power steering went out

[nickbachman]

i was driving normally down the interstate today. i see that traffic is backed up, and come to a normal stop behind the non-moving cars in my lane. i sit there for a second, then notice that the steering feels a little tighter for some reason (no, i wasnt moving, but i tried to resituate the wheel). i check my tach to see if it died, which isnt completely unheard of in my car. nope, still running. when i get a chance to park somplace and take a look, i notice that everything's still connected, no puddles of anything on the ground, power steering fluid resevoir is at the max line, and the belt is still there and the pulley is still turning. what the hell happened?

 

[Kansei]

but the power steering is just totally gone?? wow that's freakin strange.

 

[nickbachman]

yep, it's gone. all the visuals say it should be working.

 

[Kansei]

I'm guessing no CEL or anything like that?

 

[nickbachman]

correcto. everything seems peachy. i have a fmic that sorta blocks my power steering fluid cooler, but it's been that way for well over a year, and i havent had a problem with it yet.

 

[Kansei]

you call that a power steering fluid cooler? lol I love that thing.. cheapest and least effective cooler evAR!

um I hope someone else comes in here who has had the same problem. .. although really I sorta hope your car is a fluke and that no one else ever has this problem haha.

 

[Prodigy]

Double check the power steering lines for power steering fluid.
Awhile ago (when the car was spanking new & stock) I had one of the power steering lines come loose so that everytime the engine was running, fluid would leak. The only thing is that the PS fluid got all over my engine bay on the passenger side so it made it pretty obvious where it was coming from.

Also, check the pullies.... make sure they're tight.

 

[nickbachman]

upon closer inspection, i found that i could move the power steering pump pulley a little from side to side. clearly it needs to be tightened up. i've never done any pully work, and it was dark so i couldnt see it that well, what do i need to tighten that badboy to where it should be? and if i tighten it, it *should* work again, right?

 

[Kansei]

Um hmm... well if the pulley is still attached, it should be engaging. There are a couple bolts that hold the pulley on. You could move it around while the belt was still on? Sounds like the belt might be really loose. To test for proper tightness grab the belt between two pulleys (in a location where it has like 12 inches of freedom between pulleys) and try to twist it. You shouldn't be able to twist more than like 70 degrees.. if you can go pay 90 degrees it's too loose. hopefully all is well with your pulley and the belt just needs to be tightened.

 

[nickbachman]

christ. this whole thing is a ridiculous pain in the ass, and the icing on the cake of a horrible day. i'll see what i can do about twisting it, thanks for the advice.

 

[Polonia2]

I have the same problem. My power steering suddently died after I park on uneven road. I went to the shop today. They told me it could be the power steering pump. Its kinda expensive to fix them. So, I got to shop around now. Good luck with yours. Is it fixed yet?

 

[orng1]

I thought you had gotten rid of your car for some odd reason. Hit me up I can probably get the part for you and have it replaced if it is the pump that is.