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Power Steering Glitch

ParadiseXJ

ParadiseXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Paradise, CA 95969
Lately when I fire it up in the morning about the first 100 feet I drive the power steering seems a little sticky. Fluid's good, no leaks. After I'm driving down around the corner and rest of the day it's fine, then when I leave work, same sticky problem.

Do P/S pumps go out gradually? There's no groan, belt tension good, new belt etc.
 
For the last few weeks when I go out in the morning, my whole steering is almost stuck. It feels worse than just no power steering. It usually pops and then things are good. I'm sure it could have something to do with the negative temps we've been having though. Only does it when it's cold as snot.
 
I've used a turkey baster to get the resevoir fluid out, but still no difference. Do you just pop off the PS hoses to drain the rest? Or take off the pump and do it that way? I might order new PS hoses in hopes that I have a clog in the hoses. Any other ways to figure out if the pump is bad? I've bled the system by pumping the brakes with the cap off, but no difference.
 
riverfever said:
For the last few weeks when I go out in the morning, my whole steering is almost stuck. It feels worse than just no power steering. It usually pops and then things are good. I'm sure it could have something to do with the negative temps we've been having though. Only does it when it's cold as snot.
Click to expand...
Is it possible that water contamination would cause that? If water got into the steering fluid and froze it might behave like that (the pop being the ice breaking up).
 
I was about to ask a similar question so I'm just gonna try in this thread. How do you fully drain the P/S system? If you pull the hoses, there will still be fluid left in the system. You simply do that a number of times? Or can you manually (by rotating the pully) clear the rest of the system? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Tim
 
Have one person pouring fluid in the the res. (so no air is entering the system)while one turns the wheel from lock to lock. Only disconnect the, low pressure, return hose.
 
Spinning the pulley would get the rest of the fluids out of the pump, but I don't think it would clean out the whole system unless you flushed it with clean fluid for a while.
Maybe pressurizing the lines (low pressure)? Just guessing on that part.

Or do the above. Yeah, that would prolly be easier.
 
Ok, just think I will do that. Getting as much out as possible, put in new fluid and do it again after driving the car a bit. That should do it. Will replace the (leaking) pressure hose while I am at it.

What is actually a good strategy to pull the hoses, in terms of minimizing the oil spill? Just pull the bottom connection of the pressure hose and put a big bucket under there? Or are there better ways to go about that?

How do I actually refill the system after complete draining? Just fill the reservoir, rotate the pump manually a bit to fill up the hoses, refill reservoir, and then let the engine run while checking the level in the reservoir?
 
After all that I'm going to put new lines on and hope for the best. I'm guessing 144k miles on OEM fluid probably ate the lines or clogged beyond reason......
 
I disco'd the low pressure line, extended it with some vinyl tubing to point the fluid into a bottle. Then I pulled the coil wire and cranked the engine to flush the nasty stuff out.
 
aplatz said:
I've used a turkey baster to get the resevoir fluid out, but still no difference. Do you just pop off the PS hoses to drain the rest? Or take off the pump and do it that way? I might order new PS hoses in hopes that I have a clog in the hoses. Any other ways to figure out if the pump is bad? I've bled the system by pumping the brakes with the cap off, but no difference.
Click to expand...

Brakes? What?
 
SteveT said:
I disco'd the low pressure line, extended it with some vinyl tubing to point the fluid into a bottle. Then I pulled the coil wire and cranked the engine to flush the nasty stuff out.
Click to expand...

Like that plan! Will try it that way. That should definitely get all the fluid out.

Now the dummy question. Where do you pull the coil wire? Where is it located, what does it look like? So essentially you interrupt the ignition so that the plugs don't fire, right? Is cranking for a long time in any way harmful for the engine or should that be fine (I'm thinking oil pressure etc)?
 
Passenger side of engine, is the coil.....just pull the plug on the forward side, it's a plastic clip on plug.

tn_2501.jpg
 
Thanks Blaine. Sorry all others for sidetracking the thread. I'd better get to work on that P/S pump now....:spin1:.
 
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