Quote:
Originally Posted by INDwinak
I could some advice from you smart and experience folks to help trouble shoot some steering issues. I’m still a novice at doing my own work, but hoping to get some pointers on where I should be looking to address these issues.
I have 97 2WD sr-5. Vehicle has a little over 100k. The issues may or may not be related.
1st issue: I get belt squeal when I cold start the vehicle—sometimes at warm start too. It seems to be temperature and humidity dependent, it squeals less in cooler weather. Belt squeals for less than 5 seconds at cold start, maybe a second or not at all at a warm start. It also squeals when I turn the steering wheel all the way to either side. I replaced my power steering belt (and other belts) within last 10k miles. Not sure if I tensioned it to spec. (I don’t have a tension gauge.) Power steering motor is original, fluid changed within 10k miles.
2nd issue: Steering wheel is very difficult to turn and doesn’t return to center without help. At higher speed (even just 5-10 mph) turning becomes much easier. I don’t think there is a lot of play. I got an alignment recently and this seemed to make turning the wheel easier, but that was short-lived and probably coincidental. From searching this forum, I was going to investigate the intermediate steering shaft. To my knowledge, all steering components are original, except for a replaced lower ball joint within last 30k miles.
Any thoughts on where to look to resolve these issues?
Thanks!
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1st issue is probably a loose belt
2nd issue is power steering related from your description. Common culprits are old/dirty power steering fluid and/or a dirty/clogged reservoir screen.
Here's a short video on how to clean the reservoir:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZwYbvwIQ4Y You don't have to remove the pump from the vehicle. You can remove the reservoir rom the pump in the vehicle. Try to suck out all the old fluid you can before removing the reservoir to minimize the mess you will make. Get a new reservoir o ring as well (90301-11016). You may need to cap off the bottom of the reservoir and fill it with brake cleaner and let it soak for a few hours to loosen the buildup on the screen. Power steering system uses Dexron 3 transmission fluid (or a compatible fluid). DO NOT USE POWER STEERING FLUID.
Here's a much more detailed cleaning/flush video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k61KXRK8bM
And a low tech flush video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOb5yF2Xv8Y
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2000 SR5 V6 Manual 4WD
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2000 Limited V6 Auto E-Locker Sold 3/2022