Some help please

Billabong089

Registered User
Hey, I finally got to drive my car a lot today and two times when I went to start it up out of like 15 times today, it felt like it had a cam, the rpm's would go up and down in idle, like 500 then 700 then 500, and then it was fine again...


Also, the steering on my car is unbearable, I dont know what to do, its so stiff on idle, it feels like it locks up and cant even be moved, Turning and crap going slow is stiff and I'm just worred im gonna hit someone by not turning quick enough... Do you think its just the pulley and its not getting spun quick enough because a quick rev will clear it right up, or is the powersteering pump going?

Thanks alot and please reply :D
 
Pump

Sounds like your power steering pump is on its way out. It is a common problem with fords.
 
It sounds like the engine is idling too low. I have had a similar problem b4. It idles at around 800-900 then it is low around 500. When the engine is idling that low it doesn't pump enough fluid causing loss in power steering. Sometimes it starts like a carbed car when it's cold you rev it and it clears up to a normal idle. This seems to be worse in autos than 5sp's. at least in a 5sp you can rev it up. Does yours do this?

Jeff
 
Yes today was the first I experienced the idle like that, it clears right up if I rev it or just put it in gear and drive for a second and it idles around 900rpm.

Whats the normal idle for these cars? I thought 900 was sorta high. But anyway the power steering is fine when driving normally and just driving when I have to come to a full stop and turn the wheel thats where its stiff as hell. Would a smaller pulley be worth a try? Where could I get a pulley for the power steering?

I wasnt sure if was the pump because it only does it on idle or low rpms and if it was the pump I figure it would do it all the time.

Thanks.
 
It should idle higher than 500. a pulley isn't going to help you would put more load on the engine and it might stall out all together. You need to find out what causes it to drop like that. I never figured it out other than I had a few things wrong that I never fixed like bad o2 sensors, so I never could say exactly what it is.

Jeff
 
The thing is it only did this like three times ( drop to like 500 did the jump thing) , the power steering is still stiff around 800rpm

How would a smaller pully put a bigger load on the engine, wouldn't it spin quicker.?
 
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Lose the pulley idea unless you wanna go ahead & tear the pump up. Nuthin' like overdrivin' a PS pump to 8-9000 rpm, it's cool for a moment but oh the mess it'll leave behind when it grenades.
Try jacking the car up to get both front tires off the ground, fill it with fluid & twist the wheel a few times, see if it improves. If not, then you can either change the pump or swap in a known good proportioning valve from another pump. Heck, try tappin' on the old one, maybe it's stickin'.

'bird

J57ltr...you can't do WHAT with an automatic?

burn816.jpg
 
tbird88 said:

Try jacking the car up to get both front tires off the ground, fill it with fluid & twist the wheel a few times, see if it improves. ]


Fill what with fluid? the power steering ? The proportioning valve do i need to take that from an old pump or can I buy it new? Also would an LX one work?
 
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BillaBong the problem isn't the pump it's the idle, the idle, the idle. Get the picture? Putting a smaller pulley puts more of a load on the engine just like shifting up a gear puts more of a load on the engine. Gears, pulleys, sprockets, cogs all work exactly the same way. They trade one thing for another. As drive (say crank) increases speed increases and torque goes down. As driven (say accessory) increases speed decreases and torque increases.

You don't want to put a bandaid fix on your problem you'll end up with a bunch of rigged crap that doesn't work, ask me I know. Besides most people want to slow down the power steering not speed it up, so you will end up with a custom part that nobody will ever want that isn't going to fix the problem. Also when posting put something like "loses power steering while parking". I know there have been other people with the same problem that could help there are lots of posts and not everybody can look at every one.

Every accessory has an operating speed (in RPM's), once you drop below the operating RPM the accessory fails to work. The pump has to turn fast enough that it pumps fluid, the alternator has to turn fast enough that it produces current once it falls below that RPM it fails to produce enough to power the system that is why if your idle is real low like on the verge on dying on you (the engine that is) that you see the lights flicker just before it dies. Same thing for the compressor if the idle gets too low and the compressor is running the engine can't produce enough torque and it kills the engine.

Try what Wynn said, that sometimes works for a moaning pump. But you need to find out why the idle drops. Check the codes (it's in the FAQ) if it comes up with a code pointing to the IAC it could be the cam sensor or the IAC Clean the IAC sometimes they get gummed up because of the oil that gets sucked through the PCV system. When you are driving the IAC is closed and all the air goes through the TB. When you start to idle around in a parking lot or anytime your foot is not on the gas, the IAC opens (this directs air around from the front of the throttle plate to the back of the throttle plate) and keeps your idle steady. When it becomes sticky and doesn't open fast enough and the idle suffers. The cam sensor can cause the erratic idle too and sometimes sets the code for the IAC because it can't keep the idle right.

Wynn some people can't drive so revving the engine while parking produces bent fenders. Auto's have the torque converter that puts more load on the engine making the drop in RPM more pronounced. I’m not saying you can’t you just gotta have skillz.

