1995 8-valve 940 Wagon, 295k Using a magnafine filter in the PS.

I checked the FAQ and did a basic search and didn't see anything quite like this. Hoping that someone knows what might be going on.

Steering is whining and shuddering when turning left only. Fluids appear to be at the optimal. left-right cycling of the rack doesn't reveal bad fluid or big "burps" of air. Car was fine yesterday, but when wife drove the car today she says that fluid is squirting out of the PS reservoir.

Seems like excess pressure, but how? Doesn't seem consistent with pump failure, maybe a blockage.. but why would this only be an issue when turning left?

Heading home soon to take a look in-person. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

So I checked out the car. Whines and shakes when turning. The PS pump itself has some shaft play. Idling the engine with the reservoir cap off, I could see the return fluid coming through - don't think that the magnafine is the problem.

Ran to pick and pull and got a compatible replacement.

Reservoir had "bubbled-over" when I was at the yard. Had top off the reservoir again.

Scary new symptom appeared on the return trip. Hit a bump at ~35mph and the front of the car started shaking violently. Slowed down and it righted itself. Tried to take the highway home and shaking became violent above 40 MPH. Had to return on side-streets. Highway trip out was fine, unsure why return would be a problem.

Really, really, really hope that my rack's not suddenly dead.

Thinking about pulling the magnafine out of the system and see if anything changes. This is a *really* bad time for a breakdown.

Car passed safety inspection back in March, so rods and such should still be good.

Dear RepairmanJackal,

Hope you're well. I wonder if a strut mount and/or bearing has failed. One or both failures would put a heavy load on the power steering pump and rack. Further, if the bearing under the strut mount has fallen apart, the front-wheel suspension would be loose and likely to gyrate at high speeds, especially on neven surfaces.

Suggestion. Jackal-up the car on one side at a time. Grasp the tire firmly and see if there's any front-to-back play, i.e., whether the tire - and so the strut housing tube - can be moved towards the back of the car or the front of the car.

Then, try pulling out (away from the engine) at the top of the tire, and pushing in (towards the engine) at the bottom of the tire. Finally, turn the steering wheel, until it locks. Repeat these tests. If the strut mount and bearing are in good shape, there should be no "looseness" in the suspension.

If there is "looseness", have a helper move the tire, while you look at the top of the strut mount (visible inside the engine bay). If the top of the stut mount moves, when the helper pushes on the tire, I'd conclude that the strut mount and/or bearing has/have failed.

Please post your test results.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Spook that's good thing to check - never would have considered that to be a factor. I replaced my struts a bearings a couple years ago, so those still ought to be good, but ruling them out is good science.That's also a bit consistent with the bump-n-shake I experienced...

As I waited for the car to cool off enough to work, I pulled my magnafine, drained it, and determined that fluid (and air) passes through it easily.
I replaced it and began the work of removing the pump.

I found fluid leaking directly from the PS pump shaft. Pretty damning.

I also did some other work while I was down in there, fixed a leaky top seal on the new water pump, cleaned the engine and everything, and changed the oil.

After getting the new pump installed and topping all fluids, I got some odd groans and noises. After I cycled the PS a few times, everything quieted down pretty quickly. Taking it out for a test-drive, the noises and shakes were gone - though I didn't have time for a highway test.

I'm a bit concerned that maybe I addressed the symptom rather than the cause. I guess we'll see.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll post if the issues return.

Check to see if the magnifine filter got bumped over and put a kink in the hose. I did that the other day.
John

Check to see if the magnifine filter got bumped over and put a kink in the hose. I did that the other day.
John