Help! Power steering

[scotch1]

HI EVERYONE.
I'm having an intermittent problem with my 94 Vert power steering. Its all stock, has only about 40k miles on it.
The steering is fine, then, all of sudden the wheel gets really hard to turn! Then just as quickly it returns back to normal again. Any idea where to start looking for the problem??
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Tom.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Under what condidtions does this occur?.

At rest?
Driving slow?
Driving fast?
When cold?
After warmed-up?

Has the pwr. steering fluid ever been changed?

Is the fluid at the proper level?

 

[scotch1]

Under what condidtions does this occur?.

At rest?
Driving slow?
Driving fast?
When cold?
After warmed-up?

Has the pwr. steering fluid ever been changed?

Is the fluid at the proper level?

It gets very hard to turn the wheel almost impossible to turn,while Driving at normal speed, when I start to turn into a corner, make a turn.
Driving straight is fine and feels fine and is responsive to keeping the car on straight and on the road.
Had the power steering fluid replaced but didn't help.
Doesnt' seem to matter warmed up or cold, I tried warming it up in my garage, before going out, but it still gave me trouble after I drive for a while.
Any way to try to pinpoint the problem?
Thanks .
Tom.

 

[keremarsan]

Hi ,

If your steering become hard, it means that for some reason ( power steering pump or rack and pinion itself ) you lost assistance pressure ( pump related ) or fluid pressure does not make the job ( rack and pinion related ) .

On my 88 I had a similar problem ,

- I change the pump > no positive effect
- I change the rack & steering > all problem resolved.

Begin with the less complicated to more complicated . So first check the pump pressure, if it is OK , your rack and pinion maybe needed to be overhauled ( easy to find remanufactured on corvette central or ecklers but not an easy job replace it ) .

Good luck

 

[gmjunkie]

Flush the power steering system and add about 6-8 oz of this Click and top off with fresh fluid!
Results will be within 50 mi,But are usually Immediate!!

 

[scotch1]

Thanks everyone!
I will definitely try the LUCAS additive.
I hate to replace the rack as the car has only 40 k miles on it. Is this a common problem in the c4's 0r the 94's ?.
QUESTION> Is the replacement of the rack and pinion something I can do myself or does it require a specialist to do.

 

[So Bay Vetter]

Same symptoms;

Mine was a bad hose on the pressure side from the P/S pump (it took the pump out as well). It happened half way thru a 115 degree track day. As for the rack; Yes, you can do it yourself, however, it requires a bunch of parts removal at the front of the engine to have enough access to work comfortably, high jack stands or a lift and a fairly decent set of tools (tight access and all) Also, any good mechanic will tell you to replace hoses as well.

 

[gmjunkie]

Thanks everyone!
I will definitely try the LUCAS additive.
I hate to replace the rack as the car has only 40 k miles on it. Is this a common problem in the c4's 0r the 94's ?.
QUESTION> Is the replacement of the rack and pinion something I can do myself or does it require a specialist to do.

It's a purdy common on all older Rack and Pinion Vehicles,Just some worse than others!Don't Matter,Corvette,Grand Am,Malibu,Rustang,Contour,Taurus,Esquat,PT Cruiser,Chrysler 300, Don't matter they'll all do it over time, not necessarily miles!

The rack isn't a hard complected job,but why spend $200.-$300 on a rack and your time if it's not necessary??

I drain,flush the power steering and add 6 oz of Lucas and top off with fresh fluid every 50,000 miles in All of my vehicles and the same with All the vehicles I put on my lot for sale! Never ever had power steering problems with any of them other than maybe a busted hose!
Most the cars I sell come back here at least a couple times a year for service,Ain't never had anybody p*ssed over their power steering and tried to strangle me!!

 

[CAJUN C4]

HI EVERYONE.
I'm having an intermittent problem with my 94 Vert power steering. Its all stock, has only about 40k miles on it.
The steering is fine, then, all of sudden the wheel gets really hard to turn! Then just as quickly it returns back to normal again. Any idea where to start looking for the problem??
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Tom.

Mine had Similar Issues and ,as above, GM Junkie advised me to try some Lucas Power Steering Conditioner. Viola ! It worked. Smooth as silk going on 6 Mos. now.

 

[scotch1]

Hi everyone.
Thanks for the input.
I purchase a bottle of ‘Lucas’ today.
Next question, what and where is the best way to drain the power steering fluid?? As it can be kind of messy!
Should I just open a fitting under the car or is there a procedure in the shop manual I should follow??
Are there any special purge fittings in the PS system??
Or is it best to just suck out the fluid from the reservoir and pour in the Lucas??
Tom.

 

[boomdriver]

The 'suck' tool from the auto parts store is around $15 and a darn convenient thing to have around. Turkey basters don;t work nearly as well...

The Lucas fluid tends to seperate with the thicker stuff settling at the bottom, so squeeze it out thru the little nozzle that has to be cut open and that helps to get the right blend of the product. Just suck about 2-3" out of the resevoir and replace with Lucas. The results can be felt within minutes of driving.

 

[So Bay Vetter]

It pays in the long run to replace all the fluid; remove return hose @ bottom of reservoir - carefully cuz it's plastic and usually stubborn. I cut hose below nipple on resevoir then carefully sliced hose off nipple w/ razor knife. Put hose in empty bottle, suck out/ replace fluid in resevoir and spin pump by hand or disconnect ignition and use starter to turn pump. I burned a quart of new fluid in the flush. Then re-attach return line to resevoir, fill w/ fluid& lucas.