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Hi all,

turning the steering wheel in our 2003 LTC one can feel "stiff" spots about every quarter turn of the wheel. It is like there is some mechanical resistance on these spots. Any idea?

We replaced the fluid already as that seemed quite old, but does not seem to have improved. Right now it is a minor effect, but we want to prevent it from building up to a problem...

Lets hear about your experiences - thanks!
Rupert

Hi all,

many thanks again...

We drove the car over the weekend and the problem has gone for now. Probably, the new fluid cleaned out the lines, valves, etc. but the steering now reacts as it should.

We'll see what future will bring.

Thank god its not the pump, but it sounds normal and is quiet, no screaming sounds.

We have rack'n'pinion in all our vehicles (even private ones) and know from experience, that it has a different feeling from the old style. And we switched from the old model to the 2003 about 2 years ago and have added a beautiful 2005 now.

Its always good to know there are experts out in the field who share their experiences!

Have a nice day,
Rupert
www.amadeuslimo.com

rupert - If you just switched from the older model - it may seem stiff. I had the same sensation even long after we switched. Car only had 125K miles but it was like that since they one when we picked it up with 90K miles. Maybe is just a sensation. Drive someone else car and see if their car is the same.

Many thanks!

Lots of information - we will check during the weekend and let you know what we found...

Have a nice day,
Rupert
www.amadeuslimo.com

quote:

Originally posted by Digger:
Good info !! I don't think it's normally a problem till you hit around 200k miles.

I think that another thing that promotes the problem in not using the cover under the dash, it seems that mine worked better with the cover in-place than without. I think this was because of using the A/C or heat (temp changes in the cockpit) which changed the viscosity of the grease and broke it down easier. Not sure if that truly mattered but it did seem to make a difference.

This is probably a dirt issue rather than a lubrication issue don't you think?

Good info !! I don't think it's normally a problem till you hit around 200k miles.

I think that another thing that promotes the problem in not using the cover under the dash, it seems that mine worked better with the cover in-place than without. I think this was because of using the A/C or heat (temp changes in the cockpit) which changed the viscosity of the grease and broke it down easier. Not sure if that truly mattered but it did seem to make a difference.

quote:

Originally posted by Digger:
I've had this problem on older TC's, it's normally caused by the U-joint under the dash in the actual steering shaft. The technical name for the part that you need is "the intermediate shaft".

This U-joint gets worn and gets a bind in it. Sometimes a squirt of WD-40 can loosen it up but that's usually just a temporary fix, but will help you located the problem.

Hey Digger, NAPA has replacement joints with grease fittings. If you have a part number they can cross it to their part.

Don't know how often these have problems though.

I've had this problem on older TC's, it's normally caused by the U-joint under the dash in the actual steering shaft. The technical name for the part that you need is "the intermediate shaft".

This U-joint gets worn and gets a bind in it. Sometimes a squirt of WD-40 can loosen it up but that's usually just a temporary fix, but will help you located the problem.

Either the dirty power steering fluid partially plugged up a line, or the pump is on it's last leg. Replacement is the best option in my opinion.