My GM power steering has A BUNCH of miles on it and therefore.....has developed a little slop/play in the wheel. Is there any way to "cheat-the-repairman" and get even more miles out of it? It takes A/T fluid (I think) in the pump........what would happen if I put thicker oil in it?(like 10W30!) Manual boxes can 'sometimes' be helped by slightly tightening down on the nut on the gear box. This just makes the wheel a little harder to turn. I don't REALLY notice the extra play because its my daily driver and I drive it almost every day. Maybe just leave well enough along??! ABDFI 6sally6
No you can't put a engine oil in it. You can adjust the nut down, go a 1/4 to 3/8 turn down, go drive it, does the wheel return fine when you turn a corner and release? If so go another 1/4 to 3/8 turn down and drive again. You can keep doing this UNTIL the steering wheel no longer wants to return after releasing after turning OR you feel a slight bind right in the middle of the steering gear with the steering wheel. If it returns fine but feel a SMALL bind on gear center leave it alone and put about 500 miles on it and see if the small bind goes away, if it does then you can start adjusting the gear again. In most cases when the steering wheel returns fine but you feel a slight bind on center is because the gears will wear a spot on center and when you adjust the nut you mesh the gears tighter you'll feel it so you drive it awhile to knock those spots off. 40 yrs doing it this way and never had a problem. .
10-30 will kill it . do the adjustments as it does more then just make the wheel stiffer flush the fluid , use power steering fluid or Lukas power steering fluid . Any leaks ?
First thing to do is to figure out where the play is...have some else wiggle the steering wheel back and forth slightly while you look at stuff to see where the movement stops. There is always play in a power steering gear when the pump is not running, because the control valve has to be able to move to actuate the piston, so you might want to check the steering gear itself for play while the engine is running.
I have always adjusted the play out of the steering box with the weight off the suspension, with good results. Thick oil will not fix it. Also check the frame mounts if it is a ram type steering set up, I have seen cracks appear there.
Engine oil really won't hurt it, but it won't help any play. In heavy truck we used 15W40 in power steering systems for years. We finally changed to ATF in the 90's. Most modern cars use power steering fluid. But before you do anything, you need to take Squirrel's advise and find out where the play is.
I had a ford PS pump that sounded like a turbo with a bad bearing. Had a leak as well. Was running late for work, cranked up the truck and it was out of fluid. All I had was 30 weight oil, so I dumped it in. Made it to work ok, then 2 years later I sold the truck to a friend. The loud noise got better and the leak stopped. Told him about the PS issue, he drove it 100+k without touching it. moral of the story: don’t be like me unless you have to. Adjust the box, make sure the steering links and tie rods are good.
If its a GM set up, another thing to check is the rag joint coupler. Its between the steering column and the steering box
Is this a tilt column? My dad had an OT Buick with tilt that developed play in the steering. He was in Florida at the time so took it to an independent shop. The guy told him that GM cars of this era could get loose inside the column. Guy pulled the wheel and let him watch the whole procedure. Tightened some fasteners, no parts needed. That solved the problem. But I'd not heard of this before or since. This is a long shot, much more likely to be in the box. I had an OT Jeep with GM box, adjusted the preload, made a noticeable improvement. Just remember you need to sneak up on it, don't overtighten. I'd use power steering fluid in the pump. Those who supposedly know say that ATF contains different additives that can damage PS pumps. I've known a lot of people who have got away with it, but why take chances?
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