Question: Hard steering - which part gets the money?

[dburgjohn]

my 81 power steering does not work if you try to turn the steering wheel too fast. Slow turns have full power, quick ones need lots of arm power. Direction of turn does not matter, engine speed or car speed does not matter. I don't want to play R&R with parts so....

is the bad part a pump, control valve, ram cyl or hose?

 

[6880 Mike]

Possibly nothing wrong. C3 power steering is actually only power assist, not the full power the bigger GM cars got.

NOTE: I did not imbed the link. That appears to come from the forum.

 

[dburgjohn]

nope

it used to be better. if you turn steering wheel too fast, there is no power assist at all.

Possibly nothing wrong. C3 power steering is actually only power assist, not the full power the bigger GM cars got.

NOTE: I did not imbed the link. That appears to come from the forum.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Yes, those automated links are annoying, but can be blocked. Try installing adblock plus.

I'd verify the fluid level first, then rebuild the control valve as the next step. Don't think the ram or hoses are a contributor at this point.

 

[dburgjohn]

Fluid level is full, no leaks. Nothing visible wrong. Can control valve fail in such a way as to work but not pass enough pressure for a quick turn?

Yes, those automated links are annoying, but can be blocked. Try installing adblock plus.

I'd verify the fluid level first, then rebuild the control valve as the next step. Don't think the ram or hoses are a contributor at this point.

 

[Dad]

Dump the fluid, bleed the system and give it a shot of new blood. Keep the old fluid in a clear water bottle and watch how much dirt will settle out.

Would you work as good as it has been if you had that much crap in your system?