1988 Corolla FX Driving Wheel Hard To Turn Around in Cold Weather

[jshen2]

The driving wheel of my 1988 Corolla FX is hard to turn around in cold weather but it works fine once it absorbs enough heat under the sun or when the temperature is around 60 degree F or above. Two years ago, the power steering pump was leaking oil (but the car drove well then); the pump was replaced at that time. (Not until the 3rd replacement, there was finally no oil leak. The car drove well until last month.) After my mechanic replaced this power steering pump a few weeks ago, the car is still doing the same thing--hard to turn around when it's cold. Then he said the rack and pinion needs to be replaced. I feel suspicious because there is no oil leak. The rack and pinion was replaced in 2008 when there was an oil leak (but the car drove well then); the car has run 14,700 miles since that replacement. (Some mechanics told me typically, they only change the rack and pinion when there is an oil leak.)

Does anybody have any idea about why my car is doing that? Any recommendations?

 

[Donabed Kopoian]

Is the correct fluid in it? Possible your mechanics are dumping the wrong fluid in it and that is why you keep having issues with it.

 

[jshen2]

I believe it is the correct fluid. I brought in the fluid, which was the leftover from two years ago, when the Power Steering Pump was changed by the same mechanic. If the car was able to drive normal for the past two years, I don't see there is anything wrong with the remained fluid in the same bottle.

 

[Donabed Kopoian]

Hmmmm ... I dunno then. Usually either it works or it doesn't. Usually you replace rack and pinions when they leak or there is a dead spot in the center (and that takes a decade to happen).

Pull off the cap, start the engine when it is cold, and look for air bubbles in the fluid. Only other thing I can possibly think of.

 

[jshen2]

Yes, I did that when the car was cold. I did see few tinny bobbles in the fluid, and the fluid was moving a little------- bit. However, when I turn off the car and started the car again (the car was still very cold, I did not see any bobbles at all, and the fluid was not moving when the car was idling. I gave a few more tries, and the situation remained the same. Does that mean anything?

 

[Donabed Kopoian]

Sounds like the system needs to be bleed. Usually you do it by jacking up the front of the car, and turning the wheel lock to lock until you no longer see bubbles. If the bubbles don't go away, there is a leak somewhere.

I'm guessing that when the engine warms up, the system bleeds, and as it cools, air gets drawn into the fluid somehow. It's definitely odd...