Stiff Steering after Repair

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- eastwardbound2003
  
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posted
17 years ago

Tue, Aug 15, 2006 5:06 AM

I got the power steering rack replaced today on my 2002 Ford Taurus. The first thing I noticed is that the steering feel is now stiff compared to what it used to be OEM. It's got a remanufactured rack I believe.

Is the steering supposed to be stiff on the car while the rack is still new? Does it need some breaking in time first?

My next question is, is the steering speed sensitive on this car? It's the SEL trim level. How does that work. The steering pump will spin at different speeds. How does it know when to give more steering assist and when to give less of it? I do not see any wires the plug into the steering pump. Is there a wiring harness that plugs into the steering rack that regulated the amount of assist?

If the stiffness isn't normal I should get this sorted out right away. I don't remember it being stiff like then when new but that was years ago. It might have been a gradual change from firm to soft as the car aged. Such a thing would have gone un-noticed.

East-

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- B
- Bob Urz
  
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posted
17 years ago

Tue, Aug 15, 2006 2:06 PM

The gen II had VAPS optional (variable assist power steering) It was basically the same rack with a control valve on the top of the rack with a wiring harness to it. The control module was under the dash by the drivers feet. No wiring to the pump itself.

If yours has a wiring connector to it its a VAPS. CHeck to see if its plugged in. I don't know for sure, but its probably similar to the earlier version.

Bob

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