Stiff steering
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,360
Likes: 543
From: Sarasota FL
St. Jude Donor '25-'26
If no leaks I would do a complete fluid change by removing the lower low pressure hose at the power steering reservoir. Place that line in a cheap 6" diameter tin funnel, squashed to fit, add a tube from the funnel to drain into a container on the floor. Cap the reservoir outlet with a vacuum cap.
Turn the wheel almost lock to lock, repeat, and then check fluid level. Add fluid when necessary. Run about 32 ounces of new fluid through the system or watch for the fluid color change.
If this does not fix the problem, I would look at replacing the power steering pump. But 34,500 miles is very low for a pump failure.
Next is the steering rack but again the car has low miles.
Good luck.
Turn the wheel almost lock to lock, repeat, and then check fluid level. Add fluid when necessary. Run about 32 ounces of new fluid through the system or watch for the fluid color change.
If this does not fix the problem, I would look at replacing the power steering pump. But 34,500 miles is very low for a pump failure.
Next is the steering rack but again the car has low miles.
Good luck.
Last edited by Keppler; Feb 12, 2023 at 12:09 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 17,383
Likes: 6,527
From: Melbourne, FL
I'm with the others, clean uid. These cars have pathetically soft steering normally, I wish mine had the stiff steering a sports car should, instead of this soft old fogeys Buick steering
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 4,453
Likes: 1,390
From: SC
If the fluid change doesn't solve the problem it could be a bad ball joint. I had a ball joint fail (not on my Vette) and the steering got stiff first. Dealer replaced the steering rack, didn't help. Then they told me "They all do that". Then the front left corner of the suspension collapsed. Then the manufacture recalled the ball joints.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 498
Likes: 211
From: Wisconsin
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Most people don't know that our cars have 'variable effort steering'. When I bought my GS the steering was heavy but I also had a code set for this system. It is supposed to make the steering light for parking lot type manuvers an heavier at speed. My problem was in the antilock brake control wiring, which is one of the inputs used to control the pindel in the steering rack.
