Turning my steering wheel to the left is easy as pie. Turning to the right is sometimes easy, sometimes it's like I'm at a stand-still with manual steering. Is this something with the rack and pinion, or should I check elsewhere?
Has youre front end chasie been lubed?. tie Rods / balljoints?. Could have a Problem ocuring with one of the inner rod connectors with the rack & pinion arms. Either a seal or bearing is wornout. Could try flushing the power steering fluid, Adding a synethic blend to see if it corrects the problem. Or possible rack & pinion replacement.
Good Luck
keep us updated.
rich weeks wrote:Has youre front end chasie been lubed?. tie Rods / balljoints?. Could have a Problem ocuring with one of the inner rod connectors with the rack & pinion arms. Either a seal or bearing is wornout. Could try flushing the power steering fluid, Adding a synethic blend to see if it corrects the problem. Or possible rack & pinion replacement.
Good Luck
keep us updated.
I dont think there is anything to lube on the chassis. Everything is sealed.
When you make the turn does your car make any funny sounds?
The car pivots on the Strut mount so it may be siezed, but I dont know why it would only happen when turning to one side and not the other, kinda makes me think one of the seals in your rack took a poo.
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Well thats funny Ive got 2001 cavalier its got grease nipples for the tie rod ends and ball joints, And Lanman31337 - Cavfire, Has 97 sunfire coupe, I would check that out Lanman31337 - Cavfire. Ive seen old GM cars have the same problem, Usually the Rack & pinion is failing.
Alont - that one is for left turn trouble, mine's very similar to that except it's to the right. Any way to contact GM and see if my recall has been done?
I MAY be right, but I am standing by to be corrected--I think if you take your vin number to a dealer they should be able to tell you if the recall has been done.
The recall is about locking tabs not being secured correctly and ball bearings MAY fall out of the assembly, so it might affect it in either direction.
Alont
So I finally sniffed out what's wrong - the bottom of the rack blew out, and is jamming when i turn right. Ima need a new rack and pinion
So that is the recall thing you were talking about!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, December 31, 2006 7:25 AM
Sounds like the pressure return line on the rack is clogged or bad. Check to see if your bleeding off fluid from your passenger side bellows boot.
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^^^^^^^ If you read, the bottom of my pinion bearing blew out, just like the recall says.
Yes, that was what the recall was for---the tabs were not secured correctly and that's what happens.
Scary
Alont
I find it interesting that your particular fault caused a restriction in the opposite direction to that in the recall.
I would have thought GM would have realised there was a possibility this could affect the steering in either direction!---especially as the bearings are known to fall out in some cases.
So this should be a "no cost to you" repair, in my opinion--they failed to lock the tabs--not you.
Good Luck
Alont
I find it interesting that your particular fault caused a restriction in the opposite direction to that in the recall.
I would have thought GM would have realised there was a possibility this could affect the steering in either direction!---especially as the bearings are known to fall out in some cases.
So this should be a "no cost to you" repair, in my opinion--they failed to lock the tabs--not you.
Good Luck
Alont
What I find weird is this is for 97 vehicles, but the recall didn't come out until 2003. Since the bottom blew out, the way it blew out binds when I turn to the right. I'm going to give GM a call Tuesday and see what all this entails, and call a dealer to get this fixed.
So I called GM, and my car's vin doesn't match up with the ones that were recalled. However, they said take it to the dealer, have them verify that what is on the recall is the problem, and they'll get it taken care of for me.
That is good news, hope it's all fixed up at no cost to you.
Thanks for posting the result
Alont
If they don't take care of this, is there a way to remove/install a rack and pinion without dropping the subframe? If so, it'll save me some labor.
you shouldnt have to drop the subframe....
When I installed my clutch I had mine disconnected from the subframe and it seemed like it would just slide out.
Just make sure to use flare nut wrenched when disconnecting the lines!
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So I took it to the dealer to the tune of 40 bucks just to look at it. They said that the bearings were intact, and that the bearing cap had come loose; they just pushed it back on. They said the rack is failing and it's time for a new one
