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Factory power steering woes


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My factory power steering system has begun "sticking" or "locking up" but only on initial start up. Once I force the steering wheel around in either direction a bit, it suddenly frees up and works as well as it did for the past ten years since I rebuilt the pump in 2013.

At first, I thought the reservoir had run low of fluid allowing introduction of air bubbles (can't remember the last time I check that fluid level).  But, when I checked it, the fluid level was still on the bottom of the stick at the "cold" marking.  I did add a bit more fluid and also jacked the front end up and did several "lock to lock" turns of the steering wheel to purge any air that might be in the system.  Nothing changed, but the problem now seems to be getting worse, requiring longer and more force on the steering wheel to release the "sticking".  Again, once it starts working, there is no more intermittent "sticking" until the next cold start.

I searched the forums but have not found this particular problem addressed.  It sounds like B-man may be experiencing something similar right now. 

Does this problem ring a bell with anyone?  It almost feels like a gradual internal pump failure since there is no fluid leaking anywhere.  I read about a pressure reducing valve available from Summit but the system has worked perfectly for the last ten years so I'd rather think it is some type of mechanical failure.  Maybe I just need to rebuild the pump again?  Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

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12 hours ago, cny first gen 71 said:

How does the fluid look? Good or burnt? It sounds like the box is binding at times. Is it original steering box?

Thanks for your reply, Steve.  The fluid is a natural color and not leaking anywhere.  I really appreciate your thought that the box may be binding.  The box/pump/hose system came off of a salvaged '70 Monte so it is a correct factory part but used and quite old.  My '70 was built without power steering (RPO N40).  Being a factory 4-speed, it was a bear to parallel park or turn around, requiring both hands on the wheel to crank it around (especially with 255/60s on the front). 

It makes good sense that the box may be progressively failing or needing adjustment as most mechanical parts eventually do. I rebuilt the pump before I installed the system in 2013 but didn't think to inspect or rebuild the box.

I see that both my '70 Chassis Service Manual and '70 Chassis Overhaul Manual have extensive chapters on the power steering box and pump so I will delve into them after I get my income taxes prepared.  What has mystified me is that the binding only occurs briefly after a cold start and then works normally after that.  Usually a mechanical failure is more persistent than that.

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Dennis, my car had a bit of let's call it lag at start up a while back. It turned out that my belts needed to be tightened up and that fixed my problem. It only happened when the car first started. Just a thought, good luck

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Hi Dennis.

When was the last time you changed/flushed the power steering system ?

To me it sounds almost like a restriction in the lines where fluid is coagulating when it gets cold and slowly building up a blockage.....

Just my $0.02 worth. ;)

 Scott.

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Jack up the front end till the front wheels are off the ground. Without starting the car try turning the wheel and see if is still binding initially. That will take the pump out of the picture. While the front end is up check all front end parts. Ie, tie rod ends, center link, idler arm and when was the last time all were greased? 

Just a few things you can try before spending money. 

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Thanks for the tips and suggestions guys!  I will check them all out and read my Service and Overhaul manuals to see if I can diagnose the failure.  It may take a while but I will report what I find or conclude. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions on things to do and check regarding my power steering issues.  I had planned to investigate all suggested causes but, before I got started, I also mentioned the problem to my son-in-law who lives nearby.  Several years ago, he had the same symptoms occur on his swamp buggy powered by a 305 Chevy with power steering.  He solved it by flushing the power steering fluid and re-filling the system with Lucas Power Steering Fluid with Conditioners.

Based on his input and several of your questions/suggestions regarding the condition of the power steering fluid in my system, I decided to investigate that as a possible cause first.  Before I began the power steering fluid flush procedure (I looked at several YouTube videos), I jacked the front wheels off the ground and cranked the steering wheel lock to lock several times without the engine running as Tom suggested.  There was no locking up at all so I could pretty well eliminate a mechanical failure in the steering box.

I flushed the old fluid by disconnecting one end of the return hose and plugged the return inlet to the pump.  Cranking the steering wheel lock to lock several times pumped the old fluid out into the catch pan.  It was surprisingly dark as it had not been changed since 2013 when I installed the rebuilt pump.  Continuing to crank the steering wheel while filling the reservoir with fresh Lucas fluid ultimately purged the old fluid out of the system and replaced it with fresh fluid. 

After reconnecting the return line, I again cranked the steering wheel lock to lock many times to purge the air bubbles and kept refilling the reservoir with fresh fluid.  But when I checked the fluid level on the dip stick, I could see that there was a layer of foamy fluid on top in the reservoir and on the dip stick.  Apparently the procedure I used either allowed or introduced a lot of air into the system.

Finally, I decided to test drive the car.  Every movement of the steering wheel cause an unusual noise from the power steering pump, although the system seemed to be working fine otherwise.   I returned home and immediately jacked the wheels off the ground and tried to purge more air out of the system by operating it lock to lock many times and adding fresh fluid as needed.

The pump was much quieter during the second test drive and almost totally quiet during the third test drive.  The best news, of course, is that the "locking up" problem has almost totally disappeared.  I am confident that the conditioners in the Lucas fluid will eventually unclog whatever the old fluid had done that was causing that problem. 

I plan to follow up on some of the other suggestions but for now, it seems that the original problem has been solved.   If I find anything else, I'll report that later.  My Monte is about to be put down for a long summer's nap as I head for our summer home in MN next Thursday.  I'll miss her while I'm gone!

IMG_4425.JPG

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