1988 xjs, new power steering hose, new power steering seal kit just installed.
been running great since completed 2 monthes ago. pulled in to the driveway, ran in to get jacket came back out drove 50 feet (steering became hard to steer). No Freakin clue!!!!!!!! plenty of fluid. belt tight, anybody ever heard of this one??????

 

Only thing I can think of is you may have installed a seal the wrong way round, so pressure is not building up on one or other side of the rack piston when you apply lock.

Is it possible to put the hoses on the rack the wrong way round ? Probably not, but check anyway.

 

i would'nt think that it has driven as well and steered as well as it has if something was backwards. been fine for at least 2 monther prior to the other day. i will re check though thanks.

 

Check the knuckle that attaches to the rack, these bind and cause notchy or stiff steering

 

are you referring to the hard 3/8 tubing (2) of these that attach under the column?

 

The joint and shaft in the engine bay that attaches to rack pinion spline

Remove the pinch bolt and check the universal it should be free but not sloppy. Mine was very stiff andmad th steering off centre.

 

Sorry, I didn't pick up on this on your first post.

If it was OK for two months then clearly something else is wrong, but I can't help you much on that. Is the pump OK ? Basically, the oil in a PS system circulates continuously with no pressure until the valve on the rack diverts it to one or other side of the rack and closes off the exit, causing pressure to build up, hence giving assistance to the driver. There is an overpressure, (blow-off) valve in the pump somewhere, so that could be stuck open, but I'm only guessing really.

 

Thanks for all the sugg. Hopefully Thurs. my day off ,i can get under it.
yea at slow speeds like turning a corner or into the driveway it stiffins up, yet at higher speeds its as if nothing is wrong.

 

Slower speeds need the assistance, higher speeds a lot less so. The rack valve has a small torsion bar to detect load on the steering, and proportions the assistance to the load applied by the driver. Did you dismantle this when rebuilding the rack ? Also did you dismantle the pump at the same time ?

At the moment, I can't see where it might be going wrong, these are pretty simple things, really. Cleanliness when assembling is always emphasized in the Jaguar workshop manual.

No leaks or seapages anywhere ?