Steering Problems

[93MTXSHO_STUD]

I'm not much on steering or anything, so maybe you guys can help me out? I recently replaced the rack and pinion for my 93 SHO. It was a pain let me tell you!!! Anyways my SHO had this problem when you take pretty sharp turns the steering wheel would "****" back and forth. I replaced the rack and pinion and the high pressure lines to the power steering pump. The problem went away for about 2 weeks and gradually came back. I have a leak that comes from the power steering area and leaks on the cats creating a nasty smoke. I dont think its an oil leak, of course the crank seal leaks very slowly likw no dripping, but I think the high pressure line may be leaking because when I run my SHO hard it tends to smoke and Im thinking the high RPM's cause extra pressure on the lines and causes them to leak? What do yall think the problem is?

 

[BlankDisk]

I have the same problem in my SHO, except the wheel jerks durring any turn. I eventually got so used to it that I didn't even notice anymore. I had a mechanically inclined friend take a look, and he discovered that my power steering fluid was jet-black. He recommended gradually dilluting the fluid. A mechanic warned me that it might lock up one day, but that day hasn't come yet. Clearly though, you have a leak, and there's too much pressure in the system. So, fix the leak with stonger stuff and see what happens. You shoudl probably just try to do trial-and-error troubleshooting. NEVER drain all the fluid out of the system though, that's eternally bad for it.

 

[TimmyJimSho]

Usually when your power steering fluid turns black, it indicates that the seals inside your steering rack are bad. I have the same problem with my 95ATX. They make a bottle of crap you can throw in the steering fluid to help control the break down from getting worse. My steering rack change is on my "To Do" list for this summer, and from what I have heard, I'm not looking forward to it.

 

[philw349]

I had that problem a very long time ago, but I can't remember exactly what I did that got rid of it. My ideas would be outer tie rods (which don't come with new steering racks, the inners do). And/or subframe bushings. Which when old and rotted will make the subframe shift which can cause undesirable weird things to the steering sometimes. Aluminum subframe bushings are getting really inexpensive as more people are making them. And they make a huge difference.

 

[sinkesho]

Hello and allow me to introduce myself.
I am an owner of 1992 Red SHO MTX and I too had a same problem as what was described. This was after I changed my rack and pinion due to the external leak I had. After I had replaced it, it had a **** in steering (I must say that going fast through corners was a little scary). First I thought that it would go away as the system was to bleeding it self. However, it never did go away. Some 10 months later I had to replace my clutch so I thought that this was a perfect time to replace the rack as I still had warranty on it. So I did it, I replaced the rack again, and yes it seemed fine for few weeks, until one day when the problem came back and I decided to ignore it. Sure it did stop jerking, however at this point I did not have any power steering any more. I was mad. Not wanting to replace the power steering pump I was convinced that the problem was with the rack and pinion. My educated guess is that by now all of the internal seals in the rack and pinion are leaking. Good thing I still had the warranty on the rack, so decided to swap it out, again. This time when I got my remanufactured rack there was a one page note that said that I must make sure to reuse the FLOW VALVE from my old rack. To bad for me since the initial rack was long gone. So, after I called a few Ford dealers I found out the part number E8DZ-3N603-A and I made sure I would install it into the high pressure port on the rack (it just slips in) before you bolt on the high pressure line. This was done in January of this year and it appears that the problem is fixed. Hope this helps.

 

[projectSHO89]

If your steering problems return a few weeks after replacing the rack, it is because you failed to follow the step in the istallation instructions that specify installation of an in-line filter. If you did not install said filter and perform a proper flush on the system to remove contaminants in the system, you have gummed up a perfectly good rack.

Wanna guess how I figured that out (besides reading the tech bulletin at Cardone's website)?

The inlet line check valve won't cause these issues.

Steve "gotta replace that rack again someday" W

<small>[ March 27, 2004, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: projectSHO89 ]</small>