Steering wheel shudder/ vibration

jswansti

New member
Recently i've felt some odd behavior in my steering wheel and I was wondering if anyone could elaborate on what might be the issue.

When I start the car its still pretty whiny, but not as whiny as it was before I changed the secondary belts. It seems like I can feel more road vibration in the wheel then I could before. Most recently it feels like the steering wheel is lagging a bit. Like when I turn the wheel, I can feel it catch a second after it should (sorry its kinda hard to explain). There is also a bit of a shudder in the steering wheel sometimes while im turning. Not all the time, but its noticeable when it happens. Could this be belt slip? I dont really know how you can tell if the belt is slipping or not; but it makes sense to me that if the belt slips you would lose power steering for a second and it would make the wheel shudder a bit.

At this point im starting to think that my pump is just quitting on me, but any advice or help is appreciated! Thanks.

Also, this morning on my way to work I went over a tiny pothole on the highway with my driver front tire and it made the steering wheel vibrate until I tapped the brake to slow down. I then went to a rest stop and checked the wheel for any looseness and it was on tight...now part of me thinks ive got a loose suspension piece somewhere too.
 

Vermont

New member
Ps. Didn't know if Drivetrain was quite the right place to put this, so please move it if it isn't.

More of a suspension question....

On to the problem at hand. What it sounds to me like is your power steering pump is going out on you. You said you just replaced the serpentine belt correct? Did you have this problem before you replaced the belt? If not then it could very well be slipping... best thing to do, before you go out and spend more money on parts you might not need, is to pop your hood and look at and listen to the PSP and belt while some one else first starts the car then goes from full lock left to full lock right while you are parked. Listen for and try to identify where any odd noises are coming from.
 

jswansti

New member
Yeah I did just replace the belt. Thanks for the suggestion, ill do that as soon as I get a chance which wont be until tomorrow night. I know the car is much louder/whiny when I turn the wheel after start up, but the noise goes away after the engine is fully warmed up and ive driven a bit. But the feeling in the steering wheel still occurs.
 

Vermont

New member
Does the steering wheel feel heavier? Also did this start recently when you changed the belt? Or has this been an on going issue.
 

jswansti

New member
I guess you could say it feels a bit heavier. Like it seems not to snap back to center as quickly as it used to after turning. And the shudder/vibration started after I changed the belt. But I had a feeling my pump was starting to go out before I changed the belt.
 

Vermont

New member
Sounds more and more like the steering pump. If you want to save some money you could pull it this weekend if you have time and inspect it to see if the pump is still in good condition. Not all that sure what to look for once you pull the pump as I usually just swap them to be sure since they are cheap (well for my other vehicals since I use auto zone crap for them). Any type of damage to the internal workings at all would be a goo indication to replace it.
 

jswansti

New member
Sounds like a project for the weekend! Ive never drained and flushed my ps fluid before, but my bro might be able to help me out. When you say flush it, do you literally mean run fluid through the system a few times and then refill with fluid, or just drain it and fill it?
 

jswansti

New member
Did a little research on flushing and filling the system. Looks like ill probably do the one where you siphon fluid from the reservoir, fill, turn wheels from sided to side a handful of times, and repeat process until the fluid looks like its all new fluid. Seems like a waste of fluid, but it also seems like the easiest way to do it. Any other suggestions welcome!
 

jswansti

New member
Pulled the ps reservoir cap off tonight to take a look in after driving. The top of the fluid was kinda bubbly, and super super dark brown, possibly black. Im hoping changing the fluid will make a huge difference, and i suspect it will!
 

Vermont

New member
There you go.... I hadn't even thought about that the fluid might be any issue.. my bad man.... Then again I usually do end of changing everything just to find out it was something simple at the end...
 

jswansti

New member
Did the flush and fill on the ps fluid today. So far its a million times better! Hopefully this will solve my issues.
 
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