Jeff
 
But I dont think my idle is the problem, besides that thing i mentioned that happened yesterday the idle has been fine, the car idles around 800-900rpm

And I cant remember but whats the IAC? I just can't remember what it stands for.

One more thing, wouldn't the check engine light come on if there were any codes?
 
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Idle air control ,and no the check engine light might not come on....Knowing ford the engine could be on fire and ...no light!:D
 
quit, my ribs are hurtin'!

/snippity
J57ltr said:
You don't want to put a bandaid fix on your problem you'll end up with a bunch of rigged crap that doesn't work, ask me I know.
Jeff
/snip

no comment
(I just shot beer through my nose all over the keyboard)

'bird
 
I dont know if this has to do with the stiff steering or if its another problem but when the steering gets stiff you can hear the steering wheel like sqeak, is that just due to a lack of pressure which makes it stiff and tight?
 
Billa,

It sounds to me like your powersteering pump is on it's way out. Mine went out on my old 89 SC like yours is starting to go out on you. The idle would drop like yours, and then be fine, and it acted like you are describing. I replaced the pump and all was good again.

As for replacing it with one from an LX, I don't believe that it is the same part number. The one that is on the SC is a variable assist while the one on the LX I believe is not (not sure).

Don't throw a smaller pulley on the one that you have, all that will do is to speed up the pump and it will get overdriven. Overdriving the pump will do unknown damage to the pump, like someone said earlier.

As for replacing the pump, it takes a little bit to get it out, but it is do-able. Just like anything else on these cars you have to pull apart half of the engine just to get to the part that you want to fix.

Good Luck!!!

Josh
 
geez, that should be fun, I'll replace my accumlator for the ABS and do the power steering pump, yay ;)

First I'll get a shop manual, the power steering pump looks hard to get to, does it require the intercooler and intercooler pipes to be disconnected?

If you could tell me your process of doing it, i would apprecaite it ;)

And how much does a new pump run?
 
Billa,

I just did my power steering pump a couple of months ago. Best this is to get the Ford shop manual. You have to pull the inter-cooler and upper tube to get to it. Also need to pull the power steering pulley to get to the last bolt. It's not hard if you have all the parts. You can get the pulley puller from Auto-Zone or any auto parts store willing to loan out tools. You could also get the power steering pump at Auto-Zone for about $60 to $70 if I remember right. But, you have to remove the power steering assist unit from the old and bolt it to the new one. That was a little bit tricky. I actually pulled the high pressure hose out to remove the power assist.

I also changed out my IAC not too long ago. My symptoms were a high idle, that would not come down, something like 200 to 2500 RPM's. But before then, my idle would vary, bit only on occasion. So, I let whatever break bad enough until I could figure out what it was.

In addition to the steering problem, especially at slow speeds to standing still. You my want to check your ball joints. If they are not moving freely, this could lock up your steering and make it hard to steer at slow speeds and standing still. I say this because after changing out my power steering pump and lines, I still had a hard time turning my wheels at slow speeds and standing still. They would lock for an instant then break to allow me to turn. Finally crossed three lanes of traffic to my right while cranking my wheel to the left, so I'm in the middle of changing out all my ball joints and bushings. Many were long over due to be changed out.

Hope this helps and good luck.
Greg
 
Well the thing is about the ball joints, sometimes its easy as hell to move and then after two to three full turns ( one direction to the other ) in the driveway it would get stiff, but that could well very be it, since the car is 10 years old, who knows, I just don't want to play the money guessing game, I can't afford it.

But anyway heres one more question, I think i'm just paranoid, since I have no money and i want this car to be perfect, my car heats up in like 4 to 5minutes after starting up on a cold day and thats just idle, is that normal? I dont want my car to overheat, I got on it pretty good today and it stayed right in the middle, it would actually move down and then go back up the middle, I suppose thats when the fan kicks in it would go down a little bit. I think i'm just over analyzing everything, help lol.

Ok well thanks for the replies, the first thing i'm getting is the ford manual, does that cover SC and LX's?
 
Billa,

Ball joints aren't that big of deal. I paid $26 per side for ball joints and $24 per side for tie rod ends. They came from Parts America.

The manual I borrowed from the local library until it became necessary to purchase one. You could copy the pages that you need to do the repairs. Might save on the cost of purchasing the entire manual. Sorry, don't remember what it cost.

As for the normal time period to warm up the car, I would say it just depends. Depends on the outside temperature, and the type of thermostat you have in the car (190 degree vs 180 degree). On a cold day say 32 degrees, I would say it take my car 5 to 10 minutes to warm up to normal running temperature. Yours doesn't sound to far from normal. Just watch the gauge and give it a good radiator and cooling system flush when you have the money and time. Carry around a gallon of antifreeze in the trunk just in case you need it and some peace of mind.

Good luck.
 
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