I’m sure many of you have come across this before, but it’s been a while since I have been behind that big Cougar steering wheel.
I notice that when I drive my XR7, it turns in one direction with less effort than in the other. In my case, turning right requires less effort. It causes me to “overcorrect” on one direction and is a little disconcerting when going around corners.
This difference in steering wheel effort wrt direction is also present when the car is stationary. And at rest, with the engine off, the PS control valve seems to have a lot of side to side play.
Is this all power steering control valve problem? Or, might it be the ram? Are the rams reasonably trouble free?
Short of replacement, (which I will do if required) is there any aftermarket solution to the amount of “play” in the factory power steering control valve?
Finally, any recommendations for a good firm set of front shocks? The car has a good export brace. I’m trying to get rid of some of the “wallow” over dips in the road.
The control valve can be adjusted for this, but before you play with that, check your caster and camber settings as that can also affect steering effort.
Having a lot of play in the control valve with engine off is normal.
Rams are usually trouble free.
I had a similar problem with my control valve, no assist in one direction but fine in the other. I ended up disassembling the valve to investigate and discovered that there were burrs on the edges of the spool valve inside, causing it to hang up in the sleeves. I smoothed the spool surfaces with fine emery cloth and reassembled the valve, making sure the spool moved properly. It has worked perfectly for many years.
Thanks for the advice! It looks like the PS control valve has been replaced, (its nice and shiny) but it could have been many years ago. I think a new one would be a good investment.
Oh, and I just noticed; when I jack up the front end and wiggle the tires to check for play, power steering fluid “spits” out of the control valve ball joint’s grease nipple! Something tells me it should not do that.
And just to add a little more information, with the front end off the ground and the engine off, the steering feels very similar regardless of which direction the steering wheel is turned. However, when the engine is powered up and assist is present, it is significantly easier to turn in one direction (right). Seems to confirm earlier suspicions.
