The steering on my Ex isn't working like it should. At times it feels loose when cruising then feels tight when straightening back out after a turn... the wander is really bad...
My PS fluid is also turning into a muddy brown goo every 5k... I changed the PS pump this summer with a supposedly good used one...
What should I be looking at/checking for?
I have a 2004 Venture where the power steering feels tight. Fluid level is good. No leaks (had it repaired a year ago where line was leaking, and now repaired).
Turning the wheel under most circumstances feels pretty normal. However, say, doing parking maneuvers SOMETIMES feels like I have non-power steering for maybe a quarter turn, and then it picks up again.
Having this issue? 2016 IS350 F-Sport. Car has 2700 Miles on it.
View 14 RepliesThe steering in my '12 feels extremely loose, at highway speeds just a minor twitch on the steering wheel sends me right or left.
View 4 RepliesI have a 2003 Excursion limited 4x4 6.0L with 2008 f350 275/65/20 rim/tires. The problem I'm having is the power steering feels gone/is gone because when the excursion is stopped, I can not move the wheels[left to right]
The steering wheel moves only a couple inches to the left or right and then when driving to go left or right, It is very hard and the steering wheel stays in that postion and will not return to center at all.[Brake power seems to be fine]
I recently put new balljoints[raybestos] all around. a couple months ago. I now have a squeaking noise when turning the wheels from the ball joints on the drivers side.[turning the wheels side to side when I can] When I installed the ball joints, I noticed the knuckle on both sides was very tight to move before installing the tie rod ends. Chances are I damaged the steering gear box or power steering pump or both [maybe ball joints installed were to tight]
What are some things I can try on either the steering gearbox or pump or frontend to remedy this problem. [would a front u-joint cause this?, I turned the front u-joints by hand and were free?? ]
OK, after some bearing issues I replaced the crankshaft with a reman. The engine is now in, but it is not turning over like I think it should. It just feels too tight, and cranks slow. It cranks smooth, nothing hitting. It is hard to turn with a wrench on the front bolt. I am wondering if I messed up on the torque on the rod bearings.
I torqued them according to the book. First to 29 to 33 ft lbs, then rotated an additional 90 to 120 degrees. I went with the lower of the numbers, 29 foot pounds then an additional 90 degrees. The mains I tightened to 30 ft. lbs. then an additional 90 degrees.
Are these the correct specs? I did smear a little grease on the main journals before installing, but did not do this for the rods as the book says. Is this maybe something to do with my issue?
I did not measure with plastiguage to see, I didn't realize I was out of the stuff and didn't want to drive 50 miles away to get some! I am also wondering if heating up the bearings on one rod journal might have warped the rod and is binding not allowing it to turn. I did notice when I put it back together it turned a little hard, but figured it would be ok once it started.
Seems mostly for DIY'rs. Would like to start taking care of this steering issue. Steering wheel turns about an inch in both directions before wheels start to turn . How do we tighten this up?
View 14 RepliesThis has happened twice now. I went to turn a tight corner and the power steering just went out. A moment or so later, it came back. Any conjecture?
View 3 RepliesHaving trouble turning my wheel both ways on my trail blazer. Just replaced wheel bearings on truck not sure what would causing this. Also tries are wearing down..
View 6 RepliesMy Excursion only has 74000 miles and I just replaced the original shocks with Monroe Reflex and combined with my Goodyear Silent Armor tires was running beautifully. Then after a "deal" from Ford, I replaced the Goodyears with LTX-MS2's and had the alignment checked since my Goodyears did have a little cupping after 45000 miles. They also checked all the front end components and said that everything was in good shape! Upon driving it home, the Excursion steering was extremely loose and I was ready to return the tires and get new Silent Armors, but I figured that there probably was something screwy with the alignment that they just did. So I brought it back, test drove it with the tech at 75 mph and he decided he needed to recheck the alignment. After the realignment, it drove beautifully, but after reading the posts on various forums regarding the proper toe-in on the front, I am questioning whether the alignment is set properly?
After the 1st alignment (in degrees):
LF Camber .3; Caster 3.0; Toe .01
RF Camber -.2; Caster 3.2; Toe -.03
Total Toe -.03; Steer Ahead .02
LR Camber .1; Toe .12
RR Camber -.03; Toe .16
Total Toe .27; Thrust Angle -.02
After the Realignment (in degrees):
LF Camber .3; Caster 3.0; Toe -.03
RF Camber -.2; Caster 3.2; Toe -.04
Total Toe -.07; Steer Ahead 0.00
LR Camber .1; Toe .13
RR Camber -.3; Toe .18
Total Toe .31; Thrust Angle -.03
New to owning a 2005 Excursion Limited 4WD 6.0 Diesel 140k miles.
When I bought the Excursion I had to drive it about 200 miles back home and it was all over the place. The steering seems real loose and when I hit bumps or a large gust of wind comes along the Excursion is all over the road.
