Hard To Turn Steering Wheel To Right

[Zdeno]

Hi guys, want to ask you if somebody changed the steering rack and WHY ? I mean what did you feel in steering wheel. I changed the motor mounts last week and when I went to test the car how it drives I felt one time like the steering wheel was little bit harder to turn it right in higher speed. I felt it just one time so I didn´t interesting about that too much. Today I drove home and when I taking the entrance to the freeway it was so hard to turn the steering wheel in the bend and after 2 - 3 second what I turning the steering wheel I heard the very noisy JERK and then the steering wheel gets ease. Right after noisy jerk.

Couple times I heard the jerk (not to noisy) from the same place when I started the car, put reverse then I back up from parking place and push the brake. I heard the jerk in the time what I push the brake.

Thanks

[99lsguy]

So it makes this sound whether you're turning wheel or not....correct?

How's your suspension? Ball joints, Tie rod ends, etc..

99

[Zdeno]

not just in right turn bend in higher speed about 20 - 30 mph. Hark to turn and then noisy knock

[jzz30]

ok read your message and my question is does it do this jerk think while stopped? and when your moving does it jerk when your going straight? has your ps pump been changed lately? and can you describe this "jerk" in more detail.. its still hard to tell what or where its coming from if you could figure that out too.

[Zdeno]

NO it does just in the bend. Hard to turn right (not to left) and then noisy knock which ease it. P/S punp is changed month or two ago. The sound is from front driver side. it seems to like the something is loose and the wheel doesn´t want to turn and then something KNOCK and wheel go.

[jzz30]

does it make this noise when you just turn the wheel when you are stoped?

[Zdeno]

no just in higher speed in the bend more than 20mph. in lower speed bend it is not to hard to turn steering wheel and it is without jerk. Like the wheel want to go stright and doesn´t want to turn.

[Zdeno]

no problems when I turning steering wheel when the car is stoped. It doesn´t seems to me that the rack is bad.

[jzz30]

its fairly unlikely that the rack is bad so well it sounds as if something is hitting the universal joint say the exhaust manifold so well you are going to have to look from under and above the car to see if the steering universal is hitting the manifold or anthing else, look for wear marks, and look at suspenison components and make sure that everything is clear and has free movement.

[Zdeno]

My guess is if the steering pump or rack is bad it have to do it in all possitions and doesn´t matter is the car is stoped or in the ride. When I had bad steering pump it was hard to turn the steering wheel almost all the times.

[Zdeno]

And I first noticed this think right on the testing ride after I replaced the motor mounts.

[Zdeno]

do you think that I could do it when I was jacking up the engine to change the mounts ??

[99lsguy]

do you think that I could do it when I was jacking up the engine to change the mounts ??

I think that's entirely possible..... ;)

Did you just lift the engine enough to "clear" the mount and get it out of there??

Sounds like someting is "catching" at a certain area...........

99

[Zdeno]

yes I did

[Zdeno]

it is getting worse and worse.

[99lsguy]

I think you'll have to put the car up on stands and have someone turn wheels so you can see what's going on there :(

99

[Zdeno]

Yes I´ll check it and hope I find anything.

[VBdenny]

Zdeno,

Be real careful driving it until you can check it out. Run the car up on some ramps and pull the engine splash pan. Then do a very careful visaul inspection. Here are a few things it COULD be.

Most likely, something is bent or binding. probably not a bad rack, but it is something. Your power steering is probably working fine as well, just can't overcome whatever is binding it up. When it finally forces past the obstruction, is when you get the jerking motion.

Torsion strut bushing bad, causing the suspension to shift. The bushing are seen looking under the car from the front and attach to about 1" black steel tube looking things that go back and attach to where the tires and brakes and stuff are. When mine were bad, the car pulled to the right wicked bad sometimes.

You could have bad upper control arms. They are the magnesium wishbone looking things that contain your upper bad joints. If they are loose all kinds of bad things happen. You would notice tire wer and steering problems as well from this.

When you get under the car just look around, you'll probably see what it is right away.

Good luck

Denny

[Zdeno]

I check it out today but didn´t find anything (control arm bushing seens to be OK) and tested couple bends with the car and today it happend just one time without jerk only it was hard to turn steering wheel. :( I was thinking about that whole night and is possible like the car was in the air for about 3 hours when I changing the mounts that some bushing came off or something like that ? I don´t know but don´t feel save to drive with car like this. I know I have leak on steering rack and I have P/S pump from autozone for $100 so .......

[jzz30]

this is a bit off subject but after i changed the mounts my ps pump hose blew because it was stretched when the engine was lifted to change the mounts.

[Zdeno]

ok i´ll check it too. Thanks

[jbarhorst2]

It sounds like the engine is shifting and possibly blocking something for the steering as you drive. Is the new mount in EXACTLY the same place as the old one??

Did you completely tighten the new engine mount?

Have someone check your steering components while you turn the wheel with the car in drive.

Tom

[VBdenny]

Z I have given considerable thought to your problem as it is most unusual. I have to agree with several others that something is binding up. Since I have never replaced my motor mounts because they show no problems, I'm not sure what parts could be affected. It does probably have something to do with that. Jb mentioned that they might have shifted or something, certainly worth considering, but I can't understand how a motor mount placement could hinder the steering unless you accidently pinched the high pressure supply hose or something.

When you figure this out, it will be one for the LOC record book because this apparently is a problem noone has ever encountered. I'll keep thinking, but as I was looking under my car yesterday, I couldn't think of anything.

Keep at it, you will solve the mystery.

Denny

[Zdeno]

Today I´ve checking my car for more then 2 hours and I didn´t find anything BUT. I was calling to my friend and he told me that it can happends when the steering rack is bad. He explain it to me. How the steering fluid triing to get to the rack when I turn the steering wheel to the side there is hard pressure in it. if the rack is OK oil goes there just continuously in small batches. BUT when the rack is bad inside and I turn the steering wheel , it doesn´t go any oil there (it cause that the steering wheel goes hard) and after 2-3 second the hard pressure push through to much oil to the rack in one time and then I can hear to noisy knock and the steering wheel gets to ease. I don´t know what I can do with it because now I feel that the steering system goes harder same like in the time before I changed the P/S pump. So I don´t know if I can trust the P/S pump from autozone and think that the pump is still OK or go to change steering rack (may be rebuild it). I checked all the hoses from P/S pump there is no leak from that. Hey GUYs thanks a lot with the advices ! AND how I can know that I have bad some of the bushings ? I mean Strut ROD, Tire ROD, Control arm ? My Suspention is till OK with 167K (maybe not for a long time)

[Zdeno]

I think now I know where the problem is. Today in the morning when I saw my car I wanted to :cries: . the left front side was copletly down. I was thinking if I could stretch the hose (then the hose blew anywhere) with air what going to front left suspention when I was jacking up the engine to change the mounts. IS IT POSSIBLE ?. thank you guys