Maintenance work
The hydraulic fluid used in the power steering gear is the ATF known from automatic transmissions (see chapter on lubrication). The vane pump creates a high pressure in the fluid, so even a small loss of tightness must be considered a large loss of fluid. For safety reasons - after all, non-servo assisted steering becomes instantly heavy - you need to check the system for leaks. We repeat once again: the car does not lose controllability even without steering effort support - although it is controlled much harder. Checking is described here:
Checking to a certain extent is carried out by monitoring the liquid level in the expansion tank. Because if there is no liquid, then it could pour out somewhere. If yes, then:
With the engine running, turn the steering wheel to the right and left once until it stops. This creates the highest pressure in the servo control tubes and leaks become noticeable.
Hold the steering wheel against the stop and look for a leak in the following places:
In the pump piston valve: it is located approximately where the steering column enters the steering gear.
In a servo-assisted vane pump: when detecting leakage, the motor must first be washed.
On tubing connections: check all connections one at a time and tighten if necessary.
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