So, drove my friends truck, at any point in steering wheel rotation, it feels like it loses power steering, and semi locks up.
Usually a little back and forth play with the wheel gets it moving again.
No obvious leaks anywhere, ps fluid looks a little dirty, rack boots are split and a little dirty in the tie rod joints, but I can't see anything that would cause the steering to stick as hard as it does.
Help.
How long has it been run with split boots? I'd check the rack for play.
Steering shaft has froze joints.
Ranger50 wrote: Steering shaft has froze joints.
Certainly a good place to start. If you roll the wheel from stop to stop, and it goes stiff/free/stiff/free with each rotation, head directly to the steering shaft.
Streetwiseguy wrote:Ranger50 wrote: Steering shaft has froze joints.Certainly a good place to start. If you roll the wheel from stop to stop, and it goes stiff/free/stiff/free with each rotation, head directly to the steering shaft.
That's probably the best description, but is it likely to be at the top, or down closer to the rack? Closer to the rack looks pretty basic, and I don't think I've ever had an old car with that issue (which, isn't saying that much...).
Top end is buried under a cover (and behind the booster...), does not look like fun to get to. And it seems like that's a pretty significant angle that it operates at, as steering columns/shafts go.
If there is not a bolt near the cover to undo the upper part of the shaft, it's on the other side of the boot above your feet.
Most likely, the box/rack end is at fault. Undo it at the box and try to rotate it around. I bet you find it sticks.
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