love to drive

I rebuilt my power steering valve last night and balanced it according to the directions from ZIP. I am having a problem steering the wheel to the right though. Turning the wheel to the left is easy(normal) but to the right is unusually hard and it is very tight like there is a buildup of pressure. Has anyone else had this problem? With the wheels off of the ground the steering is fine...it's whenever I drive the car that the steering is screwy.

All ideas are appreciated

Ted


[Modified by love to drive, 5:58 PM 1/26/2002]

lbell101

Haven't had the specific problem but it sounds like it may be just slightly out of balance. Maybe try tweaking the valve by adjusting by half turns then testing it in between. Just keep track of the turns so you can set it back if it doesn't work.

Jim Shea

I'm not sure what the Zip instructions say. You should have the assist cylinder disconnected from the frame when you balance the valve. You should be able to adjust the valve so that it just stops moving in either direction.

If you go to http://www.corvettefaq.com and look under Suspension and Steering. Go to Control Valve Sliding Seals Pic #3. Make sure that you installed the seals like my sketches. Particularly the seal to the right which requires a retainer on the valve side which is snapped into the seal. And then a steel backup washer on the stud side. If you imagine a cross-section of the seal to be like a sideways V. The two seals should be pointing away from each other
adjuster nut end <-oil pressure-l>l stud end.

Let me know what you find to fix the problem.

love to drive

I went back and took off the front part of the valve and made sure that the seals were correct. I also disconnected the hoses in an effort to expel anything that could be blocking the hoses. I balanced the valve again with the control cylinder disconnected from the frame and my problem still exists. I guess I'm gonna have to break down and get another valve.

Thanks,
Ted