2002 Mercury Marquis Steering hangs up

SARWIZ

MEMBER
2002 MERCURY MARQUIS
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
75,000 MILES

Just off center, the steering wheel is hard to turn, and then gets easy as you turn it. This is the same whether you turn left or right, and is the same even when the front tires are off the ground (tested it on jackstands placed under the lower spring cavity). I have replaced the pittman arm and idler arm, and have bled the system. The steering fluid is proper color and there are no apparent bubbles in it. I am beginning to think the pump may be bad, but it only hangs up in the spots indicated. I am at a loss on this one. I have been working on cars and trucks for over 35 years and have never run into a problem like this before. Help

4 Replies

MASTERTECHTIM

MECHANIC
4,749 POSTS

Remove the intermediate steering shaft from the steering gear and see if the universal joints are frozen in the shaft. I have seen this alot recently. Sometimes you can work wd40 into it to loosen it up alot but im pretty sure you will find the joint frozen

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Friday, February 20th, 2009 AT 8:52 PM

SARWIZ

MEMBER
6 POSTS

THanks, I'll try that, but I did forget to mention that last night I drove the car and it was ok, but this morning it started acting up while my wife was driving it. About a week ago it did it and that was when I replaced the pittman arm (definitely bad ). And it cleared up for a while after that. Thanks again.

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Friday, February 20th, 2009 AT 9:18 PM

SARWIZ

MEMBER
6 POSTS

Thank you, that was the problem. I saoked it with wd40, then pb blaster, then some 10w oil and it is ok now. Once I saw the condition of the joint, it was evident. Not something you would immediately notice hidden under the brake booster, but worth looking at more often in the future. Thank you again

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Saturday, February 21st, 2009 AT 7:34 PM

MASTERTECHTIM

MECHANIC
4,749 POSTS

I cant tellyou the pain this condition caused me when I first ran into it. It was on a bmw and we replaced everything. It really kicked my butt, but once biutten you never forget. I think that is one of the best things about this website. We have already gotten our butts kicked so it saves the regular guy a lot of hassle. The reason I got involved in this website is because it saved me on a mercedes problem I was having so I decided to pass it on. Thanks for using 2 carpros and for letting me know how you made out. That is really what we are here for.

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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 AT 6:43 AM