Had a opinion from zxappeal that made me think it would be good to see what you all thought.

This morning my power steering went out, as in sometimes when i turned the wheel to the left it would be very hard to turn it, like putting my back into it hard. It also made a hissing noise. Turning the wheel to the right was completely fine.

This usually happened after turning the wheel a lot to the right, once when testing i was turning the wheel all the way over and there was a kind of click, and after that it was hard to turn the wheel left.

I called my dad and he had the insurance company tow it to a dealership. Not very happy to have it at a dealership considering what happened last time I was there (horribly overpriced, and they thought part of the brake's design was a broken line), but oh well, my choices were limited.

So, what are your opinions on the problem and pricing?

[Edited on November 30, 2007 at 4:40 PM. Reason : '97 Chevy Lumina]

11/30/2007 4:38:58 PM

Power steering pump. Buy one online or at a junkyard to save yourself some cash. Never buy anything for the dealer unless you have to. It should be pretty easy to install.

11/30/2007 5:30:49 PM

^So...I've got a few questions for YOU:

1. Why does it work when turning right, but not left? You do realize that the power steering pump is merely a hydraulic pump with an internal unloader valve. All it does is supply constant hydraulic pressure to the rack. The actual spool valve assembly in the rack itself is set up for a particular bias, and only provides pressure to whichever side it's needed based on which way and how far the steering wheel is turned. Directional differences in power assist are usually a sure-fire sign that the valve assembly needs rebuilding.

2. Why in the blue fuck would you buy a power steering pump online or from a junkyard when EVERY auto parts store in the area carries that particular pump, either new or remanufactured, either with or without the reservoir, for a price that's VERY competitive with ANY online supplier? To top that off, for remanufactured pumps, you can return the core to the store you got it from--no need to ship it back. By the way, this particular pump is a very common one, and the price for a reman one pretty much eliminates a junkyard part as an option.

3. Do you know what the fuck you're talking about?

[Edited on November 30, 2007 at 6:02 PM. Reason : more info.]

11/30/2007 5:59:47 PM

(edit) he beat me to it ^




given the left-turn only nature of your problem i would be more inclined to suspect the rack itself- if it were the pump it would be hard turning both ways

looks like a reman rack and pinion is ~200 from advance

[Edited on November 30, 2007 at 6:03 PM. Reason : ]

11/30/2007 6:01:56 PM

i thought this was about the power steering leaks one a few months back

11/30/2007 8:10:03 PM

good stuff guys, thanks

sounds like serious business

12/1/2007 12:13:22 AM

good stuff guys, thanks

sounds like serious business, more than some leaking line inside the pump or w/e

12/1/2007 12:13:55 AM

yeah like this nigs sayin, if it was the pump. twould be hard both directions. kind of like a hard penis.

if you know what i mean zxappeal

12/1/2007 1:01:05 AM

Hey if you bend over, I'll demonstrate, and you can tell me if I know what you mean, baonest...

12/1/2007 4:34:31 PM

I just found this, which sounds exactly like the problem:

1997 CHEVROLET LUMINA Recall ID from NHTSA: 03V527000
Auto Recall Date: 20031211
Vehicle Component: STEERING:RACK AND PINION
Estimated Vehicles Affected: 750283
1997 CHEVROLET LUMINA Defect Summary:
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE RETAINERS COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.
Defect Consequence:
IF THIS OCCURS, THE PINION SHAFT CAN BE FORCED UPWARD DURING LEFT TURNS AND BACK DOWN AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED BACK AND TO THE RIGHT. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL NEED TO EXERT MORE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, SIMILAR TO A VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER ASSISTED STEERING. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES EVEN FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL REQUIRE MUCH HIGHER EFFORT TO TURN LEFT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AS MUCH AS INTENDED. WITH THE MAXIMUM PINION SHAFT MOVEMENT, WHICH REQUIRES INTERNAL GEAR COMPONENT DAMAGE, THE DRIVER CAN ENCOUNTER HIGH RESISTANCE TO TURNING LEFT, FOLLOWED BY UNINTENDED POWER ASSIST TO THE RIGHT. IN ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOWER PINION BEARING UNLESS INSPECT OF THE EXISTING BEARING INDICATES THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY IS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537; OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Notes: GENERAL MOTORS CORP., 03062

Question is, how do I go about getting this deal? Any opinions?

12/3/2007 11:52:05 AM

call a dealer, let em run the vin to see if it has been done

12/3/2007 11:53:47 AM

I called the number listed in the recall and the guy said that after checking the VIN my car didn't come up as meeting the recall, but since the problem is the same it might come under it anyway; anyone he tried asking was out to lunch.

Boo at the dealership for my car not being looked at yet, its been there over the weekend

12/3/2007 12:18:53 PM

K, so the dealer just called, about to call back and she said the recall work was already done on the car April 14th 2004 at 105,000 miles.

Thing is.

I'm 99% sure that when I called the Chery line in the recall he said that nothing was listed in my car history database thing that he looked up.

The dealership said the power steering rack lower pinion is 'gone' as in worn out and useless and the power steering pressure hose is leaking. Along with an alignment this replacement would come to be $1310 dollar bucks.

In addition the intake is bubbling over when you turn on the engine on the left side. To fix this would require a replacement of it including the oil pump seal, gasket, and thermostat along with an oil change and coolant flush coming to $997.

I'm fairly certain I haven't found any fluid under the car...but who knows.

I'm going to call the Chevy guy back and see what he had looked up about the work...I hate dealerships.

12/3/2007 2:47:17 PM

Quote :

"I hate dealerships owning a peice of shit car that i cant work on myself"

12/3/2007 5:43:44 PM

indeed

my sister talked to her boyfriend at the dealership back home who works in parts and says its all legit, guess i'll just have to bite the bullet this one

12/3/2007 8:31:53 PM

$2300 to fix a 97 chevy lumina? not worth it.

12/3/2007 9:51:54 PM

Absolutely not worth it. Take it to another shop and have them replace the rack and the pressure line if you must. With a reman unit.

The dealer's getting a premium for that job. And what's this shit about the manifold?

Seriously, the retail value of your car isn't a whole lot more than the repair costs will be.

12/3/2007 10:02:37 PM

^,^^ I completely agree, the repair costs are more than the car is worth. I even looked online and saw where I could buy a rack and pinion for 185 with a $50 charge and free shipping.

*In my post I meant to say my mom called my sister's boyfriend

So it was mom's call and its mom dad's money...maybe I should've called dad but my time up here is winding down and I need the car to go to State next weekend for a final exam.

The bubbling manifold is an issue that the car has had apparently (?!), the boyfriend was aware of it and its a problem that just needs to get fixed.

12/4/2007 10:58:28 AM

Bar's Leaks will take care of that temporarily until you have more time and money. Unless the car is overheating, then FUCK IT FOR NOW. Just keep the coolant topped off. I presume that's what we're talking about.

I never buy parts online if I can get them at a reasonably competitive price locally. For some things, it's even worth 20 to 50 dolla extra just to eliminate the hassle of shipping shit and returning something or making a warranty claim.

12/4/2007 11:08:12 AM