Steering is screeching and getting locked

[dom14]

Hey Guys,

I'm having a bit of an issue with the steering on my 1990 RB30.
Power steering oil level is good.
But, the steering is slightly harder and half of the time it screeches or "grinds"
when I steer it, especially when stationary.
I jacked up the front and checked whether it does the screeching/grinding when the
front wheels are not loaded. No noise or hardness of the steering whatsoever.
I haven't changed the power steering oil since I've had the vehicle which has been over six years. Oil kinda look darkish red.
I dunno whether I'm supposed to flush the old oil completely and put new oil.
And I'm not sure how to do that either.
A couple of years ago, I removed one of the leaking hoses that goes to the power steering pump to fix the leak. And oil reservoir ended up drained during that job, which I simply filled after fixing the oil leak.
There is a very slow apparent leak from the left CV which I need to fix soon.

That shouldn't cause steering issues, should it?

Do I need to flush the power steering oil completely as part of the maintenance?

What can be the reason for the steering hardness?

When it screeches, it even gets hard to steer(kinda locks).

Thanx in advance for any advice.

Dom

[dom14]

This is a good video demonstrating how to flush the power steering fluid.
I'm gonna go ahead and flush the oil & see if that fixes the problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0fiZCHz5ew

[dom14]

I think it's more of a powersteering fluid/pump issue, rather than the steering box.

[Turtle_au]

I would check your steering knuckles and bushes. It only happens when you have weight on them.

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[dom14]

I would check your steering knuckles and bushes. It only happens when you have weight on them.

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thanx mate.
I'll have a look.
The reason I thought it's the power steering pump/oil is 'cos the colour of the oil in the reservoir(kinda dark).
But, what you said above made sense.

Can the same thing happen if the CV(one of them) is stuffed?

[dom14]

Spotted this video about "Steering Vibration and Wobbles".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BtdFmyFv9s

[garett]

did you check the belt was tight ?

[dom14]

did you check the belt was tight ?

Yeah, it looks good. It's not squealing or slipping by the looks of it.
Power steering oil in the reservoir looks bit too dark, closer to Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Rosé. :)

When you lift the wheels, power steering is not necessary to move the wheels, is it?
I mean power steering makes no difference when the wheels are lifted, right?

I'm flushing the oil today anyway.
I'm bit skeptical whether that will fix the problem.

Is there an additive I can add to power steering fluid to improve the pump performance/smoothness?

BTW, the recommended oil is Dex II, but I've been toping it up with dex III, but it would be something like half a cup for last two/three years.

[Turtle_au]

thanx mate.
I'll have a look.
The reason I thought it's the power steering pump/oil is 'cos the colour of the oil in the reservoir(kinda dark).
But, what you said above made sense.

Can the same thing happen if the CV(one of them) is stuffed?
CV could do it but I think that would still be noticible when jacked up. What hubs do you have? Need to rotate the CVs, so on a bit of flat ground select 4wd and just move a couple of metres back and forward without turning and listen for any noises.
Also try jacking one side at a time till the wheel is just off the ground and test the steering. That may narrow down which side to look at.


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[dom14]

CV could do it but I think that would still be noticible when jacked up. What hubs do you have? Need to rotate the CVs, so on a bit of flat ground select 4wd and just move a couple of metres back and forward without turning and listen for any noises.
Also try jacking one side at a time till the wheel is just off the ground and test the steering. That may narrow down which side to look at.


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Thanx for the tips mate.
Hubs are manual stock ones.
One hub(left hand side one) puts out a bit of crud(oil) very slowly, which I think is the slow oil leak from the CV/axle seal.
No noises on 4WD when I do the above test, but it's squeeking when I turn, particularly stationary turning produces a louder
squeeking noise.

BTW, I think, left CV started leaking after I drove it on front wheels for few days(hitting up to 50-60km/h) on short distances while the rear drve shaft was out. CV or the axle seal need fixing, but I thought since it is a small leak I can getaway with it by putting it off for a while. Apparently not.

[dom14]

I flushed all the oil from power steering unit and filled with new Dex III & Penrite Power Steering Stop Leak.
Looks like it fixed it. Steering is a lot smoother & no more squeaking or jamming.
I'll see how it goes.

[happygu]

Good result Dom ... it sounded like the pump was cavitating and not pumping fluid .... if it does continue i would look at that first

[dom14]

Good result Dom ... it sounded like the pump was cavitating and not pumping fluid .... if it does continue i would look at that first

It was bubbling and frothing a fair bit in the power steering fluid reservoir for some time so I kept turning the steering wheel to cycle the oil and get rid of the cavitation as much as possible. Eventually it stopped squeeling and steering wheel started feeling smooth.
I think stop leak has helped a fair bit as well. It's possible most of the problem(if not all) was caused by bad old power steering fluid in the system. It didn't take lot of oil though. About two thirds of the stop leak bottle(355ml) & about 200ml of Dex III was all it took.
I hope that is ok.

[garett]

it should work for a while. but it may be time to think about getting the pump overhauled if it happens again.

[dom14]

it should work for a while. but it may be time to think about getting the pump overhauled if it happens again.

Yeah, definitely mate. I'm buying an overhaul kit(seal it) from fleabay and will have a go at it.
But, I'm impressed by the immediate results. The steering wheel hasn't been this smooth for years. :)
I couldn't find Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak, so I went for Penrite one. There was Nulon one as well which was bit cheaper.
Next time, I'll be putting synthetic oil in after the rebuild.