djmark7 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 '98 legacy how do you tell if the ps pump is bad or the rack, REALLY hard to turn but it goes in 'spurts" ez, hard, ez, hard spaced approx. evenly, thnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Sounds like the pump. I would replace it with one from a wrecking yard for about $35, if you go to a pull-apart lot. Racks seldom cause trouble on Subies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Sounds like the pump. I would replace it with one from a wrecking yard for about $35, if you go to a pull-apart lot. Racks seldom cause trouble on Subies i would agree, assuming the fluid level is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Bad u-joints in the steering shaft. Your pump and rack are likely fine unless they are leaking or making noises. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Jack the front wheels off the ground and turn the wheel back and forth, you may be able to "feel" what the issue is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 any noises, fluid level check? i would lean towards the ujoints. subaru rack failures are extremely infrequent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 thnx all, no noise except when it hits a hard spot you can hear the pump 'strain' a little, fluid is ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 how is the belt tension? could just be that the belt is loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 belt is tight put in that lucas ps stuff it helped for bout 12 hours then got stiff again, im leaning more & more towards the rack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Try spraying a quality penetrating oil on the 2 u-joints in the coupler that connects the rack to the steering column. It's above the drivers side half shaft. If the steering really loosens up soon after spraying the oil on, then you know where the problem is. A seized coupler will feel tight, then Ok, then tight again as you turn the wheel around. I have seen lots of seized couplers. I've never seen a failed rack, and this is on cars with 150-250k miles on them. Pumps can go if someone is an idiot and keeps the wheel held hard over at full lock for extended periods, like when doing donuts in the snow. A failed pump will give consistanly hard steering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 16, 2010 Author Share Posted October 16, 2010 the only reason i feel its the rack is because when i put that lucas stuff in, it 'loosened up' for about 12 hrs then stiffened up againa coupler wouldnt do that, would it? btw car has 260k on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 (edited) I doubt it's your rack. But putting that Lucas crap in there might cause it to fail - probably kill the pump too . NEVER use anything but pure, clean ATF in Subaru PS systems. NEVER! If you can put a bottle of garbage in the pump - why can't you spray down the steering coupler like we have sugested instead of questioning our experience and doing stupid things with chemicals that will quite possibly cause more harm than good? There is no such thing as a "repair in a bottle". Repairs are accomplished with tools by experienced mechanics..... GD Edited October 16, 2010 by GeneralDisorder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Have a friend turn the wheel in the car while you watch the belts. Engine running of course. Rack or pump both sound possible, but a slipping belt is more common for hard steering. Only thing is that would usually make an obvious squealing noise. The next possibility is a slipping harmonic balancer pulley. The outer section of the pulley will separate from the inner section and will slip when under load, and that is usually silent. (Or you at least don't hear it over the engine running.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 16, 2010 Author Share Posted October 16, 2010 ok, thnx all ill get to the coupler over the weekend, hard to get under the car ill let ya know what happens thnx again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpar Mod Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 +3 on the steering column u-joints. Had just this problem and fixed it with PB Blaster in liberal amounts and a little time to let it work. Make sure you lube both joints. I didn't see the lower one the first time as it's a bit obscured from view and had to go through this again. This happened in the spring and hasn't reoccurred since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 REALLY hard to turn but it goes in 'spurts" ez, hard, ez, hard spaced approx. evenly, thnx That fits for a binding coupler u-joint and nothing else. You may want to flush the power steering system now that you put that lucas "miracle in a bottle" crap in. It works by softening and swelling seals, which will make junk seals work for a bit (long enough to sell the car, that's the point of all those products) but will eat good seals and make them junk. Use a baster to suck the fluid out of the resevoir, take the short return hose off the pipe leading up to the resevoir and kink the rubber hose to keep fluid in the resevoir. Put an extra lenth of hose on the end of the pipe coming up along side the engine and run that down into a bucket. Crank the rack lock to lock a few times with the engine off to clear most of the fluid out of the rack and into the bucket, then put a funnel in the resevoir and pour ATF into it while an assistant cranks the wheel lock to lock with the engine running. After pouring at least a quart through and having it blow out into the bucket, shut the motor off, hook the short hose from the resevoir back to the return line, and fill the resevoir back up. Run it for a while, the pump will whine because of all the air bubbles trapped in the fluid. Turn the wheels lock to lock to make sure the rack is full again while it's running. Then shut it off, wait a while, and top off the resevoir. That should flush out most of the lucas stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 thnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 all done, thnx everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 all done, thnx everyone So . . . was it the coupler u-joints? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 affirmative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Did you just soak them in oil or replace the coupler? New couplers are around $70 from the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 just crawled under the car and sprayed bout half a can of pbblaster on em also flushed ps pump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 The PB will work for a while, but the binding will come back because the joints have rust inside them now. I'd reccomend replacing it if you plan on keeping the car for a while. Or you could do a once a month spraydown and keep going that way. A coupler is a lot cheaper and easier to do than replacing the rack or pump. Just make sure you keep the steering wheel lined up with the rack when you take the coupler off, if you let it spin round or get it off a turn the clockspring connector for the airbag, horn, and cruise control will get broken off. Glad you flushed out the fluid. That's an object lesson in not throwing miracle fixes at an undiagnosed problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmark7 Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 yup actually i asked a coupla friends who are mechanics b4 i posted here and they told me bout that stuff? :-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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