405 power steering

[alexa]

I have noticed a "quirk" with my '95 pug's power steering and wondered if anyone else had come across it? It works like a dream except when I'm doing manouvres e.g. trying to get into a parking space and doing a lot of sharp steering at low speed. Then, it cuts out and I end up steering manually! I've driven many cars without power steering but this baby is like a TANK!

On other cars I'm used to hearing the air in the power steering system but I get no sound from mine at all. Does it work in a different way? And would the fact it's a diesel make a difference?

I've was never taught to give any sort of consideration to the power steering, just that it's there and that's that. I've been told the problem with this car is because the system needs revs to work properly and of course there aren't many at 5pmh but I've never been told to allow for this before.

(Getting out of my narrow (downward sloping) driveway gets a bit hairy sometimes when I've got my turning circle all sorted and then suddenly the steering gets so heavy I'm sat forward wrenching the steering round on the footbrake, put the handbrake on and the whole bloomin car dips forward even further towards the wall I'm trying to avoid...!!)

[madrat]

My 95 turbo diesel has never done that, and we use it for towing and so ther are lots of very low speed maneuvering, to be honest I think it could have a fault with the pump, or maybe the fluid is over heating. I would try replacing the fluid first and see what happens.

[mole42]

I've had exactly this problem ever since I bought my 1995 405TD four years ago.

The system uses hydraulic fluid, it's not a compressed air system so you won't hear any 'air noise' unless the fluid level drops too low! The pump is driven by the accessories belt on the end of the engine and the reservoir is at the opposite side of the engine bay.

The problem on my car changed when I renewed the suspension strut top mounts but although it doesn't happen often now it still hasn't gone away completely.

[alexa]

Thanks for both replies. I had a suspicion it might be fluid rather than air.

To be honest I'm pretty green with what's under the bonnet in an advanced sense but it's due for MOT in a couple of months and my dad will be getting it ready for that so I will ask then.

When he owned it before, it rarely did this. He had it for years but it was on the drive on SORN for 1 year before I took it on. Engine was run regularly and it had one sneeky trip round the block and then, after my problem-free 200 mile drive home, it froze when I went to park!

Just done a quick search about possible probs with the power steering in these cars and apparently it's not unknown for the pumps to be faulty. 307s guilty of it too.

[madrat]

as I said change the fluid firts, it dose degrade with age also keeping it on full lock for long periods can cause the fluid to over heat.