Power steering....

crabu2

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I've got a 2007 Camry, my beater car, that had a power steering fluid leak. Yesterday, I decided it needed to be fix. Now I've possible got a new problem.

There was section of the return line that had rusted and created a pin hole leak. I cut it out, and replaced it with some 3/8" ID fuel hose. Everything was fine... No more leak and ps was fine... that was till this morning.

I start the car and go to turn my wheel. The PS is dead.. no whining, nothing... I check the fluid level and it's exactly where it was yesterday when I was done and parked it.

Driving to work... It's almost a 70 mile commute... I feel like it's not just a loss of PS, but it's working against me to a degree... There was resistance in making any kind of turn, even lane changes. That was till I was about 2 miles from my office. All the sudden the PS is back.. I park and just turn my wheel, and it's all working fine. Now I've got my fingers crossed that it stays this way..

Anyone have any idea what might have caused such an issue?
 
Probably an air bubble in it, like the brakes it is a hydraulic system and even a small amount of air stops it working, once the bubble is out it will be fine again. Bleeding the power steering to remove air requires turning the steering fully lock to lock a few times.

The steering on cars with power steering is designed a bit differently to non-assisted cars and does feel a bit odd to use when there is no assistance, it is not just bolt on assistance with no other changes. Camber changes and lane markings between lanes can be very noticeable when they wouldn't normally be.
 
Probably an air bubble in it, like the brakes it is a hydraulic system and even a small amount of air stops it working, once the bubble is out it will be fine again. Bleeding the power steering to remove air requires turning the steering fully lock to lock a few times.

The steering on cars with power steering is designed a bit differently to non-assisted cars and does feel a bit odd to use when there is no assistance, it is not just bolt on assistance with no other changes. Camber changes and lane markings between lanes can be very noticeable when they wouldn't normally be.

That's what's got me confused. I bled it yesterday when I fixed the leak. I guess it's possible I didn't get it all out, but man there was a lot of air bubbles in the system I pulled when I was working on it.

Thanks!
 
There was probably a bubble stuck before the pump, or on the entry to the pump that then found its way into the pressurised part and got stuck again. When renewing power steering fluid it is recommended not to drain it, so that problems like this are avoided.
 
It seems to have fixed itself. When I got back in the car to drive home, I had PS.. I cranked the steering left and right and it was fine. Started driving out of the parking garage, and I lost it for a second, going around. Then over the next 15 mins, I lost it a few more times for a split second, here and there.... The rest of the drive home was fine.

Spoke with a mechanic friend of mine.. He said odds are air bubble. He's recommendation was to just keep driving it and it should work it's way out. I'm hoping it's done burping since it didn't happen again in over a hour of driving. Got my fingers crossed..

Nigel, Thanks again for your insight!
 
Another possibility is that a small piece of rust or debris got temporarily lodged in a valve somewhere preventing it from closing. Odds are that such as this will settle into the bottom of the fluid reservoir or pump and stay there unless there's more than a little debris. Some cars have a screen or filter built into the system to catch debris- usually inside the pump or reservoir. It's not normally a service item so you may not find any reference to it in any literature, but I've seen a few while working on various cars. Some cars also have a specific bleeding procedure noting which fitting to 'crack loose' but almost always the left and right lock-to-lock turning will do equally well. Better to do that with both front wheels off the ground.

I'm not certain if the fuel line will be a problem but IIRC there's a specific hose type made for automatic transmission cooler lines that would be more suitable. I wouldn't worry about that unless you have problems with the fuel line. Just keep an eye on it for leakage or deterioration.

Phil
 
I'm not certain if the fuel line will be a problem but IIRC there's a specific hose type made for automatic transmission cooler lines that would be more suitable. I wouldn't worry about that unless you have problems with the fuel line. Just keep an eye on it for leakage or deterioration.

Phil

if it was the return line that's the low pressure side so should be ok
 
if it was the return line that's the low pressure side so should be ok

Probably right and I've done this myself, even on transmission cooling lines. As I was told by a couple top-level transmission guys it has more to do with the hot fluid causing the rubber to break down- fuel tends to be cooler in such lines. Power steering usually also runs cooler than transmissions but it's just something to know and do better with should someone run across it in the future.

Phil
 
It is also possible that your pipe connections are leaking and air bubbles are being sucked into the connection and then going through the pump, just because fluid isn't leaking out doesn't mean air can't be sucked in. Fuel pipe might not be the ideal thing to use if it doesn't fit perfectly and has a plastic lining on the sealing surface.

Not saying that is the problem, but if it keeps happening then it is an explanation for where all the air is coming from, if it is caused by air rather than debris. If it is debris then maybe use a large syringe to suck out the reservoir including anything lying in the bottom, then you can put some fresh fluid in without risk of adding more air bubbles.
 
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