Xantia 2l Hdi Steering Problem

[sillybilly]

Hi

 

My xantia has developed a stange steering problem - the steering seems "sticky" in that the powersteering functions but when turning the wheel it becomes stiff. If you push past the stiffness it bcomes free again.

 

At first I thought it was a hydraulic pump problem so we swapped it with one from a nother working xantia with out solving the problem. The original pump works fine in the other xantia.

So we got a recon pinion control valve from pleiadese. Still not working right.

 

Any suggestions? I have put some flushing stuff in the resevior when we changed the pinion valve and will clean out the filters next weekend.

 

Sillybilly

[techbod]

hmmm interesting jack the front wheels of the ground and see if it still does it with engine running and if it does then it could be a worn washer in the steering column the main shaft runs inside a pipe down to the bulkhead area and that's where the plastic washer sits and its there to keep the shaft central and lubed other things to check are the steering rake/height adjuster for loose bolts,

 

checking with the wheels of the ground eliminates some areas so if it only does it with the wheels down then it will be the rack/track rod ends or even tyres touching the inner arches due to suspension being low,

[Guest Colin Hunter]

I remember someone else writing in about this. I suspected the hydraulic pump at the time but Dave Walling said he'd had a similar problem which turned out to be the steering column UJ. The guy lubricated the joint and all was OK.

 

Worth a try. Cheers :rolleyes:

[techbod]

^ very good point to add to the others if its not that but its good info indeed

[sillybilly]

Thanks for the tips - I will try them as soon as I get a chance - most likely at the week end.

 

I tried cleaning the filters ( a slight improvement ) and found a very small split in the pipe taking LHM from the reservoir to the pump. I cut out the bad section and reconnected the pipe (a bigger improvement) but the problem still continues - although at a much lesser level. I havent had a chance to drive it much so there may still be air in the system.

 

So far I have been looking for problems with the hydraulic system as thats w what it felt like. There was definitly air getting into the system but there may be some wear in the mechanical parts as well making the problem worse- so thanks for the advice.

 

Sillybilly

[sillybilly]

Put some grease on the universal joint on the steering column and all is much better. Rather wish I hadnt bought that pinion valve now.

 

 

Thanks for the advice

 

Sillybilly

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Sorted? :(

Perfick! :D