PAS insufficient assist

[Tor]

Our S.A. V8 has inadequate steering power assistance, ie. there's some but much less than on any other PAS car we have known. Virtually everything has been gone over:

Steering gear rebuilt
Pump rebuilt, other pumps have been tested in the past, relief valve correct
HP hose replaced
Column inspected
Rods, pillars and all joints all refitted/rebuilt

Steering action is even and returns perfectly. There's no indication of any binding and the car responds to input well. It's quite clear that there is pressure being generated as there's always been quite a bit of wheezing. Im sure we can remove the remaining hoses and reservoir to inspect but is there anything elsewhere that can be overlooked?

 

[clive P62]

Hi
Did you check PAS filter inside reservoir ?
Have known them to to fill with filings when pumps fail.
Clive.

 

[corazon]

4 thoughts Tor..
Correct belt? Tight enough? Do you have standard sized pulleys?
Correct fluid, bled fully?
Jim

 

[Tor]

The belt is good, fluid and bleeding by the book. I struggle to see how bad a filter with debris in it would have to be to block flow. I'll have it looked at.

 

[harveyp6]

When the filters get blocked they tend to blow the fluid out through the tiny vent hole in the filler cap. The same thing can happen in cold conditions when the fluid is that bit thicker. You say you've bled it according to the book, I have no idea how that is, but I turn from lock to lock half a dozen times and that's never failed to bleed them. You can do it with the wheels off the ground initially to reduce the load. Don't hold it on full lock for any length of time.

 

[Tor]

With "by the book" I was referring to Alan's vast experience, not recalling a particular procedure...

I just learnt the steering gear was actually replaced, with one Alan rebuilt. Apart from pulling out the filter and inspecting the reservoir for whatever might be clogging things up there, the only thing we can think of now is collapsed unpressurised hoses with the thought that an uninterrupted, unobstructed circuitous flow must be determined.