'02 Grand Marquis - Steering alternates extremely firm to normal when turning.
#1
Member
Thread Starter
'02 Grand Marquis - Steering alternates extremely firm to normal when turning.
Mom thought it was power steering going out on her car, but when i drove it i had never felt anything like this. It's like if the steering wheel is a clock face, every 15 minute chunk alternates between feeling like the power steering is out, to normal and smooth. So if i make a sharp turn, it goes 'hard, smooth, hard' and back, depending on how much i turn it.
Ideas?
Ideas?
#4
bad u-joints in the steering shaft. they tend to go bad right at the steering gear. will have to remove to know for sure.
#5
Member
Thread Starter
Thanks everyone.
Ok, well i went out and could only see 1 u-joint connection visible. I sprayed some PB blaster on it, and also put a bunch of high temp grease on it. Drove it around after, and it immediately fixed the problem. Feels pretty normal now... if it isn't 100%, it has to be very close.
I can feel just the slightest little bit of drag occasionally when i turn it all the way, but for all i know that is the normal feel for a properly functioning u-joint... it could have been like that all along, and now i just notice it more because i am anticipating the huge drag that was occurring in those same spots.
Here is a pic of the steering shaft... there was a rubber boot enclosing the area where i have the long red line drawn. Dont know what that is, and it enters into an enclosure (steering box? i dont know anything about steering) at that point. The short red line is the u-joint i greased, and just beyond that it enters into the firewall.
http://i.imgur.com/rtZBwDA.jpg?1
Here is a close up of the u-joint i greased:
http://i.imgur.com/MwGM9JL.jpg
So i guess for now i am going to let it roll like this, unless i am in imminent danger of it failing even though it's greased, or something. Thanks for all the feedback, and let me know if you have anything to add!
Ok, well i went out and could only see 1 u-joint connection visible. I sprayed some PB blaster on it, and also put a bunch of high temp grease on it. Drove it around after, and it immediately fixed the problem. Feels pretty normal now... if it isn't 100%, it has to be very close.
I can feel just the slightest little bit of drag occasionally when i turn it all the way, but for all i know that is the normal feel for a properly functioning u-joint... it could have been like that all along, and now i just notice it more because i am anticipating the huge drag that was occurring in those same spots.
Here is a pic of the steering shaft... there was a rubber boot enclosing the area where i have the long red line drawn. Dont know what that is, and it enters into an enclosure (steering box? i dont know anything about steering) at that point. The short red line is the u-joint i greased, and just beyond that it enters into the firewall.
http://i.imgur.com/rtZBwDA.jpg?1
Here is a close up of the u-joint i greased:
http://i.imgur.com/MwGM9JL.jpg
So i guess for now i am going to let it roll like this, unless i am in imminent danger of it failing even though it's greased, or something. Thanks for all the feedback, and let me know if you have anything to add!
#6
was not sure when they changed the style of steering shaft. the older had two u-joints. one at the top where u lubed it and the other one at the bottom where they upgraded it with the rubber joint( the one that used to go bad all the time). glad to have helped.