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  #1  
Old 08-29-2003, 10:39 AM
Robar Robar is offline
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Location: Auburn, CA
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Power steering problem diagnosis help??

Greetings - hopefully one of you can provide some info/insight from a similar issue - I have not seen much about PS here.

92 Claret w/ 87K

Problem: Lots of noise turning the wheel at low RPM/Speed - not PS pump noise, but a "clunking" sound. The steering wheel stutters when turning it.

There are no leaks at all, and the fluid is full. I only noticed it when starting out, it seemed fine at driving speed. I did notice the smell of burning rubber a few times at low speed before the steering issue became noticable, and the pump makes a little whining noise, but nothing that compares to bad pumps I have experienced on other cars.

I question wether something is wrong in the steering rack, feeding back to the pump causing the stutters and noise, or if the pump is going out, causing the rack to behave this way?

Any help appreciated - not driving it till resolved, and getting ready to take her off the road for awhile and do a bunch of service issues and maybe a repaint too.
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  #2  
Old 09-01-2003, 12:06 PM
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Motorsport-SVX Motorsport-SVX is offline
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have you had it up in the air

check out the rubber bushings that mount the
rack to the frame for starters....
Its possibly the racks bad inside, but its pretty rare
and with lower miles like that...
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Old 09-01-2003, 01:55 PM
Robar Robar is offline
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PS issues

Thanks, going to start checking it out later today - it doesn't sound like something mounting bushings would cause, hopefully its the belt or a pump bearing.
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  #4  
Old 09-01-2003, 02:09 PM
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Motorsport-SVX Motorsport-SVX is offline
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good luck

theres just really almost no way you should here a "clunk"
unless a rack bushing is gone, or look at your lower
control arm bushings. They are known to go bad on almost
any car after 100k miles....
If the rack is clunking internally, theres a real problem.
Could also be inner or outter tie rod ends somehow making
the noise, etc.
Best if you can try to put the front of the car up on jackstands,
have someone in the car
start it up and turn the steering wheel slowely from lock to lock.
Meanwhile be under the car with a droplite looking for the problem and noise in question.
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  #5  
Old 09-02-2003, 04:46 PM
Robar Robar is offline
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Power steering

Thanks again - maybe "clunk" isn't the most accurate word - but its something close. It is definitely steering, not tie rods etc. - the wheel jumps a bit in your hand as you turn it and you can hear the pump/rack struggling, this is with the car standing still.

I plan to jack it up and see what happens from underneath if I eliminate the pump as the problem.
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