Power Steering Woes

[darrenjlobb]

Chaps,

Another strange one from me, im on a roll this week with issues...

306 HDI power steering...no idea on history, but judging by rest of car, not good...

Basically as you turn the steering, it goes around in lumps...so full pas assistance for half a turn, then a tight spot, then starts assisting again, then stops, like lumpy as you turn the wheel, total farce to drive...Fluid looks clean enough, and I have already swapped out the pump, which has made no difference..

Has anyone ever experienced anything similer?

Can only assume its the steering valve on the rack, but looks like id have to drop the entire rack to look at that anyway..just wondering if theres anything I can try with it on the car to try and clear it / sort it...or if its just fubared!

[Mattcheese31]

mine does it when aux belt slips in the wet, i assume that's all tight...

[Jimbo]

I have had this at work before, tight steering uj on top of rack will be siezing up.
Hence the "tight" spots

[Tom]

What Jimbob said :p

[darrenjlobb]

Ah, didnt think of that, just felt more like a assistance problem....as its not notchy if the engines off?

[Jimbo]

Ah right, yeah the one we had was notchy with engine off.
Still worth a check I guess.
If its been out of use maybe worth flushing fluid and wacking some new in

[darrenjlobb]

Hm, fluid looks ok...Im thinking previous owner has already tried that...seriously noting woudl surpise me with this car..

Looks like the racks coming off heh, ive got one here, was just hoping to avoid the farce!!

[anto]

As jimbo says its the UJ. Mine did exactly the same thing, felt like the power steering wasnt working at times like you have described. Get it lubed up!

[Rippthrough]

Shuttle valve is bent or the bearing is f*cked, get the same thing on the buggy sometimes (we nick the Pug steering valve out of a rack and stick it in a remote ally housing)

[darrenjlobb]

Really? Even tho its perfectly normal with the engine off? IE stiff all the time with no notchs?

[Rippthrough]

Well, assuming you've checked the more obvious stuff the other guys listed, that's the next spot, yes, it'll be fine with the engine off as it's the bobbing motion the shuttle goes through that changes the assistance level as it rotates. Unless it's really, really f*cked, then you'll feel it with it off too, although it usually starts to turn the steering to one side on it's own when the car is stood before then.