Power steering failure

[Ronone]

Hi all.
Just got back from a trip to the tip today, turned into the gates and half way through the turn , the power steering packed in.No warning, just bang it stopped working Lucky I was only going slow so managed not to take the gate post out. they don't half go heavy when it packs in. I managed to get it in and park up , the noise when I tried to turn the wheel was terrible, it screamed on both locks. it sounded like metal on metal as though something had stripped or sheared and was still trying to turn. It sounded expensive.
Sunday so no garage open, Decided to have a quick check on the basics myslelf. Didn't hold out much hope as it sounded serious stuff.
Found 50 mm free play in the drive belt. tightend up all OK. I just couldn't beleive that a slack belt could make that sort of noise, and the fact that I got no warning. I'm assuming the pump must have slackened off and suddenly slipped when I put load on it. So its a good thing to do a basic check before you call in the Top Guns.

Rgards all ......Ron

[Koi]

Check all three bolts on the pump, the one in the tensioner slide one on the top and another to the left of that.

[kitesurf_phil]

I'm a little concerned now. My PAS belt has been slipping at full lock for a little while now. The noise is awful! The steering is a bit notchy first thing in the morning but is OK when the motor warms up. I'll be checking it in the morning. The belts were all new 18 months ago.

[Ronone]

Thanks guys, I did check the rest of the bolts, they were a bit slack.
and to Phil adjust the tension on that belt cos when they are slipping they wear out pretty quick. and if the power goes you'll get a shock, I did. They go heavy, and I mean heavy.

Ron.

[da SLUG man]

check fluid level too and any leaks around the rack, you'll loose hydraulic pressure if it's worn

edit:
d'uh except of course a 2ng gen has a box not rack!... but you get where i'm going!?!

[kitesurf_phil]

I checked the belt tension today and it is quite hard to twist it even a quarter turn. The belt is quite shiny so I think the Devils Pit chalk has worked like talcum powder.

A neighbour reckons spray grease takes the shine off and stops them slipping. I'm pretty dubious about that. Spray contact adhesive I could understand but grease just sounds daft!

The PAS fluid looks a bit mucky in the reservoir so I'll change it tomorrow. All I did before was draw as much as I could out of the reservoir and top it up. I'll see if I can find out how to completely drain and refill.

[Guest]

I checked the belt tension today and it is quite hard to twist it even a quarter turn. The belt is quite shiny so I think the Devils Pit chalk has worked like talcum powder.

A neighbour reckons spray grease takes the shine off and stops them slipping. I'm pretty dubious about that. Spray contact adhesive I could understand but grease just sounds daft!

The PAS fluid looks a bit mucky in the reservoir so I'll change it tomorrow. All I did before was draw as much as I could out of the reservoir and top it up. I'll see if I can find out how to completely drain and refill.

WD40 will do it, cleans the belts then dries out and leaves them sticky. Used this trick for years.

Drain the PS system by removing one of the pipes. Let it all out then refill it. Then start up the engine and turn steering lock to lock to bleed the system, topping up the resevoir when neccessary. Add some Automatic Transmission and Power Steering additive first and you shouldn't have any problems - Wynns do a good one, make a big difference.

Cheers

[kitesurf_phil]

Thanks Andy. I'll put on my thermals, tracky bottoms, t-shirt, jumper, overalls and old coat. Then I'll have a look brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[kitesurf_phil]

I did the job today (I have the grazed knuckles and arms to prove it). A second check of the PAS belt revealed that it was a bit loose. I couldn't get at the lower hoses and the upper hoses were a real pain too. I used the same method as suggested for the gearbox. I made up a couple of hose extensions. I put the feed hose in the new bottle of Dexron and put the return hose into an empty container. I kept wiggling the steering wheel until it looked like fresh clean fluid was coming back into the container. The hoses were put back on and the reservoir topped up. I used about 1.5L of fluid.
The upper hoses are a real pain, due to the fact that they slide about 4" over the solid pipes from the reservoir and there is not much room to pull them off. It was a job well worth doing. The steering is much more positive now at low speeds.
The Surf was feeling neglected due to the amount of time I have spent on the other off roader.

[37monkey]

Where do i look for this belt?

My power steering went earlier today, it was very sudden, but there wasn't any noises or owt, just sudden heavy steering, I've checked the fluid level thats good, and the only stuff driping out the bottom is the same oil drip that i've had for ages, where do i find this belt that could be slipping?