blindedsnake04 Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 I just started having a problem with my 1999 outback's steering. When I go to make turns the steering gets real stiff and kind of jolts back. When I am driving on the highway make turns doesnt seem to be as difficult. I checked the power steering fluid and it seems to be fine. I was looking up threads of other steering problems and it seems like it might be the power steering pump going bad. However, most of what im reading is that usually there is a leak involved. I was just hope for some possible help insight or maybe some ideas where to start looking to fix the issue. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 There's a U joint coupler on the steering shaft where it attaches to the steering rack. The U joints get rusty and seize and cause this type of behavior. You can try soaking the U joint assembly down with PB Blaster or WD40 to see if that fixes/helps it. If it helps you'll need to replace the coupler, although you can probably get by for a while by just spraying it with grease or oil periodically. The other thing that causes this kind of problem is a problem called torque bind. This is when the front and rear axles need to turn different speeds in order for the car to make a tight turn, but they end up locked because the center transfer unit in the transmission is damaged. This one is much more expensive and difficult to fix. Try the first suggestion first, and if it doesn't help we can dig into the torque bind issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 it sounds more like torque bind and not a PS issue. PS issues show up when the car is cold in the morning or an obvious leak. When was the last time your tranny was serviced. Do all your tires match? Are they all inflated properly. What are the tires circumfrence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zacyork Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 can you easily turn the tires without driving? if its hard to turn the wheels while your sitting still it will be a ps problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 can you easily turn the tires without driving? if its hard to turn the wheels while your sitting still it will be a ps problem. "When I go to make turns the steering gets real stiff and kind of jolts back" The kick back is not a power steering issue, it is a torque bind issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zacyork Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 thats why i said when your NOT DRIVING is it hard to turn the wheels. how can you have torque bind when your not spinning axles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zacyork Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 (edited) "When I go to make turns the steering gets real stiff and kind of jolts back" The kick back is not a power steering issue, it is a torque bind issue. i am just using a way to make sure its not a ps issue cause if your not moving there is no torque to the wheels. if its still hard to turn then i shouldnt be torque bind. im not saying its not torque bind just making sure its not in his rack and pinion Edited November 16, 2010 by zacyork Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 i am just using a way to make sure its not a ps issue cause if your not moving there is no torque to the wheels. if its still hard to turn then i shouldnt be torque bind. im not saying its not torque bind just making sure its not in his rack and pinion I know. But if the wheels are still bound up (ask anyone with real 4WD) it can be nearly impossible to move the steering wheel even when not moving. There needs to be a little give in the cv joints to flex when the wheels turn for steering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindedsnake04 Posted November 16, 2010 Author Share Posted November 16, 2010 I should make clear what I mean when I say "jolt back". Normally when I make a turn, I really dont have to turn the wheel back to the straight position as it kinda does it on its own. But now I have to really turn the wheel to get the car straight but right before the car wheels are straight the steering wheel loosens up again. So its not like its shuddering or jolting. But thanks so far for the responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zacyork Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 definitely not torque bind then. sounds like your pump isnt creating pressure due to pump not working or leak somewhere. or blockage in one of your lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindedsnake04 Posted November 16, 2010 Author Share Posted November 16, 2010 So if it is the pump, is there anything I can do/test to make sure its the pump before buying a new one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 So if it is the pump, is there anything I can do/test to make sure its the pump before buying a new one? buy a used one, either in the classifieds here, oir at www.car-part.com . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wally Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 I should make clear what I mean when I say "jolt back". Normally when I make a turn, I really dont have to turn the wheel back to the straight position as it kinda does it on its own. But now I have to really turn the wheel to get the car straight but right before the car wheels are straight the steering wheel loosens up again. So its not like its shuddering or jolting. But thanks so far for the responses! definitely not torque bind then. sounds like your pump isnt creating pressure due to pump not working or leak somewhere. or blockage in one of your lines. i disagree. 'snake's symptoms describe what i experienced with my '95, which was failure of the center diff (torque bind). the wheel loosens up at the center position because in "straight-ahead" mode, there isn't any noticeable torque bind. i'm still using my original power steering system, and rack, but replaced the transmission, and got rid of the steering issues associated with torque bind. (256,xxx miles and counting) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 i disagree. 'snake's symptoms describe what i experienced with my '95, which was failure of the center diff (torque bind). the wheel loosens up at the center position because in "straight-ahead" mode, there isn't any noticeable torque bind. i'm still using my original power steering system, and rack, but replaced the transmission, and got rid of the steering issues associated with torque bind. (256,xxx miles and counting) with out driving the car it is really hard to determine what the cause is, or even what the symptoms are. sometimes '' does it go squeake or squalk?'' just isn't good enough. i would suggest to the original poster that he go to an empty parking lot and drive in tight slow circles at idle speed. if the car bucks, jumps, binds, or needs more than a little gas to make the circle then he has torque bind. if it drives smooth and freely, then maybe it is a steering problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindedsnake04 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 So the problem ended up to be a couple of things. I bought 4 new tires (I needed anyway) and installed a new pump. It took a couple of days but then the problem went away. Thanks for all of your valuable input and comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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