so i just did the timing belt and reseal front of the engine on my impreza, and when i got it ready for its test run, it was all working well, untill i pulled out of the driveway and turned the wheel.

when i turned the wheel, (at stop or slow speeds, thus having more stress on the P/S pump) it made a shuddering feeling/sound mostly coming from the drivers side... and it felt like the pump was stalling a little bit...??

 

the steering did not do this before i took the car apart, what could cause this?

 

i checked the fluid, it seems to be normal level, and not foamy...

 

thanks!

Though I'd expect it to squeal, perhaps the drive belt is slipping ?

mine sorta does that....unfortunately i haven't really figured it out since it's random.

domestics do this if the wrong fluid is used or the friction characteristics of the fluid change.i.e, slick ATF in a chrysler does this consistently.

 

Flush the fluid and use exactly what the manual calls for.

 

Mike

I would second 1 Lucky Texan on that one.

I remplaced the cam belt on my car and it seems to me that the only thing one has to remove that has a direct relation to the P/S is the drive belt.

well, thanks for the replys, the shudder seemed to be related to the car sitting for so long.. cause I drove it around a bit, and now it went away! and it is back to normal!

 

thanks

Never really thought about it before but is there a recommended fluid change interval for PS fluid? Seems like it could - over a long period - collect water and other contaminates. Sitting around for sometime could allow water to settle into the rack instead of being suspended I guess?

I like to change it out when I do the tranny fluid. Use a turkey baster and remove most of the fluid from the reservoir. Then refill and run the car for a minute, turning the wheel from lock to lock. Repeat this procedure 5 or 6 times. Works really well and only takes about 15 minutes.

 

This technically won't replace all of the fluid, but it will replace most of it, and removing the return hose and flushing it properly is a PITA.

hmmmm never thought of the fluid.....I'm using a synthetic ps fluid......wonder if I should go back to just a dextron III fluid.......

I drained the fluid in my ps 2 years ago (turkey baster method) and replaced it with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. Never had any problem related to the ps even during the coldest weather.