I bought a used 2002 Suburban 4x4 about 2 months ago. It has 60K miles, well maintained by dealer, always garaged, never off road, never used to tow anything, so I hoped I was getting a vehicle that would be reliable for a few years. Starting to seriously wonder about that.
After sitting unused for about two days, shortly after pulling out of driveway, at about 25 mph, the steering wheel resists (fights back) a turn to right. Vehicle actually does not turn as I rotate the steering wheel the first 3 to 4 inches. After I force the wheel past the resistance spot, the truck will jerk to the right. Once I've done that, it steers normally. If it is used more frequently that every 24 hours this does not happen. Clearly a safety issue. I've never had this happen in any other vehicle of any brand.
I'm kind of thinking a static leak in the power steering gear/control box, with fluid leaking over to the wrong side of acutator.
Has anyone ever had a similar experience or know how to troubleshoot this?
Second question - Same two to three days of no use, and on start-up the engine taps loudly (sounds like lifter tap) for about 45-60 seconds then clears up.
Is this normal/acceptable for this vehicle (5.4l engine)? Should I be concerned?
I have a 92 Bronco with 190K miles that sits for weeks at a time but does not tap or have steering issues. The suburban was to replace the Bronco, but now I have doubts. I guess the people who sold me this truck saw me coming a mile away.
Any thoughts on either the steering or the engine tap greatly appreciated. TIA. HH