Chevrolet Repair: Hard power steering, chevy questions, gran prix gtp

Question
Hi Mark   I know you answer Chevy questions, but I hope you can help me since there is no one under Pontiac. I have a 97 Gran Prix GTP as a second car. I don't drive it a lot, a few months I took it to dealer for recall on steering,(just FYI, don't know if it has anything to do with problem),Early this week, as soon as I started to back it out of garage, the power steering was very hard, and still is. It is intermittent, and sometimes hard in one direction, sometimes other the direction. It will be ok for a little while,then gets hard again. Fluid is full,but didn't look clean. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.  

Thanks Mike


Answer
Hello Mike, The problem is in the steering rack and pinion. The only way to correct this problem is to replace the rack and pinion. It has to do with the spool valve which directs fluid inside the rack. There are seals on the spool valve and they sometimes wear a groove in the housing or just get hard. I don't think the recall has anything to do with your problem.

Hope this helps

BTW...use a aftermarket reman rack and pinion. They are a lot cheaper then GM.

Mark