Whats wrong now

[skoal_mint]

damn explorer!.. just came out of the shop frieday and already another thing..

today i had turned the wheels on my explorer in my garage because i was cleaning some parts, then just a few minutes ago, i start it up, and go backup while turning my turning my steering wheel and it starts hop or virbrate real bad untill my wheels are stright..then i took it down a bush road to do a u-turn and it does the same thing..

any ideas?

 

['97 V8]

your power steering pump could be actin up on ya.

 

[JDraper]

Were you in 4wd when this happened?

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

same thing happend to me...it was power steering pump

 

[skoal_mint]

i wasnt in 4x4 at the time, but i did do a u-turn in 4x4 to see if their was any difference, but none..



is that whats the power steering pump does when it goes...my dads car needed a new pully for the power steering 2 weeks ago, but is was nothing like this..his was once you turn is was like driving with out power steering..

 

[JDraper]

Are you sure that it's not stuck in 4wd? That would cause exactly what you're describing.

 

[skoal_mint]

i dont think its one...this is the first time i used 4x4 in a long time..

well the light is off...how would i test to see if its off..

oh and another thing..could it have anything to do with the ABS?...because now the tires just lock up, no more ABS since is came back from the shop..

 

[Hartman]

its the power steering pump, mine does the same thing and the pump is about ready to die.

 

[skoal_mint]

its the power steering pump, mine does the same thing and the pump is about ready to die.

ok, well i'll take it to school tuesday to see what my teacher has to say, also a mechanic..

so your had like a hop a feels like its vibrating up and down when turning shap?

im going to check to see how much the pumps are, or if i can find a used one, hopefully

what if the belt is slipping..because i was cleaning the engine bay with some spray that keeps stuff shiny, maybe some got on the serpentine belt?

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

some times you hear about air getting into the system if you try to turn the wheels with the engine off. hope thats all thats going on.

 

[Mattbuyshouses]

Skoal,
mine did the same thing when it came back from service one time. Initially when I took it out of the shop for a 'test spin' the power steering was rattling and sputtering... Short of it is, some air gets in the lines in many cases and a little drive time and it's gone again. If it doesn't clear up quickly, make sure you have the right fluid in your pump and if not, drain it and refil with the correct fluid for starters. If it's still messed up replacing the pump isn't too bad or costly, mine was done on the cheap in the driveway about 50 bux for the pump.

Matt

 

[skoal_mint]

some times you hear about air getting into the system if you try to turn the wheels with the engine off. hope thats all thats going on.

yes.. .i was turning the steering wheel lots with the engine off.

but i dont know why it would hop or virbrate

 

['97 V8]

like i said in post #2 its your steering pump from what you've described. However "mattbuyshouses" does have a point about driving it a little bit, but i have never heard of something like that happening.

 

[Mattbuyshouses]

I hadn't heard of it either, nor did I know the pump was so picky about the fluid which it takes. When the mechanic at the local Ford 'ship told me all of that I thought he was completely full of it since I had just laid out nearly 2k on parts and labor and was pretty upset now that the pump seemed to be going out. He assured me that driving it around for a bit would clear it up. I live about 15 miles from the shop and by the time I got home it was nearly clean. Sometime the next day I didn't notice any sputtering in the steering any more so I'm guessing the driving the bubbles out worked. The part of the fluid really threw me out a little tho. Didn't know the pumps were THAT picky.

Matt

 

[skoal_mint]

well the virbration has gone down lots, now its only once in awhile..

i drove the **** out of it, turning, flying over wash borad roads with the music high, lol

i just kept swerving side to side down a buch road for a good 10 minutes and some mud holes now and then...if i couldnt pin point the problem i was going to atleast make it worse tell i could, but it didnt come to that..

well washing the truck and going to do the exact same thing again..but its sounding a hole lot better...probly was air in the pump

THANKS.

 

['97 V8]

open the power steering cap for the hell of it....maybe some air wants to escape...hell i dunno, thought i would throw that out there

 

[steve6534]

well the virbration has gone down lots, now its only once in awhile..

i drove the **** out of it, turning, flying over wash borad roads with the music high, lol

i just kept swerving side to side down a buch road for a good 10 minutes and some mud holes now and then...if i couldnt pin point the problem i was going to atleast make it worse tell i could, but it didnt come to that..

well washing the truck and going to do the exact same thing again..but its sounding a hole lot better...probly was air in the pump

THANKS.

Another way to bleed the air out of the system is to simply turn the wheel with the car running lock to lock several times. The system automatically bleeds the air when the wheel is turned hard to one side.

HTH

Steve

 

[BGN]

Explorer's shouldn't have their wheels turned while off the ground as this will cause temporary shuddering when driving immediately afterwards and it causes the p/s fluid to squirt from the air hole in the cap all over the place...its happened in my 97 Sport with the original p/s pump and the shuddering always goes away in a few minutes...its weird but I had someone check the Ford OASIS system to see if there was a TSB for this and there was nothing, no mention whatsoever of anything close.

Barry

 

[steph8]

I totally agree with BGN. The last time my mechanic turned the wheels without the engine running it took about ten miles before the air made its way out of the system. Now every time my X is in for a tune up or any kind of work I tell the mechanics never to turn the wheels without power.

 

[skoal_mint]

yes that was the problem, fluid came out the the air hole..

now i think i need new ball joints, because when ever i hit some bums it makes a sound like dock dock or like somthing is loose..

and it virbrates taking a sharp left turn.. so i'll take a look into that one day