My power steering has been making noise on tight turns at lower rpm's.
I added some fluid...and the noise went away..but turns seem slow.
Like the pump is working than not working...seems like hesitation.
The car has about 50,000 miles...can't believe the gearbox is worn.
Anyone suffer from power steering problems?

 

The gearbox is most likely fine. The noise was probably low fluid, or aerated fluid, but the PS system is basically self bleeding. You can manually bleed it by removing the reservoir cap and turning the wheel from stop to stop several (ten or so) times. Watch for bubbles/foam in the reservoir. You can raise the front of the vehicle while doing this if you like.

If you are experiencing hard steering, like the power assist quits sometimes, I would first check for any PS hose restrictions, especially high pressure lines. If they are ok then I would assume you have a faulty power steering pump. The last thing I'd expect (but it is possible) is the steering gear is set too tight and is binding in the gearbox.

When you say the steering is slow, do you just mean you feel lack of power assist? The steering gear turns the same regardless of hydraulic assist or not.

 

It shudders..hesitates...I feel slight hesitation/vibration in the wheel..not smooth like normal.
I added fluid as I was moving the vehicle around the yard at a slow speed.
I then bled the brakes which required turns from lock to lock to access the bleeders.
I imagine the car has a slow leak,as it has sit since October of last year.
The car was in storage for 12 years before I bought it...I expected to replace lots of parts...but it seems never ending.
So far I replaced both sets of shocks and springs,complete front end components,complete brakes..now power steering.
The dual exhaust leaks also...need a nice header install with duals.

 

I would bet on a restriction in one of the hoses as stated above.

 

Hello,
I swear by a product called Lucas Power Steering conditioner and stop leak.
It is simply the best. Suck some fluid out of the resivor and add some Lucas and then work it through the system and 99% of the time your ready to roll!

It should be available at most Autoparts stores I know Advance carries it.

Use Lucas only as its trusted and a good product.

Rich

 

Ar your belts tight enough?

- Eric

 

Good point! That is actually the first thing you should make sure of.

 

Suffer from power steering problems you ask ? I had a lot of fun with power steering , but in the end everything worked out ( with a big chunk of sanity lost ! ) I'm not quite sure what your problem is , mine started off with a grinding noise . FYI , my gearbox is quite worn out it seems .... steering is real loose .

 

Fuel pump died yesterday, so also replaced all the belts.
PS hoses are both leaking pretty good.
Anyone recommend a supplier supplying the correct high pressure hose?
I notice the low pressure hose is just that, 3/8 hose attached with a hose clamp?
Thanks.

 

Hoses can be found at your local auto parts store.

 

On an older car it doesn't hurt to change the PS fluid, it does wear out after all. Does the reservoir have any bubbles or foam in it, it could have a small leak in the low side and be pulling air into the system which would cause that problem.

 

Hard to tell,as it looks like both factory lines have been leaking for a while.
Leaks seem to be leaking onto the steering box also.
I have large cardboard sheets under my vehicles to help spot leaks and help when I change my fluids,which I do on a regular basis.
I've added fluid since Ive owned the car,fixing the more important things.
Now that the car is driven on a regular basis,need to fix some of the little items that bug the $%^& out of me.

 

I was doing routine maintenance on my 63 a few months back, and decided to replace the power steering belt as the old one was showing signs of wear/cracks etc. Don't you think I had the exact same issue as you described with the new belt. Low speed squeal in a hard turn/ lock to lock. The profile on the new belt is a little bit smaller than the old one, so it doesn't sit in the exact same place on the pulley. After driving the car for about 15 minutes or so, most if not all of the squeal is gone at low speed lock to lock. The new belt I put on was not the best one I could have purchased, and the composition in the rubber my not grip as well as the more expensive belts. I also tend to tension any of my belts on the loose side as opposed to too much tension. I also noticed my old belt was solid all the way around, and the new one has teeth in it. IMO, this equates to less rubber in contact with the pulleys, and ultimately less grip that could contribute to the squeal. I really should put the old belt back on to prove this out, but just haven't got around to it. This was just my experience.

 

Sometimes the "cheap" belts are slightly narrower, but they should work just as well when first installed (they may not last as long, though).


I don't think we need to look any farther than this.
You didn't make the belt tight enough, and it squealed.
Tighten the belt. End of problem.

- Eric