woodt3January 28, 2012
#4347891LS Bad rack?
When I bought my LS, it had the typical LS problems, I replaced the alternator, rebuilt the power steering pump, and fixed the gauges by soldering in new caps. it was great for a while but within the last 6 months or so the power steering has become very intermittent. I took it to a shop, and the car was diagnosed as having a bad steering rack. I'm not entirely sure I agree though. Sometimes, the ps works great, others it will work well then turning the wheel one direction will cause it not to work, almost as if pressure is building up, the wheel becomes difficult to turn, and you can hear a "whooshing" noise, but if you hold the wheel against that spot, the whooshing passes in maybe 15seconds and the steering becomes normal again and the process repeats. From what I've read, the turning the wheel one easily then back the other way and having it be difficult is a sign of a bad rack, but I also read that a clunking is common, which mine does not do. I have bled the power steering system, and cleaned the solenoid filter, and it has provided any relief. The small filter in the solenoid however, is torn, and I'm wondering if this could be the culprit? Or a bad solenoid all together? Lastly, I know there a small "computer" controlling the ps system, but have trouble finding any information on what it actually does, so I was thinking this part may be problematic as well. Sorry for the long winded post, and if you made it this far, thank you for reading, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.View original BBCode
When I bought my LS, it had the typical LS problems, I replaced the alternator, rebuilt the power steering pump, and fixed the gauges by soldering in new caps. it was great for a while but within the last 6 months or so the power steering has become very intermittent. I took it to a shop, and the car was diagnosed as having a bad steering rack. I'm not entirely sure I agree though. Sometimes, the ps works great, others it will work well then turning the wheel one direction will cause it not to work, almost as if pressure is building up, the wheel becomes difficult to turn, and you can hear a "whooshing" noise, but if you hold the wheel against that spot, the whooshing passes in maybe 15seconds and the steering becomes normal again and the process repeats. From what I've read, the turning the wheel one easily then back the other way and having it be difficult is a sign of a bad rack, but I also read that a clunking is common, which mine does not do. I have bled the power steering system, and cleaned the solenoid filter, and it has provided any relief. The small filter in the solenoid however, is torn, and I'm wondering if this could be the culprit? Or a bad solenoid all together? Lastly, I know there a small "computer" controlling the ps system, but have trouble finding any information on what it actually does, so I was thinking this part may be problematic as well. Sorry for the long winded post, and if you made it this far, thank you for reading, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.