Difficulty Level

What components can cause issues:

1. Fluid
2. Reservoir tank
3. Drive belt
4. Power steering pump
5. Power steering lines
6. Dump valve
7. Steering rack/box
8. Oil cooler

What to look for:

1. Fluid
• dirty fluid
• old fluid
• low of fluid
2. Reservoir tank
• fluid leaking
• ventilation system not working properly
• plugged filter if equipped
3. Drive belt
• glazing
• cracking
• stretched
• loose
• slipping
4. Power steering pump
• fluid leakage around the pump
• belt slippage
• whining sound
• hard steering
5. Power steering lines
• fluid leakage
6. Dump valve
• pressure not building up in system
• too much pressure in the system
7. Steering rack/box
• hard steering
• grinding/crunching
• play in steering
8. Oil cooler
• fluid leaking
• plugged cooler

Tests which can be done:

• an inline gauge can be installed to test the pressure of the hydraulic system, be sure to consult with your vehicle specifications to determine what pressure the system should be operating at
• power steering fluid should be changed every 50,000km (30,000 miles)
• if the belt is loose, tighten it up accordingly if your vehicle is equipped with a manual adjuster