I have a 1999 Blazer....at idle with the wheels straight.. my steering wheel vibrates slightly...as soon as i turn the steering wheel the vibration gets worse...im thinking its the power steering pump???? i took the belt off the power steering pump pulley ..and started the car... i didn't feel or hear any vibration...even when i turned the steering wheel.

the fluid seems ok..
the belt and tension seem ok..

please note that its not hard to turn the steering wheel, it just vibrates like crazy...

any ideas???? it would also help if anyone could explain what type of symptoms would a bad steering gear cause?

 

How is the fluid in the pump? I would try flushing out the system first before I look into replacing the pump.

 

i will try flushing out the fluid.. would i have to bleed the system if i flush and replace the fluid?

i forgot to add to my original post that i also hear what appears to be a knocking sound coming from my power steering cooler line...

any more ideas would be greatly appreciated !!

 

Bleeding the system afterwords depends on how you flush the system out. I typically use a little hand pump to drain the reservoir dry. Then fill it up with fresh fluid. With the front end off the ground, I'll cycle the steering side to side a number of times and then repeat the process of draining the reservoir. Do this a few times and it should be good to go.

If you start the engine with a low reservoir level, you'll get a ton of air into the system.

As far as the pulsation on center, this could be a problem with flow director valve inside the steering gear box which controls the pressure/flow depending on steering input.

 

flow director valve inside the steering gear box makes a lot of sense! would you happen to know if you can replace this valve or would the steering gear box have to be replaced?

thanks for your advice!

 

Your best bet would probably be a replacement box if that were the problem.

If you jack the front end of the truck off the ground and start it up, does the steering drift in either direction?

 

I'll try that out and let you know as soon as possible!

 

i jacked the front end and didnt notice any drifting in the wheels...the noise was MUCH quieter with the truck jacked up (although the vibration in the steering wheel was still noticeable)... the noise extremely intensified when i turned the steering wheel all the way left or right (where it wouldnt turn any more)... where as before with the wheels on the ground you would hear the noise at any point you turned the steering wheel...

I linked 2 small video clips from my Youtube account ...
note that one video is showing the AC Compressor with the Power Steering Pump right under it which you probably already know.. The noise happens as im turning the steering wheel.

Video 1

Video 2