My power steering is very tight. When I try to force it past the tightness, it makes a horrible, guttural, medium pitch, stuttering whine. It sounds like when I strip the gears in the electric motor on an RC plane.

I replaced the fluid with a special fluid from Lucas Oil, and that seemed to help a little.

After the car sits for a few hours, it isn't very tight at all initially, but it gets tighter as I drive.

My friend mentioned something about a place behind the wheels where you shoot grease up into and said that should help, but I don't know the first thing about it.

I'm really hoping I don't need a new pump.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

I know the sound you are talking about and I usually only get that when I cut the wheels all the way in either direction, so I think that part is pretty normal. I don't know about your issue with the steering tightening up though.

 

Well, I only started getting it in about January, and after maybe 15 minutes I get it barely turning the wheel a quarter turn, and after turning it half way its nearly impossible to budge, and even when I do crank it all the way the wheels don't turn unless I'm giving throttle

BTW I love your car lol

 

Young_Gun,

Since you have changed the power steering fluid and that has still not solved your issue, I recommend having the dealer diagnose it. With the sound it is making, and your difficulty in turning the wheel, it is best to have it looked at before it gets worse.

As for the place behind the wheels, your friend may have been talking about ball joints. Previously, most vehicles had unsealed ball joints that needed lubrication regularly. Now they are sealed so they do not need grease. It does not sound like that is your issue though. When ball joints are failing, they have more of a clicking or thud noise.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance!

~Natasha

 

I'm not sure if it would be but I hope its not your steering rack!

 

Take it to a mechanic, I don't think its safe to drive a car like this and besides, you might damage something even further if you just keep experimenting with it! Obviously this is not about the fluid.

 

Its going to a mechanic on Monday. My uncle, who is a mechanic, said it sounds like the pump. But, regardless, before next week is over, it will be fixed.

I don't know anything about the steering rack, but since I do get wheel turn when I give throttle, I'm thinking it is a jammed (not stuck, I mean REALLY freakin jammed) or broken valve.

I started getting it after some REALLY hard steering, as in, full left to full right as fast as I can turn the wheel, multiple times. And since I know you're all going to ask why I was doing that, it was either that or the collision that I narrowly avoided while sliding on black ice.