2002 Nissan Altima Difficult Steering

Tiny
MARCIDS
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 83,000 MILES
I am experiencing difficulty in steering, particularly when turning corners. The steering wheel feels very tight and makes it hard to turn corners. At times, upon difficulty turning a corner the power steering will seem to kick back in and cause some jerking when turning. I checked the power steering fluid and it is full. I followed the lines from the p/s pump as far as I could and did not see any leaking. I am hoping a bad cylinder on the rack and pinion assembly isn't the cause. Any troubleshooting suggestions? Thank you.
Monday, March 3rd, 2008 AT 7:43 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
May not be a problem in the power steering at all. That is the strut mounts may be seizing causing the hard steer. IF you jack it up, disconnect the outer tie rod ends and push/pull the wheels you can feel excessive resistance or not. OF course do this first before disconnecting to see how tight it is then.
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Monday, March 3rd, 2008 AT 9:00 PM
Tiny
MARCIDS
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Mos def the r&p assy. Ugh.
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Thursday, March 6th, 2008 AT 7:07 PM
Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
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I'm not normally a big believer in magic potions, but I have used Lucas power steering fluid additive with some good results. It isn't a gaurentee by any chance, but I have had some come around. My truck was one of them.
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Thursday, March 6th, 2008 AT 7:33 PM
Tiny
AB1975
  • MEMBER
  • 15 POSTS
Had the same problem with my 2004 Altima

They replaced the U-joint in the steering - it cannot be lubricated, has to be replaced (did notice when it rained, the steering wasn't quite as tight, weird).

Steering U-Joint may be your answer - common problem in Altimas. Not sure why all these mechanics aren't thinking of it - it's the first thing my mechanic thought of after telling him my fluid was OK and there was no noise from the steering pump.
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+1
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 AT 3:41 PM
Tiny
SERVICE WRITER
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,123 POSTS
To every symptom there is not always a single solution magic bullet.
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Sunday, October 17th, 2010 AT 3:17 AM

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