Steering % ft/lbs L/R

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

matt80sc

matt80sc

10 Year
Joined
Jun 27, 2014
Threads
13
Messages
115
Location
Beaufort,SC
Hey Folks,

I was curious if you all have the same feeling in the steering wheel from left to right.
It's softer to the right and tighter on the left. If tracking straight and steering left =100% effort, I feel that steering to the right is about 80% effort. Perhaps more technical ,but not measuresld, left =3 ft/lbs and right= 1-2 ft/lbs.

I have heard that it's designed that way. I've owned it for 14 years and if it wasn't like that before then it went so slow that I didnt realize. My issue is that I don't have anything to compare to.

Same? or Insane?
 
Sounds like your power steering pump is on the way out. It's hydraulic so resistance should feel the same from one side to the other as fluid is pushed around. If one side has greater resistance than the other then something is amiss.

Edit: im sick and all hopped up on NyQuil or I'd post a fix from the FSM.
 
Sit in a parking lot and use a fish scale on the steering wheel to get hard data?

Just an idea.
 
mechanist said:
Sounds like your power steering pump is on the way out. It's hydraulic so resistance should feel the same from one side to the other as fluid is pushed around. If one side has greater resistance than the other then something is amiss.

Edit: im sick and all hopped up on NyQuil or I'd post a fix from the FSM.
Click to expand...

I'll dig through the FSM. Thanks. It does have a slight leak and could use a flush to boot. Hope you feel better!
 
IMG_7763.webp
IMG_7764.webp
IMG_7765.webp
IMG_7766.webp
IMG_7767.webp
matt80sc said:
I'll dig through the FSM. Thanks. It does have a slight leak and could use a flush to boot. Hope you feel better!
Click to expand...
 
mechanist said:
View attachment 1438681 View attachment 1438682 View attachment 1438683 View attachment 1438684 View attachment 1438685
Click to expand...
Interesting, I did not see that in the FSM PDF ! The flow control valve must be off a hair or has some bad seals. From the diagram it looks like it's a seperate part from the pump itself but is it off the box? I will investigate more. Thanks for the info! That would explain it if the valve is cocked somehow. Considering the cost to replace all those parts, I may live with a while longer. Anyone ever replaced just the control valve?
 
Flow control valve is inside the pump. It slides into the bore covered by the large adapter that the HP line banjo fitting bolts to.

I only know this because I installed mine upside down when I rebuilt the pump.
 
bloc said:
Flow control valve is inside the pump. It slides into the bore covered by the large adapter that the HP line banjo fitting bolts to.

I only know this because I installed mine upside down when I rebuilt the pump.
Click to expand...
Good to know...don't install upside down. :) How hard was the rebuild. I have read the Pump/Box rebuild and I don't have a gear puller. I do have some leaks and was looking at the reseal kit. Is it worth the hassle or just get a reman? I'm still a 1:banana:.
 
Most of the reseal can be done without the gear puller. You do need that tool for the bearing change and front seal.. if the front seal is bad PS fluid will leak into the engine crank case. Not sure how often this happens.

Even with the gear puller it is easy to cause slight damage to the gear which will make noise like a rod bearing going bad once you put it back together. I don't think this damage is significant.. I continued to run mine and it eventually got quiet.

Most of the external leaks seem to come from the orings at the rear pump cover and pump inlet fitting. These can be replaced easily with basic hand tools and snapring pliers

Personally I don't trust remans unless they are done by Toyota or their vendor. But then I'm a bit OCD on the topic, and relatively capable with rebuilding stuff myself.
 
Does harbor freight sell a gear puller? We've used a few of their tool sets over the years and they're not terrible.

I have a healthy respect for hydraulics. However the FSM makes the rebuild seem doable. I'm in the upstate or I'd say come over and snap more photos. I'm limited to five at a time here. It would take forever to post all those pages up here.

IMG_7768.webp


IMG_7769.webp


IMG_7770.webp


Edit: Sorry. This is the rest of that first section. I meant to post this earlier. I hate being sick.
 
inkpot said:
Pump and flow control valve have no idea of which way you are turning the steering wheel. Problem must be in steering box or steering gear downstream from box.
Click to expand...

So the valve is off the suspect list but the box is a potential culprit. I'll live with it unless I can just turn the tensioner screw and resolve it. The box is beyond my budget and skill. I have never turned that screw and have read it's a last resort but can't say it would resolve a left / right bias either.
 
mechanist said:
Does harbor freight sell a gear puller? We've used a few of their tool sets over the years and they're not terrible.

I have a healthy respect for hydraulics. However the FSM makes the rebuild seem doable. I'm in the upstate or I'd say come over and snap more photos. I'm limited to five at a time here. It would take forever to post all those pages up here.

