Steering need help...

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

I had the pump and steering rack replaced just 3 months ago. Over the weekend I saw what I though was power steering fluid leaking. I'm going to take it into a shop on Wednesday. I've been checking the resevoir and added just a little. It seems to be holding ok for right now.

On the way back from work today I noticed the steering felt lighter and not quite as responsive. Overall, it just didn't feel quite right. Now I'm wondering if I should not drive it tomorrow and have it towed to a shop. Or am I just over reacting? I don't know too much about steering systems, so I'd like to get some opinions.

[fastTa]

Ask them if they replaced the input shaft coupling. The swivel couplings are a common part to fail because of rust, corrosion, or being in a bind. It is also very common for shops to over-tighten the pressure hose fittings and stripping the threads allowing the fittings to loosen.

Also have the shop inspect the rack bellows(boots). They should be free of tears and there should not be any PS fluid inside the bellows. That would indicate a rack seal leaking.

It is also very tricky to properly purge a PS system of air after a new rack install. Most shops will not even bother to purge the system after a new rack install which will eventually make the steering feel "soft."

We always use an evac pump to efficiently purge the system.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

Thanks,

The rack should be fine. I took a look at it. It's only 3 months old as well. Maybe there's air in the system as a result of it leaking?

F-body Central did the work last time. They shold know these cars very well. That's where I'm taking it tomorrow. I'll be sure to ask them about the input shaft coupling. I was going to say the car isn't that old, but actually it's 7 years old now and has 77k miles on it.