Gilbert Power Steering Repair
Beside breaking, steering is the most important thing on your vehicle and one of the things we take for granted in our vehicles. We'll examine two areas: the power assist and the actual parts that steer the vehicle.
For those of you under 40 you may have never driven a car or truck without power steering. Today's vehicle have a hydraulic power steering pump that provides boost that makes it a lot easier to steer. The serpentine belt (again) drives the pump, but more newer vehicles have an electric pump. Even more some vehicles have an electric motor that directly powers the steering.
Like everything else in a car the important thing to keep in mind is that these pumps and motors will wear out and the hoses will start to leak. The good news is that you can postpone that fateful day by having a power steering service on a regular basis. It's done by draining the old fluid and replace it with new fresh fluid. This will remove water and contaminants that will corrode the power steering component. If you're not sure just ask us next time you get your vehicle service what is the recommended change interval.
Now what about the mechanical steering parts? Is there anything you can do to maintain them? Yes. If any of the steering parts can be lubed, other than that, just watch for signs that parts are wearing out. Things like loose steering and uneven tire wear would be a clue that something is wrong.
Steering maintenance is pretty straight forward. Just replace power steering fluid as recommended and fix worn or damaged parts right away because it might start a chain reaction.