No power steering after adjusting steering play

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

weelliott@gmail.com - 23 Jul 2007 13:15 GMT

I finally got around to adjusting my steering play this weekend on my
84 300D. I backed the allen screw out until it started to get harder,
then screwed it back in an eighth of a turn. I got in, turned the
ignition on, but didn't start the engine, and sawed away at the
steering. It felt much tighter. In all I had tightened it up about two
full turns of that screw.

A few hours later I went to take it for a drive. Immediately I noticed
that the steering was not just tighter, but also hard to turn. I think
that I have lost power steering. I thought that maybe I tightened up
the steering too much and tried backing it off another 1/8 of a turn.
Still no power steering. I drove it to work this morning with no power
steering, which created some funny feeling steering. It doesn't have
as much feedback, so pulls into turns. It feels very strange. This
makes me think that it is binding up in the box and is not able to
push back against me as much. I'm hoping that I just need to loosen up
the adjustment.

Is there possibly a risk that I have damaged the power steering system
by tightening up the steering too much. perhaps hurt a seal or
something?

I'm going to try taking another 1/4 turn off after work and see if
that helps.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Bill

Reply to this Message

DougS - 23 Jul 2007 14:11 GMT

On Jul 23, 8:15 am, "weelli...@gmail.com" <weelli...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I finally got around to adjusting my steering play this weekend on my
> 84 300D. I backed the allen screw out until it started to get harder,
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>
> Bill

I would recommend starting over (if thats possible).

When I adjusted mine, I tightened it maybe 1/8 of a turn total. I
didn't "back it out" though. Did you loosen it before tightening it?
It didn't take much for it to get tight. You did loosen the locking
nut around the allen first, right? I put a box end wrench on the nut,
and an allen in the adjusting bolt, then loosened the nut while
holding the allen still. Once the lock nut was loose, I turned the
allen until the resistance increased. Once it stopped, I held it firm
and tightened the lock nut back.

This took all of about 15 minutes (including finding the right wrench
size for the nut) start to finish.

Richard (or someone) had mentioned that you couldn't tighten it too
much, but it seems to me that you accomplished this. If it did get too
tight, I would imagine that the steering would feel as you describe it.

Reply to this Message

-->> T.G. Lambach <<-- - 23 Jul 2007 17:02 GMT

The box is binding up. The power aspect of the steering probably remains
but the odd steering response - no return - is from binding. The car is
unsafe to drive because the box could lock up and cause a collision.

This adjustment is to well worn gears and so must be made in very small
increments of about a 1/8 turn, then drive some months and turn it again
by 1/8 turn etc. A record is kept in case one needs to back off and
return to a prior position. You're now unable to find the original
adjustment.

The box needs to be rebuilt or replaced with a rebuilt or used one;
there's no choice.

Signature

Reply to this Message

weelliott@gmail.com - 25 Jul 2007 20:40 GMT

Okay, so I decided that it is better to have loose steering than a
binding box and loosened it by another full half turn. This put me at
a point where I am about 1/2 turn more tightened than when I started.
I checked the steering for play and there seemed to be plenty of it,
but still no power steering. So I decided that just to be sure I
wasn't overlooking the obvious (wouldn't be the first time.) I would
check the power steering fluid. I checked it and it was bone dry. So
on the way to work I bought some and put it in. After purging the air,
which took all of about two minutes, it worked fine. The steering is
still tight enough, and there doesn't appear to be any binding, and I
now have my power steering back.

The thing that I wonder about is when did I lose the fluid, and where
did it go? The car had sat for almost a month between the time I had
last driven it and the time that I realized I had not power steering.
It may have all leaked out in that time if it had a way to get out,
but I don't see any trace of it. But then again I had it parked over
gravel, so I don't know if it would have left much of a trace. Is it
possible that overtightening it allowed fluid to leak past a seal into
other parts of the steering box, but it is still in there somewhere? I
considered that maybe I hurt a seal and the fluid leaked otu while the
engine was running, but that doesn't make sense because it had no
powere steering almost immediately.

Upon leaving work yesterday I checked under the car and saw no puddle.
I'm going to check the reservoir tonight and see how it looks. I'm
puzzled where the fluid went and when and why. Hopefully I don't lose
any more.

As for how I tightened it, I backed off the big nut-I use a 3/4 even
though I know it is metric, but I don't have open end metric wrenches
that fit it. I start out by puttin gthat wrench on, then putting the
allen wrench on so I can see there orientation relative to each other
before I move anything. I then loosen the big nut by about a quarter
turn, and then turn the allen wrench counterclockwise to tighten and
clockwise to loosen the steering. When i am done I tightn the big nut
and the allen doesn't turn in relation to it, instead it turns with it.

Reply to this Message

-->> T.G. Lambach <<-- - 26 Jul 2007 00:07 GMT

The fluid is leaked out of the PS pump, wipe its bottom and you may find
the rear seal is leaking. You're lucky the pump is still OK.

The box adjustment - one needs to hold the allen wrench to maintain the
adjustment while tightening the lock nut. The lock nut just needs to be
snug - about 10 ft lbs.

Signature

Reply to this Message

Gogarty - 26 Jul 2007 13:12 GMT

>The fluid is leaked out of the PS pump, wipe its bottom and you may find
>the rear seal is leaking. You're lucky the pump is still OK.
>
>The box adjustment - one needs to hold the allen wrench to maintain the
>adjustment while tightening the lock nut. The lock nut just needs to be
> snug - about 10 ft lbs.

You are a lifesaver to those of us with ancient cars. Many thanks.

Reply to this Message

weelliott@gmail.com - 27 Jul 2007 13:57 GMT

> The box adjustment - one needs to hold the allen wrench to maintain the
> adjustment while tightening the lock nut. The lock nut just needs to be
> snug - about 10 ft lbs.

When you say hold it in place to maintain the adjustment, do you mean
that I need to keep the allen from turnig at all? What I do is when I
loosen the lock nut I let the allen spin with it, then I turn it while
holding the lock nut in place, then when I tighten the lock nut the
allen turns with it. So both move CCW by ~1/3 turn, then allen only
moves CCW by maybe 1/8 turn to tighten up steering, then both move CW
the original 1/3 turn to tighten the lock nut. should I instead be
holding the allen in place while I loosen and tighten the lock nut?

I checked the fluid yesterday morning, and it was still at the same
level. It is very odd. Although today I moved my car in the driveway.
I turned the wheels without the car moving(I normally try not to do
this) and the power steering was kind of choppy like the pump wasn't
keeping up. How do I replace the seal on the back of the pump? Is it
just a seal around the junction of one of the hoses, or what does it
seal to? I remember the pulley is on the front, so that can't be the
seal you speak of.

Reply to this Message

-->> T.G. Lambach <<-- - 27 Jul 2007 16:54 GMT

should I instead be
holding the allen in place while I loosen and tighten the lock nut?

Yes, exactly.

Choppy steering may be due to the belt slipping. How tight is the belt?

Before attacking any seal it's best to know there's a leak.

Signature

Reply to this Message