I know this is long, but im explain when the power steering is and is NOT working. (Please Note: I do not want to go to a manual steering rack. I like my power steering when it works...)

I have an 1988 Turbo II.

I have been trying to figure out what is going on with my power steering problem. When the car is cold the Power Steering works flawlessly. When at a stop you can turn it with a finger or two around and around. (Nice and easy)

As soon as the car has been running for 30 min + then it will not turn without use of both hands full pulling on the wheel to get it to turn. (no power steering at all!)

When the car is moving the power steering seems to work fine. Its just a stop maybe its not holding enough pressure in the lines.

Today I tried to flush the entire system. I put the car on jack stands and drained the fluid. I drained a quart and a half out. I did it a tiny bit at a time, took the lower hose off, let it drain, filled it with clean fluid. Started the car on jack stands and turned the steering all the way for a min or two. Then drained it again.

The fluid kept coming out looking like this:



The fluid was bright RED (ATF) going in and it comes out looking like that?!?!
I think the previous owner dumped some motor oil down there.. I stopped flushing at after I did the first quart becuaes I didn't have another quart of new stuff to keep flushing.. this week I will continue until its all out of there if thats possible...

I have a spare power steering pump, I checked the electrical connections. All are nice and clean, no problems there... Maybe the pump or control valve in the pump has had it...

If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Thanks for the help.

 

I would look at cold solder joints in the power steering CPU if you are not getting any error beeps.

 

The seals inside the steering gearbox might be getting knida worn out by now too, allowing pressurized fluid to bypass into other channels, causing the fighting you're having to do with the wheel...Mazda recommended ATF in the FSM, that's why it's in there, most likely...If you feel it "catching/ freezing up", especially during tight turns, your bearings inside the gearbox (3 of 'em) might also be on their way out.

 

I am getting no beeps, that is for sure. So I will definately take a look and see if I can find the power steering cpu... time to head for the Service manual..

Thanks for the input..

 

I know that the power steering system should have ATF in it, but what I was getting at was... In the picture you can see how brown/black it is.

That being I thought the previous owner may have dumped some motor oil in there. All of the ATF I know of is red anyways.. Maybe its just origional ATF, but either way I was trying to flush it.

As for the warn out parts you are talking about, those are not in the pump right? Those are at the gearbox located somewhere else down the line at the box as you were describing.. Sorry I have very little knowledge in this area..

 

Update: I drove the FC to work today and decided to try and narrow the problem down a little more.

If the car is idling at 750rpm - Power steering does not work.

If the car is idling at 1000rpm the power steering is working but not perfect.

Above 2000rpm and the power steering appears to be working normally. (Ive had this problem since I bought the car so I don't entirely know what a perfect one feels like.)

To me that seems like the pump is not able to hold up the pressure. (Since im not leaking fluid)

Which also might explain why the Power Steering CPU was not getting upset and beeping.

 

As soon as you turn the wheel, the power steering switch should be telling the ECU to pick up the idle (through the bypass air system), allowing the pump to do its thing...I just got through tearing down my power steering rack this past weekend, I had taken the pump & lines off about a year ago, and the middle needle bearing in the steering hydraulic valve assy (gearbox-looking thingy down on the rack) didn't like the lack of pressurized fluid running over it and decided to take a **** and seize the internal valve (while driving and taking a turn, of course). Anyhow, it's a system packed with bearing grease now instead of thin fluid, with no needle bearing on the valve anymore to lock me up (there are 2 additional ball bearings still in there for rotational stability)...

 

Hmm thats interesting.. Maybe there's something screwie going on with my Bypass Air System then.. I don't have ANY problems idling. It always goes right down to 750 on the spot.