2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Sudden light steering?

[GMincher]

O. K. , I always tend to diagnose problems myself before asking, but this ones really odd, and I'm stumped!

I had the front end of this beast to the point of driving as good as seems possible. (Still not the best! I miss my first gen. ) EVERYTHING in the front end is new. DSS, Darrins 3rd gen track bar setup, balljoints, shocks, Prothane control arm bushings, PSC steering box, and a Borgeson steering shaft. Quite frankly there aren't any more pieces! And there is zero slop.

I had a groaning P/S pump at idle when turning and took some advice from the forums and removed the regulator spring and screen. I cleaned the screen, gave the spring a little stretch, and switched to synthetic P/S fluid. No noticable change. Oh well, very little expenditure, clean fluid, no biggie.

Question is... . could there have been some sort of blockage that flushed through? The steering that was reasonably weighted before has turned into a '67 NewYorker with bias ply tires!! (Really, really light!) I have to rest my elbow on the console and steer with one finger so as not to jump all over the road.

My only other thought for a cause is a real anti-lock chattering stop I made at an intersection. (Some dude ran his sign. ) The adjusting cams on the control arms don't appear to have moved but it feels like the caster angle could have moved seriously the wrong direction. Your thoughts? Thanks in advance for the brain power! I think I could use a transfusion of it! Greg

 

[n7gxz]

After I cleaned the screen mine became very light also, the full pressure is getting to the brakes and steering now.



Kevin

 

[nps]

The purpose of the spring stretch is to make it lighter. Before stretching the spring I couldn't turn my wheel with both arms at a dead stop. Now I can go lock-lock with one finger.



Don't know why yours suddenly decided to respond to the change. With the groaning, I suspect it may have been air in the line.

 

[GMincher]

Thanks guys, It just freaked me out because there was no immediate change. There is NO play, if you rock the wheel the truck rocks also. I can only assume that there was a partial blockage of some sort and it cleared.

Now how do I shorten the damned spring!? It's just too touchy! The pump looks like a very common unit, I might do some junk yard comparisons and see what I come up with. Greg

 

[nps]

If you want to shorten the spring, just remove it, compress it, and put it back in.