Power steering valve

02-19-02, 08:19 PM

Heres the prob.

I had gotten an alignment on my vette. New tires, bushings,shocks. Anyways to make a long story short after getting the alignment the mechanic tells me that the power steering valve is not that good and the car is steering to the left. He told me he compensated for this with the alignment. Now the front left tire is rubbing on an extreme left turn. As I looked at the shims you could see that the left side has a lot more. maybe like 4 in the first slot and 1 or none in the second.

What does it take to fix the power steering valve? I mean in terms of difficulty and time. As far as i can tell it should be an easy operation. Vette brakes has a rebuilt valve for $89. I can afford it and maybe install it this sunday so that I can take it to get realigned right. Do I need special tools?

sscam69

Yoda · 02-19-02, 09:39 PM

sscam69,

First check the power steering fluid level, and what kind of condition it is in. Once you have the correct level and fluid is looking good.. Then,

Looking at the power steering control valve you will see a dust cap and the end of it (facing outward between the hoses) you can pop this dust cap off and there is an adjustment there to balance the control valve operation.

With the front wheels off the ground.. REMOVE the slave piston (shock looking device) from the FRAME bracket and push it all the way retracted..

DO NOT STICK YOU ARM THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL TO START THE CAR!!!

Have someone start the car for you and watch what happens to the slave piston rod.

If the piston rod remains retracted, turn the adjusting nut CLOCKWISE until the rod begins to move out. Then turn it COUNTER CLOCKWISE until it just starts to move in... now adjust to somewhere near the middle of these two adjustments.

Same principle if the rod extends when engine is running, just reverse the proceedure above. Once you have the valve balance put the dust cap back on..

I WOULD have the alignment shop do another alignment ... once you have the steering system balanced... I wonder what was he thinking

..

02-19-02, 09:39 PM

What does it do exactly? And how does it work?

sscam69

p.s. I have never messed with power steering before.

Yoda · 02-19-02, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sscam69
What does it do exactly? And how does it work?

sscam69
p.s. I have never messed with power steering before.

It's part of the muscle that enables you to have power steering..

The control valve directs the fluid depending upon the direction you turn the steering wheel. The entire systems is made up of the Fan Belt, Pump, Fluid Reservoir, Hoses, Control Valve and Slave Cylinder.

BudD

80convertible · 02-20-02, 07:28 AM

What really concerns me is that these mechanics often have no more knowledge than we do. My strut rods are bent from some mechanic not knowing how to align the rear. If it is your control valve, you will need to have the front aligned again for sure. Did your mechanic also tell you that you can gain horsepower and torque by turning up the radio real loud

Regards,

Jim

c4ever · 02-20-02, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Did your mechanic also tell you that you can gain horsepower and torque by turning up the radio real loud

LOL

02-20-02, 01:17 PM

No he didn't.

How can I tell if the valve has gone bad?

Oh and I make sure that I show them that I know what I am talking about and know a thing or two about mechanics so that they won't try a fast one.

sscam69

I have to tell you a good story but don't have time to type it in since I am at work. You are going to love it!

c4ever · 02-20-02, 02:25 PM

Normally the only problem with the control valve is leaky seals. An inexpensive rebuild kit is available or you can go with a remanufactured unit from the normal channels. Rebuilding is fairly simple. Rare81 has a good link for this.
Good Luck,
Carlo

wolf_walker · 02-20-02, 04:55 PM

It is indeed cause for worry how many mechanics have no idea of the correct way to do things on a vette. I'm learning, and have been seriously considering getting into working on vette's more regularly. Unless someone reads allot and has experience and most importantly an INTERIST in the cars, they get treated just like anything else, which does not work on a Vette. It's sad how many I see driving around and can look at them and immediatly see things done wrong. LIke the red 73 yesterday, rear tires were bowed out so bad it looked like a giant sat on it, not to mention it was tracking sideways when seen from behind..

02-20-02, 08:02 PM

There might be a bigger problem with the vette. I took it back today and told him that I wanted him to leave it as if the valve was not affecting the driving. He said ok and to prove a point he removed ALL the shims on the left side and it barely cleared the tire on an extreme left turn. I was shocked. So what does this mean I asked myself, well something else is wrong other than the tire and arms. I have checked to make sure they were not flipped and they weren't. The right side is A-OK about .5-1" clearance all around on exteme left and right turns. The car had 245/60R15's on it and I think I know why! I don't know if the car has been hit before and could be a problem with the frame.

What else could it be? something with the arms? How could I check the geometry so that everything is alright? What should I use as a reference to measure from?

clueless sscam69

Yoda · 02-20-02, 10:42 PM

sscam69,

It sounds like it is time to take you baby to a reputable body shop and have her put on a frame machine and have the specification for the frame taken.

If you don't know of one, your local Chevrolet Dealer may, or they may even do it for you too.

Another way to find a GOOD shop is ask club members, if you don't belong to a Corvette Club, now may be the time to search one out..

Also in Our "Portal" at the top of the page are listed shops, you should be able to find one in your area. These are listing and not endorsements, so be sure to check out the shop before allowing anyone to touch your baby, find someone that "understands" your issue and has worked on Corvette Frames.

Good luck ss and hope it is a simple little tweek.. please keep us in the loop..

I've been there, had a '74 that had been butchered.. ended up putting a front clip on it after having her straightened out.. That ended my fiber glass work experience... fiber glass tends to linger, esp.. around a grinder...

BudD

02-21-02, 01:45 AM

Rare81 that was the next move I was taking.

There is another problem with my car that I think has to do with the tire. Or at least maybe an indication. The right side door window hits the body as the door closes by just a tad. IF the frame was messed up somehow the right side got shifted back and the left side shifted forward. I don't know if its a long shot but could be possible.

I lost the link to the digital camera and is currently on order. I will post pics as soon as i get it.

sscam69

thanx for the help and stay tuned, I will let you know what happens in a few days. I am going to call around and see whats up on Friday.