rbrock

Okay,

I've got a steering issue that has me perplexed, not to mention a little miffed.

To give a little back ground I have a 71 with power steering. I've been doing some work on the car, as well as driving the car. My steering has regressed to this point. This is my observation:

With the front end on jack stands and the car off, I have full travel in both directions of the steering system, to the bump stops in either direction.

With the car running, still on stands, I lose a significant amount of the travel, in both directions. The total loss is (in one direction or the other) about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn of the steering wheel. It feels like I'm fighting the steering cylinder after the 1st turn of the wheel.

Thanks for your input.
Ray

birdsmith

This may be way too simple, but have you looked at the rag joint? The extra resistance that the steering linkage encounters when the car is on the ground may be causing a problem that you're not seeing when it's up on jacks...just a guess.

rbrock

I replaced the rag joint last year. The car is on the stands during both test. The only difference is one time the car is off and the other time the engine is running.

biscuitville

Have you done anything with respect to the plumbing of the power steering? Did you rebuild the control valve? Does it center properly while running?

wombvette

An internally leaking cylinder will cause those symptoms.

aussiejohn

Ray, wombvette is on the right track, but before you chase up a rebuilt ram, you should have a look at the Borgeson integral power steering box that has the ram and control valve built into the box. This is one of the best upgrades you can do to your car, as it makes it drive like a new car.

I've got one on my '74 and it makes a world of difference to my driving pleasure. Call Jeff or Gil at 1-860-482-8283 or www.borgeson.com .

Regards from Down Under

aussiejohn

rbrock

I haven't replaced the control valve or the cylinder. I've had the car about one and a half years and have been repairing everything that the PO has done to the car. The control valve has a "rebuilt" stamp on it but I'm not the person who replaced it. It doesn't appear to be in the best condition as it is leaking and the boot is torn. So I may be into rebuilding it at the very minimum anyway.

Should the cylinder center itself after you release the steering or should it just stop in position?

I've also considered going to a aftermarket system, either Borgeson or possibly a rack and pinion system, but either of those two options are fairly expensive at this point, at least when compared to the cost of rebuilding my existing system myself. I've spent a lot of money on the car this year already and need to let the bank account take a breath.

Thanks,
Ray

jb78L-82

If you can get the OEM components working properly which you should be able to do since the control valve and the cylinder are pretty easy to rebuild yourself, I would highly recommend getting the OEM steering box custom rebuilt/blue printed as a much more affordable option to the Borgeson/fancy named R&P setups. I had my OEM box blueprinted last October and the steering with the OEM components is spot on, no play with excellent feel and responsiveness. It is much better than when the car was brand new since the rebuilder uses a couple of custom bushings that eliminate all shaft play. It really is no different now than the R&P in some of my other cars, just slightly slower with a 16:1 ratio but for the street that ratio is very acceptable especially in C3's that can be darty with the handling. Is it like my 2010 Z06-no? but excellent for the $300 it cost for the blue print rebuild-many other forum members have had the service and love the result. Just another much more cost effective option.

7T1vette

With the car up on jacks, the steering system will keep it's last position when you release the wheel. When driving, the car's forward momentum will cause the wheel to return to center [eventually].

If I understand you correctly, with the engine OFF the steering turns lock-to-lock properly; but with engine ON it only moves about halfway. This is very unusual, but I don't believe it has anything to do with the ram cylinder. If the ram were bad, it wouldn't turn lock-to-lock at any time. My take on it is that the control valve is not working properly. The causes of this are that you have some internal problem with the CV; or there is air getting into the system when running. Did you 'purge' the air by exercising the steering system several times before you started the car? Have you verified that the fluid level in the pump is still full after exercising it? Are the pressure hoses connected properly (they cross each other when properly installed - see the AIM for installation instructions)?

rbrock

Okay,

I've checked and the local NAPA has the seals kit for the control valve in stock. I will pick one up tonight and rebuild the control valve, it is leaking a little anyway. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks,
Ray