View attachment 1438686

View attachment 1438687

View attachment 1438688

Edit: Sorry. This is the rest of that first section. I meant to post this earlier. I hate being sick.
Click to expand...
Thanks man. I dug around the FSM PDF for those pages and didn't see it. Must be in another section of the 1500 pages! I'll keep poking.
 
bloc said:
Most of the reseal can be done without the gear puller. You do need that tool for the bearing change and front seal.. if the front seal is bad PS fluid will leak into the engine crank case. Not sure how often this happens.

Even with the gear puller it is easy to cause slight damage to the gear which will make noise like a rod bearing going bad once you put it back together. I don't think this damage is significant.. I continued to run mine and it eventually got quiet.

Most of the external leaks seem to come from the orings at the rear pump cover and pump inlet fitting. These can be replaced easily with basic hand tools and snapring pliers

Personally I don't trust remans unless they are done by Toyota or their vendor. But then I'm a bit OCD on the topic, and relatively capable with rebuilding stuff myself.
Click to expand...
Would you recommend just doing the back cover and inlet seals only? That is exactly where mine is leaking. Not terrible but I see the drops building in those two places slowly. My guess for most folks here is to yank it and redo the whole thing but those two spots could be done in place and keep the fluid contained....for a little while anyway.
 
It just depends on your goals and resources. The inlet oring is very easy.. one 12mm bolt and the adapter comes out of the pump body (and dumps fluid everywhere) then you are looking at the oring on the end of the adapter. I don't think you'd have room to do the rear cover oring in place.. you'll need to push in on the cover against a spring (IIRC) to get the snapring to seat, and I think the motor mount will be in the way.

Personally I'd see if you can get local help with it and just do the whole pump. But that's me.. I'm often not afraid to take things apart that I probably shouldn't. Not that a PS pump is one of those things.
 
matt80sc said:
So the valve is off the suspect list but the box is a potential culprit. I'll live with it unless I can just turn the tensioner screw and resolve it. The box is beyond my budget and skill. I have never turned that screw and have read it's a last resort but can't say it would resolve a left / right bias either.
Click to expand...

No. The control valve is absolutely suspect. It moves when you steer. If flow is impeded on one side it can be that something is gumming up the valve. Look at the second photograph where it says "when turning", and then the next photo "service hint".

It could still be other things, but that's where the FSM goes first. Fluid is pushed by the pump, guided by the valve, and then applies pressure based on where the valve directed flow.

Edit: Man I hate being sick. I keep getting myself all confused. Pump is probably not the culprit as you would have equilateral problems. Gearbox is also probably not the problem as an internal leak would cause equilateral problems. Therefore the problem lies with your control valve. That fluid is under high pressure - 1350 psi. A leak at that pressure will be impossible to miss. Since you're not posting about a high pressure hydraulic oil leak spraying all over your engine bay then it has to be the control valve.
 
Last edited:
mechanist said:
No. The control valve is absolutely suspect. It moves when you steer. If flow is impeded on one side it can be that something is gumming up the valve. Look at the second photograph where it says "when turning", and then the next photo "service hint".

It could still be other things, but that's where the FSM goes first. Fluid is pushed by the pump, guided by the valve, and then applies pressure based on where the valve directed flow.

Edit: Man I hate being sick. I keep getting myself all confused. Pump is probably not the culprit as you would have equilateral problems. Gearbox is also probably not the problem as an internal leak would cause equilateral problems. Therefore the problem lies with your control valve. That fluid is under high pressure - 1350 psi. A leak at that pressure will be impossible to miss. Since you're not posting about a high pressure hydraulic oil leak spraying all over your engine bay then it has to be the control valve.
Click to expand...
Well, I'm way out of my league as to the inner working of a hydraulic system no less which one would present a L/R bias. I have no idea how the valve directs pressure based on the wheel but like I said...IDK. I just rebuilt my knuckles, new bearings, got new 555 TRE's and panhard bushings put in so this is the next piece of the puzzle. She drives WAY better then before but this little oddity has me puzzled.

Being sick SUCKS and BLOWS equilaterally.
 
matt80sc said:
Well, I'm way out of my league as to the inner working of a hydraulic system no less which one would present a L/R bias. I have no idea how the valve directs pressure based on the wheel but like I said...IDK. I just rebuilt my knuckles, new bearings, got new 555 TRE's and panhard bushings put in so this is the next piece of the puzzle. She drives WAY better then before but this little oddity has me puzzled.

Being sick SUCKS and BLOWS equilaterally.
Click to expand...

Look at the diagram in the first photo. If you stick your flattened hand under the water running in the sink you can direct the flow based on which way you position your hand. The valve is the same way.

In neutral position no pressure is biased to either side. When turned to the left the flow is directed right increasing pressure on the right side and causing the worm drive to move towards the lower pressure thus steering your wheels left. Vice versa when turning right. Moving all the way to lock maximizes the pressure going to both the worm drive and the power steering pump which is why turning from lock to lock a few times raises the temperature of the fluid so quickly.

The really tricky part will be finding a new control valve. It's just a hydraulic system - any experts here know of a good substitute?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom