hi all, my 64 galaxie's transmission was not shifting into 3rd so i brought it to the local aamco station. i know some of these places arent the greatest but this one had positive reviews. anyway they seem to have sorted the trans which is good. i got a call saying i had a loose wheel bearing and that my radiator was now leaking. the rad was junk so they offered to install it free and they sourced one on ebay for me that i bought. also noted that the power steering cylinder was bad so i got oen from napa for a 64 galaxie 500 specifically. so picked up the car today and the pow steering is much much worse. now the guy i bought it from was a used car salesman and i dont doubt that he literally did only what it took to make this run. however when i got it the car ran straight as an arrow and turned with little effort. there was a definite "slip" in the steering wheel when turning but it is much more noticeable now and the car will actually turn the steering wheel and not actually turn the wheels! not good in no way am i accusing anyone of anything. i am simply curious as to maybe i bought the wrong pow steering cylinder? i truly think the guy tried to do a good job and they spent considerable more time than i was charged. he even mentioned the issue with the steering and thinks the pow steering worm gear is shot - which it very well may be. sorry for long post but here's the concern: is it possible that before i brought everything in that everything was out of whack but all out of whack in unison? the car steered much much better before. or could it be that now the power steering cylinder is new that it really isolates the bad steering gear box? sorry for long winded post! - jason
I think there is a certain way to bleed those systems and if you don't follow it you get air locked. Look in a factory manual or chiltons for that year.
Maybe look on the SSBC website. They sell cylinders for gm's but they may have info on the bleeding process.
I, too, suspect air in the system. Also, the adjustment/positioning of the control valve may have a bearing on this problem. Or, possibly, even a restriction in the hose or valve port. The control valve is the part on the cylinder where the pressure/return hoses connect. Also, double check you have a tight belt on the pump. Wouldn't hurt to do a pressure check on the pump while you are at it. If the pump isnt developing full pressure the system won't be 'power'. Ray
I think that you can hook up the hoses on the slave cylinder wrong on them also. Pressure and return are the same size thread.
At very low speed, drive the car and turn the wheels from lock to lock several times. This should remove air from the system. Check the oil level in the P/S before and after.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=721249 OK, under no circumstances at all, ever never no matter what , should your steering slip or move the steering wheel and not have the tires move. Something is very wrong if that's happening. Your power assistance can go out but the steering wheel should steer the car . ...... there was a definite "slip" in the steering wheel when turning but it is much more noticeable now and the car will actually turn the steering wheel and not actually turn the wheels! not good
Does this have the stock steering wheel or a custom wheel? Some aftermarket wheels use an aluminum adapter that goes on the splined shaft and strips out rather easily. Another thing to check would be where the column connects to the sector. I think there is a splined coupler and rag joint that clamps to the sector.
thanks all. i am going to check out the lines and air in the system as possible culprite - or perhaps they are on backwards. as for the steering wheel yes it is an aftermarket one the previous owner put on. there is def some slop in the steering wheel where it connects to that aluminum adapter so ill take a look at that too. wish he had kept the stock one!
sorry to bump this: is it possible that the power cylinder i got - one rated for stock galaxie 500 - is of a different variety than the one that was in there and thus is causing the issue? i am at work and already spoke to the shop who is going to look at it again. i just thought that maybe i bought one with different specs and maybe thats the issue. it really feels like the steering is fighting against me when i turn the wheel instead of with me.
The Ford system is "power assist", not the same as the power steering that we're most familiar with. You're describing looseness not tightness. Lack of fluid flow would cause tightness. The steering box is a typical manual box that may need adjusting to get slop out or perhaps the idler arm or tie rod ends need replacing. There's a valve mounted at the end of the drag (center) link (you called it an aluminum adjuster) that moves to the left and right to route the fluid in the correct direction (left or right). That valve causes a slight delay in steering action that feels like steering play as you steer off-center. The valve is spring loaded and adjustable as well, but you'll never eliminate all of that small delay. OH, and as for the lack of 3rd gear, the C4 transmission has a habit of getting the 2-3 shift valve jammed up. Google it.
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