Power Steering Cavitation

[Stevsie]

How’s the filter screen at the bottom or the reservoir?

I’ll have to check it. My next move is to combine 2 reservoirs to make a taller/bigger one. And then replace the feed and return lines.

 

[Aisin]

3.5 inch exhaust tubing

 

[Stevsie]

Got it figured out! After replacing all both return lines and the feed lines it still wasn’t working. Thought maybe it was sucking in air.

After reading some comments here I decided to pull the drag link off to cycle the box 100% lock to lock. Ended up getting an inch or so more out of the box on each side. I only had 15 minutes to do it so I only got it cycled back and forth a handful of times. It did spit some air bubbles out which is no different than when I tried to bleed it the other times after letting the fluid settle. Wasn’t holding my breath that it was going to work. But when I drove it next I had good steering for about 3 turns before it cavitated again. Lost hope again but knew I probably needed to cycle the box with the drag link off again more than just a handful of times.

Spent a few lunch breaks extending my reservoir using 3 1/2 pipe slipped inside an extra reservoir I had laying around. After cutting it open and seeing the screen inside the reservoir I took a screw driver to the stock one still in the car and reemed it around in there. Topped off the fluid and wouldn’t you know it the steering was 100% when I fired it up. No more constant bubble blowing and cavitation.

Now I need to decide if I want to drill out the restrictor and hook the vacuum assist lines back up.

 

[rockota]

So the fact that it wasn’t moving lock to lock with draglink attached may have been part of the challenge?

Writing that down….

 

[Stevsie]

How’s the filter screen at the bottom or the reservoir?

You were

So the fact that it wasn’t moving lock to lock with draglink attached may have been part of the challenge?

Writing that down….

Exactly. I just built this axle and swapped it under the rig. I turned my steering stops out to where I thought made sense so I won’t blow axles. Thinking now that I might need to give myself a little more radius on them now.