1997 Ford Crown Victoria 97 Crown Vic Steering problem

Tiny
DAVEYSPROCKETBREW
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 FORD CROWN VICTORIA
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 150,000 MILES
My car suddenly developed "flat" spots in the steering where it alternately becomes easy and hard as you turn. There are no leaks and the fluid is at the proper level. My local repair shop flushed and changed the steering fluid and it has gotten only slightly better, but not fixed. They would like to replace the steering box and the pump for well over $1000. It seems like there might be a simpler, less costly solution other than replacing most of the big-ticket steering components> I have seen other similar problems noted elsewhere on the internet. Any help would be appreciated.
Thursday, June 26th, 2008 AT 2:39 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
MERLIN2021
  • MECHANIC
  • 17,250 POSTS
You might want to ask if they did a diagnotic and if any EVO codes are present, if a 70 code comes up, the EVO unit is bad, I recommend if you are thinking of spending this much, Get a diagnosis from Ford first. They have the propper scanner to check the electronic steering system.
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Thursday, June 26th, 2008 AT 2:50 PM
Tiny
440DAVIDL
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
My 97 has done this since it had 6000 miles on it. (The dealer said it was "normal" and refused to do anything. They are no longer in business.) I found that the bearing for the steering column (right behind the horn pad) was bad. Every 6 months or so I need to pull the plastic trim off the bottom of the steering column and soak it down with WD-40 and it frees it up. One other thing that makes my steering stiff is the knuckle joint right below the brake booster. I need to keep it soaked down also.
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Friday, January 23rd, 2009 AT 2:47 PM
Tiny
MERLIN2021
  • MECHANIC
  • 17,250 POSTS
You might want to inspect the shat real close, if the yolk has spread at all, the ujoint in there is bad, a new shaft assembly costs about 100.00 and will permanently solve the problem.2 bolts, one at each end hold it in, then just collapse the shaft by pushinh from under the hood, to the firewall, and remove it.
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Saturday, January 24th, 2009 AT 7:59 AM

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