QuestionLast year, I lost the powersteering on my stratus. I took it to a shop and they replaced teh power steering pump, the rack, all hoses(high pressure and low), all elctronic modules and the fluid resivour. It cost about $3000 to fix.
15 months later and about 15K miles later I have lost the power steering when turnin gto the lift. (it works fine turning right)
Any Ideas? I can't dump a lot more money into the car.
AnswerHi Ken,
I don't have experience with that unilateral loss of power assist but here are suggestions on what might cause the reduction of power assist in general:
Check tire pressures
Check fluid level in power steering pump reservoir
Loose drive belt: belt should deflect about 1/4" when pressed by finger with about 10 pounds of effort
Ball joints worn
Pressure of power steering fluid below spec.
Leak in steering gear assembly: test pressure and flow in the system.
If there is an unbalanced assist it may well be an unbalanced steering gear valve which is said to require replacing the gear.
I would go back to the shop where the work was done and seek repair under warranty or implied warranty. If you have slightly exceeded the warranty I would seek restitution in small claims court.
I hope that one of the simple fixes works for you. Otherwise be prepared to struggle for the original repair work to be backed by warranty. To pay that much and get so little service suggests a faulty product or faulty installation. Because this is a safety matter they may be more willing to stand behind their parts and labor rather than to be at risk for lawsuit in the event of a collision due to failure of the steering system.
I would be interested to know how this works out for you.
Roland
