Hi Guys,

My Monte has had some steering related problems since I bought it three years ago. The car came with a dead (and empty) power steering pump that I still haven't replaced (originally because of lack or money/time and now because I've grown to like how the car feels without power steering). It seems like the pump is leaking, (but more on this later) and every once and a while I top the reservoir off to quiet the dead pump and keep fluid in the system.

For about two years, I never had any steering/alignment problems and continued this. However, this February I started noticing some minor vibration when driving at and above around 40mph. I checked my tires and made sure that pressure was good and I hadn't thrown a wheel balance weight. This got worse and worse for about three months until I finally finished the semester of school (and the weather became bearable to work in) and I had the time to replace the inner/outer tie rods, drive axles, and get an alignment done again. I'm no stranger to fixing this car and made sure everything was at proper torque spec when done. During this process, I noticed a little PS fluid in the rack dust boots leading me to believe that some fluid was leaking from the rack too.

After this, the car drove like new for a few months but I noticed that the alignment seemed to be falling out (car was pulling right), I also noticed that I could feel some clunking/looseness in my steering column now (maybe the vibration did a number on it). I took it back to the alignment shop and they re-did it under warranty, confirming that it was, in fact, off again. After this the car felt better but the clunking was still there.

Now, a few months later, the alignment feels off again and I'm starting to feel the same vibration I was feeling before. Also, when the car is cold, the symptoms aren't as obvious as when it's been driven for a while.

Is there something that I should have replaced that I didn't? Am I missing something really silly or insignificant? I know that there are some issues with the power steering system, but could those be causing what I'm experiencing? I'm really not sure what the root cause of the issue is, but I've tried to describe the state of basically every component in the frontend/steering system, so maybe someone will be able to figure it out. My Monte has quite a few miles, but the engine, electronics, and interior are all in excellent shape, the only issue I'm having with the car is this whole steering mess. If you guys have any insight or ideas, they'd be greatly appreciated!

Thank You!
Chris

 

I would fix the power steering pump and check the lines. If the fluid is leaking and getting into places it's not supposed to be this could be causing your issues. You could also have another bad axle, I have had to replace mine on the passenger side twice within a year and a half. Depending on what manufacturer of parts you got as replacement there is also a chance you may need new lower control arms, sometimes the cheap ones just don't hold up under potholes and whatever else the road throws your way. Probably wouldn't hurt to have a shop put it on a hoist and give it a once over so you can get a better look at things, unless you have one at your disposal then give it a once over yourself. I have broken tie rods and ball joints on cars in the past by hitting a pot hole at the right speed and angle, so it could just be one of those incidents.