Power steering problem

[JoeVac]

Finally got back to working on 65 special landau after motorcycle incident. Had car on jackstands and started it up and steering wheel turned all the way to the right on its own.Does the same thing when driven. steering effort is fine and wipers work ok. Steering box issue? Car has Ford pump and it seems to be working fine.this is my last issue before getting car back on road. Thanks in advance for any help.

[jopizz]

I would start the car and turn the wheel from lock to lock a number of times to get any air out of the system. Check the pump and refill if needed. If this doesn't fix it then you are probably correct that it's a steering box issue. There are no external adjustments that control left and right movement although there are shims that can be added internally to adjust the turning force left and right.

John

[JoeVac]

Thanks for the reply. I was afraid it would be the steering box. looks like a bear to remove/replace

[Dark Soul]

A very large bear at that. Check out larescorp.com for rebuilt units. I purchased mine through Rock Auto, I think the core charge was $400 but they give you their shipping discount so at least the return costs are reasonable.

To remove the pitman arm I used a Lisle 41970 Heavy Duty Pitman Arm Puller. It's a little big for the job but it will work; a smaller puller would likely break. Use light oil on the threads and torque until you think it will break. Them hammer on the arm until it breaks free. Start dousing that and the end of the steering column with penetrating oil weeks in advance.

[JoeVac]

Just an update,,thought I would try something,,drove car and it really pulls right when i let go of the wheel. Got up to around 30 mph, put car in neutral and shut off engine Car pulls hard right just like before. In my mind that kind of rules out the steering box?? Could alignment really be that bad?.

[jopizz]

In your original post you said the wheels turned right while up on jack stands. That would have nothing to do with alignment. If it still does it with the wheels off the ground then my guess is you still have a power steering problem. Turning the engine off doesn't immediately relieve pressure in the system. It will still follow the path of least resistance.

John