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Old 02-24-2018, 12:03 PM   #1
cknowlen
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Default STI power steering tunring by itself

As the title says, I have a 2011 STI which was leaking PS fluid from the pinion valve area, leading me to replace said pinion valve. After completing the job and getting everything bolted back up I bled the system (car off) lock to lock about 20 times. Then went to do the same with the car running, and the wheels turned all the way to left lock by themselves. I thought maybe air still in the system? bled it a bunch, no bubbles, no noises, but the wheels still turn to the left HARD. I even disconnected the steering shaft input from the rack to see if somehow i was off a tooth or two. Wheels STILL turn hard left even when thats disconnected. I have looked over all the lines and have found no kinks, and the lines are all in the correct location. any ideas where to check next???
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Old 02-25-2018, 12:59 PM   #2
cknowlen
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UPDATE: Well, I pulled the rack out and re-inspected it. Pulled the pinion valve out and it looked like the snap ring holding it in was a little unseated. installed everything according to the FSM. Including a new snap ring, got the rack all back in, and now it wants to slightly pull to the right instead of the left lol. not nearly as bad as before, but still annoying. Going to drive it for a few days to see if it clears up, if not, i am going to bring it to a shop and have them deal with it, hopefully im just bleeding it wrong.
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Old 02-26-2018, 10:41 AM   #3
cknowlen
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Can anyone explain the rack "turning torque" to me? Would this be effecting my PS rack in the manner I described above?

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9IF...it?usp=sharing
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Old 03-02-2018, 11:05 AM   #4
cknowlen
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Still could not figure out the issue...used it as an opportunity to upgrade to the 2015+ rack lol
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Old 03-02-2018, 03:20 PM   #5
fleezy
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try looking for this problem in other vehicles, not specifically for STIs.

Are you certain the lines weren't crossed/installed opposite?
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Old 03-06-2018, 07:52 AM   #6
cknowlen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fleezy View Post
try looking for this problem in other vehicles, not specifically for STIs.

Are you certain the lines weren't crossed/installed opposite?
I don't have this issue on my wifes car (Toyota Rav4) but then again, I am not willing to pull the steering rack out for no reason to inspect it.

Yes I am certain the lines are not crossed, as the supply/return lines are 17mm and 14mm and could not be mixed up. As for the two 12mm hard lines on the rack, it would require an extremely awkward bend in the lines to get them to fit in the wrong hole, and I believe the rack would end up dead-heading and you would either have an extreme back and forth shake or no movement, or possibly even backwards movement (ie, turn right and the wheels go left). just a thought.

I would love to figure out what was wrong with the rack, perhaps I will just gift it to somebody for scientific research haha. Either way, the new 2015 rack goes in today, along with some cusco bracing goodies (couldn't help myself) then it's off to the dealership for an alignment and steering angle sensor recalibration.

Now if for some reason I install the brand new rack today and this problem still exists, then the only thing left for me to replace would be the supply/return lines and the pump itself (which has showed no signs of wear or leaks). Wish me luck...
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Old 03-09-2018, 05:38 PM   #7
mar100
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Don’t mean to thread jack, but are you noticing any play in your new rack? I swapped in a 15 rack into my 2011 Sti and noticed a bit of a dead zone with the car on and off both moving and stationary, here’s a vid:

As far as the rack turning by itself, I notice the car want to pull more left or right now depending on how many passengers I have and how my tire pressures are adjusted but that might just be the difference between the 15:1 and 13:1 ratio
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Old 03-14-2018, 12:57 PM   #8
cknowlen
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I believe the play you are experiencing is entirely normal. Your steering column splined output mates up to the pinion shaft splined input via a connecting rod with two U-joints (as I'm sure you're aware). It is natural for a U-joint to have a small amount of play, as you have demonstrated, especially when you pair two of them on the same shaft. My rack has the same minimal amount of "free space".
As for pulling more left or right, I'm not sure what would attribute to that besides what you have already mentioned. For what its worth, I did notice that one of my rack hard lines was SLIGHTLY bent. Could have restricted flow making fluid from the other hard line input flow easier, thus making the rack think it should turn??? who knows. Seems like sound logic to me though haha. Check to make sure there is ZERO abnormal bends or kinks on your hard lines would be my recommendation. Im far from an expert though.
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Old 03-14-2018, 05:16 PM   #9
Charlie-III
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Unless a high pressure hardline is almost crimped closed, it is NOT an issue in regards to a rack "self turning".
I am not a rack expert, but I have years in industrial hydraulics.
Since no good replies yet, sounds like either a bit in the rack is not indexed correctly to the steering column or there is a bad seal in the rack allowing fluid to move the rack.
Universal joint free play should have nothing to do with a "self steering rack". It may make more of a dead spot on center and "may" allow some wandering depending on where the rack spool ends up.
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Old 03-14-2018, 07:13 PM   #10
cknowlen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie-III View Post
Unless a high pressure hardline is almost crimped closed, it is NOT an issue in regards to a rack "self turning".
I am not a rack expert, but I have years in industrial hydraulics.
Since no good replies yet, sounds like either a bit in the rack is not indexed correctly to the steering column or there is a bad seal in the rack allowing fluid to move the rack.
Universal joint free play should have nothing to do with a "self steering rack". It may make more of a dead spot on center and "may" allow some wandering depending on where the rack spool ends up.
Was just a thought on what was causing the self turning.
As for the second comment you made about the U-Joint, completely agree. What I was saying was in reply to the video posted, I was saying the U-joint was the cause of the slight amount of play in the steering wheel and is completely normal. Unrelated to the self turning.
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