So I went down a gravel road with my girlfriend last week and it was washed out with alot of pot holes. i dont know what i was thinkin a but for some reason i thought it was a good idea to have some fun and splash some puddles, ended up coming out with my power steering being all messed up..
really stiff steering . i checked the level of it and it said it needed some fluid, so i bought some and filled it up...still stiff..dont know if there is a small leak now and its not delivering the fluid properly?
musta busted the line or something...
should i check for leaks and maybe seal it up? anything i can do personally to trouble shoot before i bring it to a shop and get raped?
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Try playing a little bit with your steering shaft and make sure that one of the U-Joints isn't compromised.

 

The U-joint nearest to the firewall has the largest angle - really large if you have a body lift. This is where I would look first. I'd clean it out and give it a good spray of some penetrating oil - several applications over a couple of days and see if that helps. There'd be no harm in applying some lube to the joint near the front.

 

My PS Stiffens up when I hit large puddles because the Belt slips. I would check the U-Joint by the firewall and grease it best you can. That caused my steering to stiff and stiffen until I got it greased, I ended up with about a inch play in the wheel now to.
When I bought it it also was stiff when turning left, because the wheel bearing was bad.

 

x2....sometimes playin with my shaft helps with the stiffness

 

and a little penetrating never hurts either! Can't figure out how to use the U-Joint though . . .

 

okay well thanks for the usefull comments..not so much the other references though, checking it out on monday. thanks let you know what i come up with