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General Diagnostic Table: Inspection: Notes

GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC

Trouble Possible cause Corrective action
  • Heavy steering effort in all ranges
  • Heavy steering effort at stand still
  • Steering wheel surges when turning.
 1. Pulley belt
  • Unequal length of pulley belts
  • Adhesion of oil and grease
  • Loose or damage of pulley belt
  • Poor uniformity of pulley belt cross section
  • Pulley belt touches to pulley bottom
  • Poor revolution of pulleys except oil pump pulley
  • Poor revolution of oil pump pulley
 Adjust or replace
2. Tire and wheel
  • Improper tires out of specification(1)
  • Improper wheel out of specification(1)
  • Tires not properly inflated
 Replace or reinflate.
3. Fluid
  • Low fluid level
  • Aeration
  • Dust mix
  • Deterioration of fluid
  • Poor warming-up of fluid (2)
 Refill, bleed air, replace or instruct customer.
4. Idle speed
  • Lower idle speed
  • Excessive drop of idle speed at start or at turning steering wheel (3)
 Adjust or instruct customer.
5. Measure hydraulic pressure. < Ref. to , INSPECTION , Oil Pump. > Replace the problem parts.
6. Measure steering effort. < Ref. to , MEASUREMENT OF STEERING EFFORT , INSPECTION, General Diagnostic Table. > Adjust or replace.
  • Vehicle leads to one side or the other
  • Poor return of steering wheel to center
  • Steering wheel surges when turning.
 1. Fluid line
  • Folded hose
  • Flattened pipe
 Correct or replace
2. Tire and wheel
  • Flat tire
  • Mix use of different tires
  • Mix use of different wheels
  • Abnormal wear of tire
  • Unbalance of remained grooves
  • Unbalance of tire pressure
 Adjust, fix or replace
3. Front alignment
  • Improper or unbalance caster
  • Improper or unbalance toe-in
  • Loose connection of suspension
 Adjust or retighten.
4. Others
  • Damaged joint assembly
  • Unbalanced height
  • Unbalanced weight
 Replace, adjust or instruct customer.
5. Measure steering effort. < Ref. to , MEASUREMENT OF STEERING EFFORT , INSPECTION, General Diagnostic Table. > Adjust or replace.
(1) If the tires or wheels are wider than specifications, the load to power steering system is increased. Accordingly, in a condition, for example before fluid warms-up, relief valve may work before maximum turning angle. In this case, steering effort may be heavy. When the measured hydraulic pressure is normal, there is no abnormal thing.
(2) In cold weather, steering effort may be heavy due to increased flow resistance of cold fluid. After warming-up engine, turn the steering wheel from stop to stop several times to warm-up fluid. Then if steering effort reduces normally, there is no abnormal thing.
(3) In cold weather or with insufficient warm-up of engine, steering effort may be heavy due to excessive drop of idling when turning steering wheel. In this case, it is recommended to start the vehicle with increasing engine speed than usual. Then if steering effort reduces normally, there is no abnormal thing.
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