Power Steering or Lack of?

[RedFI]

Hi All

One of those how long is a piece of string questions.

My Chimaera has power steering fitted but still feels heavy at low speed when compared to any other car I have driven. Tyres are 225 Toyos so nothing unusual.

Is this normal or are there things I should be checking? All suggestions welcome as my advanced years duff right shoulder is complaining.

[sapper]

It shouldn’t be that heavy. Not to mention sucking eggs but is fluid level ok and is the pump working. My pump packed in a few years ago and I could hear it making an odd noise, steering got heavier as well. New pump and all was fine.

[Steve_D]

A failing pump or failing rack normally make quite a noise so should be fairly obvious.
You need to find another car to compare it with.

Steve

[RedFI]

Yes, fluid level OK - that was my first thought. As to the pump, the car has been recently serviced and there are no odd noises but that is as far as I can comment as I don't have anything to compare with.

It just strikes me that if it is this heavy I hate to think what the non-assisted cars are like.

Is there any easy test for the pump?

[sapper]

As Steve said the pump is noise when it starts to go and obvious.
It shouldn’t be that heavy.

[RedFI]

Seems to be that I do need to try another car - maybe I'm just being a wimp made soft by modern cars!

[ianwayne]

Mine is non pas. Only having 205 front tyres is a help. It really is OK IMHO (and I had a shoulder op 2 yrs ago [sub-acromial de-compression]) unless you try to turn the wheels when totally stationary.

If you want hard steering, try a 1990s Esprit with no PAS. My god! Also, when I had a power steering pump bracket fail on a Lotus Excel, the RAC got me mobile by fitting a shorter belt missing it out. So I had to turn a fluid-filled rack with NO assistance. Not recommended!

[Hedgehopper]

The power steering on my car is noticeably heavier than my Tiguan, although it weights up with speed. However, before I converted to power it was a two handed white knuckle job to park!

[over_the_hill]

Could it be an airlock. If you can get the front of the car up so you don't have to dry steer, you should be able to
go lock to lock fairly easily. Slacken off the cap on the fluid reservoir.

[Steve_D]

over_the_hill said:

Could it be an airlock. If you can get the front of the car up so you don't have to dry steer, you should be able to go lock to lock fairly easily. Slacken off the cap on the fluid reservoir.

No need to lift it just park the front wheels on 3-4 sheets of cardboard and it will swing around nicely.

Steve