I installed a Lares 1353 (Jeep Grand Cherokee replacement) as an "upgrade" to my stock steering box in my 67 Special. The original steering was very light and vague, but the new box is very tight and heavy. Almost like it's not power steering. I expected the new box to be tighter but it seems like something may be wrong. I think I bled out all the air, as at first there were a lot of bubbles in the fluid and now there aren't any. I turned the front wheels lock to lock for about 10 minutes with the front up in the air and the car running. I drove it around for about 15 min and it did not get any better. Is there something I'm missing here?
Leave the car off, let it sit for several hours and then turn the wheel lock to lock slowly about 25 times and see if that helps. I usually sit on the ground and grab the tire and cycle it back and forth.
Okay I will try that. I have never had a problem like this before but also I probably never installed a dry box either. Thanks.
Doing it static works by pushing the air out of the box and pulling the fluid. Pump running will create foaming and recirculate the air.
I did not change anything in the pump. I'm not sure if I can return it, but I'm hoping I don't have to take it out again. I don't have a lot of time to work on the car these days.
I have a quick ratio box from Year One that has been in my car for about 17 years. It is about 2.75 turns lock to lock. It works just fine with the stock 1970 pump, I never changed anything.
I have read that 1970 and later had a higher psi pressure regulator. I have also read it's the flow volume that affects steering effort, not the psi. So I'm not sure.
When I installed the QR box in my car it was dry and didn't have any issues like you're describing. The pump worked fine before the box change right? Either your lines are crossed (which I don't think is possible) or you have something wrong with that gear box.
If you take the high pressure fitting out in the back of the pump, you should be able to access the pressure relief valve. When I swapped mine for a GN power steering box, it was a little stiffer and I pulled mine out and removed all the washers. That increased the pressure a bit and made it a little easier. You could also look for a later model pressure relief valve.
This morning I did the bleeding procedure that Michael aka Trunkmonkey suggested and I got a bunch more frothy air bubbles in the reservoir. The steering is now much better. However it's still slightly firmer than I think it should be, so I might try something with the pressure valve as Greg suggested. I also found I have a slight leak at the high pressure fitting on the box end. I had to use those adapter inserts to use the flare hose lines on the new o-ring style box fitting. I think I've tightened that fitting as much as I can. The other thing I found is that the return line hose is loose where it clamps to the hard line portion that goes into the box. That should not be able to be swiveled, right? I put another clamp on it and it's still not tight. Maybe I'm sucking air into the system when it's running? Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm hoping to get this working so I don't have to remove it again.
Yes, you are sucking air in. If you have the incorrect fitting to box, you may have also the symptom of the line swiveling. Typically the line clamp is factory swagged with a special tool/pliers. The suction line can get by with a "do it yourself clamp", but the pressure line likes a proper clamp/crimp/swagged line. There are O-ring and Inverted flare type fittings, the image you posted is an inverted flare. If you have the smallest suction leak, you will/may have squealing, "steering wheel fight" (near the end of travel), "pulsing" in the wheel as you turn and difficulty in turning the wheel, especially when at very low speeds or stopped, like getting in an out of parking spots. You may have to use teflon tape to seal the adapters. Many of them are made in China and the tolerances are hit and miss. Best to use correct fittings and lines than adapters and reduce failure points, Lord knows a classic car has enough to keep one busy as it is.
Its swiveling at the connection where I drew the red arrow. I'm looking into getting the correct lines. Thanks again. These are the fittings I used to adapt the newer o-ring style connections on the new steering box to the original Buick style hoses. I used new Gates hoses but I'm not impressed with the quality. The pressure hose fitting threads stripped almost immediately, and I had to use the old line, which is now leaking at the box fitting. The return hose is loose. I can't use these lines. Borgeson 925122 GM O-Ring to Inverted Flare Adapter Set Includes (3) Flare Adapters Converts late model GM O-ring type steering boxes/pumps to inverted flare seat.
I made some modifications to the pressure regulator and valve on the pump. I measured the orifice in the main fitting as .120”. According to info I found on Corvetteforum.com, this is around 2.0-2.2 gpm flow rate. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forum...-steering-needs-some-help.html#post1578380807 First I drilled this hole out to .136 (.016 bigger). The steering effort improved but still felt too heavy. Then I removed and drilled it out another .016 to .144”. It should be around 3.0 gpm now. I think this is closer to what a late model pump would be. I also took apart the regulator valve and added in a small #3 washer at the bottom as a shim against to spring to raise the pressure up a little. I figured if the flow has been increased, then the pressure would drop off a little. I’m not trying to increase pressure more than stock, but just maintain it. This improved the steering feel even more and I’m okay with it now. It’s not perfect but close enough. I guess I could drill it out even more and bump the pressure a little more but I think it’s good enough. I found that the high pressure line wasn’t actually leaking but the return was. I added another clamp on the return and it’s good now. I’m still running the original high pressure hose though. I need to find a good replacement with steel fittings. Thanks to all who replied for the advice and help! More info and pics on these mods here http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/2013/powersteeringmods/
