the new valve on the same number of revolutions. This should result in your steering wheel being centered when the car is going straight down the road.

Since you are already under the vehicle, now is a good time to disconnect the assist cylinder from the frame attachment.

Installation
As described in #2, with the new valve installed and the system filled with power steering fluid, the system now needs to have air eliminated from within the fluid circuit. I have a slightly different procedure than described for bleeding this air.

My procedure for air bleed and control valve balance check.
After you have reattached the valve and all the hoses, fill the power steering pump reservoir to the proper level and let the oil remain undisturbed for a least two minutes. DO NOT start the engine! With the both front wheels off the ground, turn the steering wheel lock to lock at least four times. If the car is on jack stands be sure that your wheels don't hit the stands at full lock! Now check the fluid level, add fluid if necessary. Again, turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times.

Valve Balancing
With the assist cylinder disconnected from the frame, you can now start the engine and check the valve balance as described (2.a.,b., 3., and 4.)

If you determine that you need to tweak the valve balance, remember that the nut that you are going to adjust is a torque prevailing type. You will note that the instructions say that you are not to turn the nut more than absolutely necessary in order to balance the valve. It has been reported that some rebuilt or remanufactured valves have had this nut loosen and the valve goes out of balance when the nut backs off. If the nut seems to rotate fairly freely, you should consider either a new torque prevailing nut or loctite it in place.

One Last Check
After you have completed the valve balance procedure and the vehicle is now on the ground, check the power steering fluid level one last time and refill if necessary.
If the power steering oil appears milky or foamy, allow the vehicle to stand for a few minutes and then start the engine. (If there is entrapped air in the power steering system, you can experience the following short term problems: loud steering pump noise when steering; lack of power assist; poor returnability.)

Turn the steering wheel back and forth to full lock a few times. Only bump the wheel stops lightly and very briefly. Sometimes it may take a short drive of about 10 miles and/or the vehicle sitting overnight to finally get the remaining entrapped air out of the fluid.



JIML82@aol.com
ValveReplace&Balance07OC01.doc