Help! Power steering

[pollynh]

I have a 2005 XLR.
The power steering occasionally cuts out. I have to use two hands to manoeuva the car. After it is shut off and left to stand for a little while, everything's working fine again.The fluid and lines all look okay. Has anyone else had this problem the?

 

[mickeytee]

The pumps do fail i have new oem ones for sale . But even when they fail the car should not be that hard to steer. The rack and pinion has a power assist built in. At parking lot speeds the pump assist with steering, above 40 mph the pump is bypassed. Above 60-70 the pump is reversed so it adds pressure to make it harder to steer. Id check the plug that goes to the rack and make sure its not filled with oil.
Of course make sure the fluid is full. pumps usually make noise if they are bad

 

[RubyRod]

It's likely an internal failure of the steering rack itself. There are control valves internal to the steering rack that cause pressure from the pump to provide assist when turning the steering wheel. I went through this type of failure on one of my vehicles a while ago. I would be driving along and everything would be fine and all of a sudden it would require super-human effort to turn the steering wheel. A few seconds later the steering would return to it's normal state and everything would be fine again. But ... as time moves on the problem continues to get worse. The problem doesn't seem important if you're only driving at low speeds. But I had the problem repeatedly on the highway going back & forth to work. It's VERY scary at highway speeds when all of a sudden you can't steer the car. And it's even worse when the steering assist returns while you're pulling on the steering wheel with all your might and you unexpectedly charge through 2 lanes of traffic and nearly roll the car over.

I'd have the steering system evaluated by someone you trust. It'll cost a few bucks but it won't be unbearable. You MIGHT be able to have the pump pressure tested but it requires special equipment. When having the steering racks in my XLR replaced over & over again the shop doing the work refused to replace the rack for the 3rd time until I had the pump tested. Where I am there aren't many shops that have one of these pressure testers. I had to call Cadillac Dealers further and further from home until I found a dealer that had one. If the steering rack turns when the engine is running and not making strange noises the pump is probably fine. But if you're losing steering control while driving this is a VERY dangerous situation. You'd be smart to have it checked out and fixed BEFORE you crash.

good luck