I took it to Ford to get an alignment the next day and they said I need new outer tie rods ends, upper & lower ball joints, front shocks, steering stabilizer, locking hubs.
After that I took it to my mechanic who said I did not really need all that stuff done but if I did it I should be set with the Excursion for a long time. I opted to do all of these suggestions because I will be doing a lot of traveling with my family and wanted the peace of mind that all is well. For shocks I put new front and rear bilstein shocks (nothing fancy, I think they were about $80 each, sales rep said they would provide a firmer ride for towing).
After that I took it to another Tire shop for an alignment, they complimented all the work done and said I just need to get used to the steering after coming from a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I took there word for it and headed on a 2k road trip.
I love the Excursion but once again it was all over the place. It seems worse around 65-70 mph, and I found going around 75-85 it would be a little bit easier of a drive until a Semi Truck would go by or I would get stuck in a lot of traffic or hit a lot of bumps.
At first I had a very firm grip on the wheel but quickly learned that a loose grip at around 4 & 8 o'clock on the wheel was best. I talked to a number of other Excursion owners who said there was very smooth and straight.
The way it drives right now does not seem safe.
I have a problem with my VW Touareg 05 plate. When I turn the steering wheel full lock left or right in tight places the car shudders. It doesn't do it all the time but does appear to be getting worse as time goes on. I have been told that it may well be the Stepper motor.
View 9 RepliesSo I have a loose wire to my steering wheel controls. They don't light up anymore and when I smack the back of the wheel, they will light momentarily. Also, 2 of the radio buttons work intermittently. How do I access them?
View 8 RepliesI'm going on a slight curved highway at 70mph. If I let go of the steering wheel, the car maintains course following the curvature of the lane. The steering doesn't straighten itself out like doing a normal turn. Noticed this? Is this a "feature"?
View 10 RepliesDoes the latching mechanism on hatch have a little play in it or is it tight. I would like to get some info before I tear into the hatch trim to see if it needs to be tightened up a bit.
View 10 RepliesGirlfriend went to start her car on a nice cold day, and said it wouldn't turn over. so after taking her to work, i tried to see what the issue was . . . and the key wont move. the steering wheel is loose, i used the transmission override to move the stick back and forth a few times. still no go.
Did the hammer tap on the key, and used electronics cleaner on the switch in case something was stuck.
Oddity was, the door ajar chimes come on without the key inserted. So am I chasing electrical gremlins or what? the car is a base model without keyless entry.
My R is almost at 70k miles and the front end feels sloppy and loose. What is the best option to restore that new car feel or even get it handling better than stock? I already have United Motorsport strut mounts which definitely improved the handling. ECS has some suspension refresh kits (links below), but the question is which one should I go with? Would the Stage 1 kit with OEM replacements be enough? Or should I go with the Stage 3 with Powerflex bushings? I'm always down for upgrading rather than simply replacing. I'm sure that would get it handling real nice, but would definitely create a stiffer ride, right?
Stage 1 - [URL] ...
Stage 2 - [URL] ...
Stage 2+ - [URL] ...
Stage 3 - [URL] ...
I noticed today when I was washing the car that the rear bumper feels loose to me compared to other cars... If I grab the bottom the bumper, just aft of the rear wheel, there can be significant movements of the bumper, and its the same on both sides... I don't see any loose screws.
Tried it with other model cars, the movement range from very small to nonexistent...not sure if it's just my vehicle or if they are all like this by design(or the lack of). The top of the bumper feels rigid enough. Now I kinda want to know if this looseness is causing my bumper to be flapping in the wind at highway speed...
2014 Passat... I've got a little over 2,000 miles on mine now and I really do like the car. However, one thing that is really bothersome to me is----the brakes.
I'm not sure if it is specific to my car or to the passat in general. Here's the issue:
When applying the brakes, the pedal feels almost loose, as though the is no pressure on it, but once you push the pedal down far enough the brakes come on heavy, hard and fast. It's like turning on a light switch.
I am wondering if this is an adjustment that I can have done at the dealer to put more feel into the brakes or if this is just something that we all have to live with, of if maybe there could be something wrong with the brakes on my car.
2010 camry LE
A family member did a tune up on the car and did not realize that the power steering reservoir had a HOT and COLD min/max lines. He filled up to the max line for HOT while the car was completely cold. He also filled up with Prestone Power Steering fluid with Stop Leak instead of ATF/DEXIII.
The car was driven a few times for maybe 50 miles in total before I found out about all this and I drained the fluid out to the appropriate levels. However the steering at low/parking speeds is still very tight (tighter than what I used to remember, at least).
Did he royally screw up the power steering system here? What can I do?
I put new upper and lower ball joints on a few weeks ago. The front end is really tight after getting done. the steering wheel will not return to center. I feel like I am constantly on the wheel correcting. I had the alignment checked and they said it was good. I also put new 17" wheels and bigger tires on it at the same time.
We just towed our camper this past weekend and the truck and camper was all over the road. Is all of the above caused by new ball joints?