Steering seems stiff..

[retsuyaken]

Good Evening sirs! I have a '97 Lancer.. Already undergone a major repair of its suspension last year..

I just noticed this past week that the steering seems stiff than usual.. What are the things that I should check for deficiencies? I have a manual but it is for the '96 model.. By the way, the steering system has not been replaced ever since the car was purchased way back in '97 and the km reading is 81k..

Will appreciate your reply about my concern, thank you!

[oj88]

Can you elaborate a bit more?

Is it stiff in a way that it seems that the power steering (if equipped) is not working?
Or does it fight steering input whenever the car is going straight?

[retsuyaken]

Can you elaborate a bit more?

Is it stiff in a way that it seems that the power steering (if equipped) is not working?
Or does it fight steering input whenever the car is going straight?

Stiff na parang wala akong power steering sir but my car is equipped with power steering.. Hindi na kasi pino yung pagturn ng manibela unlike before when maneuvering in tight spaces..

[oj88]

When you said that your car received a major suspension work, what was fixed/replaced? They may not have returned it back to spec.

Alignment may also be off. Caster settings will have a great deal of influence on steering stiffness.

If it's a power steering problem, do you feel any difference in stiffness between when the engine is running and not?

[jick.cejoco]

Good Evening sirs! I have a '97 Lancer.. Already undergone a major repair of its suspension last year..

I just noticed this past week that the steering seems stiff than usual.. What are the things that I should check for deficiencies? I have a manual but it is for the '96 model.. By the way, the steering system has not been replaced ever since the car was purchased way back in '97 and the km reading is 81k..

Will appreciate your reply about my concern, thank you!

check your power steering belt. is the car equipped with progressive power steering (PPE)?

[fourtheboys96]

check steering fluid if at proper level.

check the belt if it is snug enough. if it is, turn on the engine.

while in neurral, rev the engine to about 3K then turn the steering wheel left then right. if revving the engine makes the power steering work, you may have some problem with the pump. if not, pump is ok. look for other problems.

[hy-n-dry]

most likely either of these lang 'yan..

1. power steering fluid
2. high pressure hose leaking causing fluid loss
3. pump belt (di ko sure kng belt yan o pump)

usually yun hose starts leaking pag luma na.. pag maluwag yun belt it shows what you described when turning.. minsan meron pa squeaking noise..