Hey Guy's i have an issue with the powersteering on my friends '51 Chevy pick up some previous owner put in a whole different front clip (origin unknown) and the powersteering is incredibly sensitive,if you drive the car and you turn the steering wheel less than an inch the car is all over the place,it's a deathtrap to drive like this. anny sugjestions on how to fix this problem? tried to allign the wheels different but with no result. i'm kinda lost here. You Guy's think this might be a solution?http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Heidts-PS-101-Adjustable-Power-Steering-Valve,14895.html greets and thx for anny info.
A good line up at a good line up shop first would be what i try might have something off, camber comes to mind . but i have had to change valve in back of power steering pump to drop presser but the valve you show would do that.
thx for the rep,but we had the line up checked every wich way possible but it made no difference,i'm leaning towards pressure issues.
I had the same problem on my must 2 rack and pinion and used an adjustable pressure valve to correct it. Are you using a rack and pinion?
Yeah the car has a rack and pinion set up,but we don't know what car its from,they also put in an entire new front clip from what car we don't know,the engine is a big block and the pump for the power steering we don't know it's from the same donor. so a lot of issues with this one
The valve is a fix for the pressure the pump puts out but if the clip wasnt installed correctly steering will be touchy.Does the steering wheel come back home after a turn?
With so many "unknowns", you may have several problems, not just one. Can you post some photos of the suspension and rack/pinion installation to give us a bit more to go on? Ray
With a rack and pinion steering setup I doubt that you're having pressure issues. Power steering pumps run from 100psi at idle up to 1500 psi at lock. Most don't get over 1100psi during operation. The rack is rated for more then that. You should be able to rule out the pump as your issue. I would say there are a couple of things to look at. 1st are you bringing your car to an everyday tire shop for the alignment? Because if you tell them the it's a 51 chevy they will align it to the specs of a 51 chevy with bias ply tires. You have to adjust your alignment to the positive side of the specifications when you switch from bias ply to radial tires. My suggestion would be to have this aligned at a performance shop that has experience with hot rods. They will know the tricks to get this aligned correctly. 2nd you may have a valving issue inside of the rack. If you lift the front tires off of the ground and start it will it turn one way on its own? If so I would look into getting a new rack. 3rd if you have binding in the ujoint that attaches the column to the rack it can cause some serious steering issues. Keep us posted on what you find out.
I wouldn't use any type of valve to lower pump pressure. It will cause the pump to overheat which can cause it to fail prematurely.
Nothing binds and it doesnt turn to one side,we did the alignment at a buddy of mine who has done a lot of these sine im in belgium there is not really annyone around that knows about aligning hot rods and such I will talk to the owner about it and see what he wants to do maybe change the whole set up Thx for the info
Im sure you already checked this but are the front tires the same size? I bought a used pair for this turd car I had and the tire shop screwed up and put on 2 different size tires on the front. It was squirrel y as shit for a few dayz befor I got it back to them.
If I recall correctly, Lares Corp is in the business of power steering units.........so I am going waaay out on a limb here.......but I respectfully disagree with Dan's comment about how the pressure can't/shouldn't be an issue here. Since we don't know the origin of you rack unit, I can only address what I know from personal experience with Ford units. The early Pinto/MMII units are, I believe, a faster ratio than later MMI and T-bird units and that faster ratio increases steering sensitivity. And it is aggravated further with pressures that are commonly found in standard Ford and GM pumps. In the case of the later, slower, units, steering feel is improved, but varies considerable with the weight on the front axle of the vehicle in which it has been installed. In either instance, pressure valve shims allow one to 'dial in' their preferred degree of responsiveness. This is widely known and applied successfully, so it is premature to declare pressure is not a problem. There may well be steering geometry problems or other contributing factors to sort out. Ray
Ray, You're correct. Steering is the game. I agree there is a possibility that too much pump pressure could cause issues. I don't think it's causing this one though. Here is why I've come to this conclusion. The rack and pinion valve will only allow so much fluid to transfer through it. If the car has been run for any long amount of time on more pressure then the system is rated to allow through it this would cause the pump to overheat. Likely cause the shaft seal to defect. You do make a good point that I posted my thought a little prematurely. I assumed the car has been driven for a while. If this is a newer change that hasn't been driven much there is a possibility that the pump hasn't ran long enough to heat up and defect. If not, the easiest way to find out would be let the car sit and run. If the the pump gets hot then you may have pressure issues. In which case I would then use an older Saginaw pump to make sure the operating pressure stays low enough. But I still stand at you shouldn't use any type of restriction on a system you fear may have too much pressure. If the pump is already not able to operate as it should due to the system being too small for it, then restricting it will only make it heat up more. If it overheats enough it can score the pressure plates rendering the pump useless. So to get us on the same page, how long has this Chevy had this steering setup?
It seems more and more to be a pressure problem,i think im gonna try the valve set up and see if there is a difference before doing the front all over with parts we know Thx for the help Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Bill's Hot Rod Brackets sells an inexpensive kit to shim the pressure spring in a GM pump. Great instructions make the job easier, but it is guess and test as to how many shims it will take to get the feel you want. Makes a HUGE difference. If you have a GM pump and overly sensitive steering, you need this kit! Or one of the adjustable valves, which when you get it set, you no longer need the adjustability. As a side note, Bill's products are excellent quality.
Thats on of the issues he imported the car from the us with no fckn background info and now its at my shop to fix this sht,dont know if it ever has been driven with this set up or maybe they wanted to get rid of it because it handeld like crp Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Dan, The shim kit referred to by me and a subsequent poster do not restrict the flow, so far as I know, What they do is lower the pressure required to unseat the bypass valve. That would potentially increase flow, not restrict it further....or am I missing something here? btw, stock GM pumps, depending on application, have differing orifice sizes in the main bore of the bypass valve assembly. Perhaps they also have different bypass valve spring tension as well. I haven't tested that notion, but have personally seen the valve orifice differences. Ray
The bypass in the pump does just that,it allows the fluid to "bypass " the box or rack and therefore lowers pressures...now, do the spindles look "stock to the front clip or have the arms been modified? If the arms are really short the motion ratio will be very fast....good luck, tell us what you find when you cure it! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
As Ray said, when you open up Saginaw pumps from different OE applications you will find different shim stacks (to set pressure), and different orifice sizes (to set GPM flow) according to the needs of the original vehicle. Here is some good general info- near the bottom of the page. http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Swapping_to_rack_and_pinion_steering#Flow_rate On my car changing the GPM flow (as well as the pressure) made a huge difference. Reducing pressure helped, but flow was key.
does the rack look like it belongs with the front suspension? if they mismatched the rack to the front end and it is too wide or too short at the point tie rods flex it will give you crazy steering issues. the pivots on the rack should be at the same point as the inner lower control arm bushings are and also on the same plain as the lower control arm.
Thx im gonna check that out tomorrow The owner thought it was from a corvette but i doubt it Did corvette have drum brakes up front at some point? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Someone is now making an inline valve that has a set screw that you twist in to reduce the flow. That is what I thought they were mentioning when talking about a valve to reduce pressure. Not the check valve inside of the pump. My apologize. A shim kit would not restrict flow. And yes the check valve should have a matching spring for the application to operate correctly.
The Heidt's valve listed above is basically a by pass valve as well. You add the valve between the pressure hose and the pump on one side and the return line is split as it passes through the valve on the other side. The knob opens and closes a bypass passage between the pressure and the return lines that allows you to set the amount of pressure the rack sees. Don't see how that is going to increase the power steering fluid temp either. Gene
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