PAS Pump

[turlock 0]

I know the steering on my Corrado will be a little different to everyday cars 19 years younger but I'm trying to figure out if there's anything wrong with my PAS pump.

 

I think I could do with changing my adjustable steering column with a fixed one so take that into account. When I'm driving I tend to find the car sometimes sorta steers to the right a bit. If a drive straight and take my hands off the wheel it tends to stay straight but if I give the pedal a burst is sorta steers itself a tiny bit right. Doesn't feel like it's the alignment more feels like the steering pump turns it slight right (if you get what I mean :nuts: )

 

I also find when I give it alot of welly taking off the wheels do move around a bit although I presume this is torque steer it sorta feels like the steering pump is having a problem catching up.

 

When I lift the car and put the front up on axel stands the wheels don't turn left or right they just stay central (with engine running). Also there's no leaks and the fluid doesn't ever need to be topped up.

 

Can I rule anything out? Should I replace the steering column before continuing? Where'd I get a steering pump or can I just clean out my own?

[davidwort 0]

16v? G60?

sounds like the valving in your rack is a bit worn, worth draining and refilling the PAS fluide a couple of times to flush it out.

[turlock 0]

Sorry, G60 and how would I go about doing that I didn't see any drain plug or anything. Will I just use normal power steering fluid yeah?

[davidwort 0]

VW system uses green LHM type fluid, VAG dealership or GSF/ECP will have the stuff.

lowest point in the system is the pump at the front left of the engine, so you'll need to at least remove the fill hose from the pump to drain most of it out, I think this should just be a jubilee clip on the G60.

Fill it back up from the header tank and work the steering left to right to get all of the air out of the rack (it will whine from the rack until this is done).

The pump should be primed really by turning before you run the engine, but in practice the fluid normally drains through the pump with the hose disconnected, so you could start to fill from the header tank until fluid starts to leak out and then clip the hose back up to the pump body.

Run it for a while and then drain again, you'll probably find the fluid gets quite discoloured again so I reckon it's worth a couple of quid for a second bottle of fluid. 1L is enough for the system, so buy two if you want to flush it through.

[turlock 0]

Great thanks, what percentage-wise do you reckon my problem is the pump / just the fluid.

 

Also I haven't driven any other G60's, is the steering normally bang on or is what I'm explaining quite par for the course?

[davidwort 0]

well, cheapest things first, I'd whack a new PAS belt on and change the fluid.

Then if you think it's steering gear related, check for play in the track rods, inner joints to the rack and the outer ball joints, suspension top mounts, bottom ball joints on the wishbones and the main rear bush on the wishbones.

All of these things will produce wierd movement like torque steer under acceleration.

If mechanically there's no play in the above then the rack may be tired and the pump possibly past it's best.

It's a bit difficult to diagnose from a few lines of text, but as the rack is the hardest item to replace and the most expensive I'd get everything else checked out first.

[turlock 0]

Cool I get you, cheers!

 

The track rods are rusted to bits and need replacing so I'll do that next, it's just had a new belt and top mounts also just done :D

 

Thanks for the help, in my head I was thinking weird steering = steering pump so I understand better now