I have a 65 Valiant that has wierd power steering box problem.When you start up the car the wheel turns to the right automatically.The front end guy told me it's a valve in the box that is bad.I wasn't aware of any valve inside the box.I know there's a valve that bolts to the top of the box that the hoses connect too.

Here's another wierd thing the front end does,when you turn the wheels by hand gripping the tires (the wheels are obviously off the ground) they turn one way very easy but are practically imposible to turn the other way.When the engine is running there is no noticable difference when turning the wheels one way or the other.

I have disconnected the tie rods from the steering knuckles and the wheels turn fine both ways eliminating any possible ball joint problems.

I'm thinking that the steering box is the culprit.
But before I shell out unneccesary cash for a rebuilt box (it doesn't leak and steers fine) I want to make sure.

Any help is greatly appreciated !!

The valve on top of the box needs adjusting or, yes, may be bad. The factory service manual contains procedures and instructions for how to adjust this valve. Leading to one direction ("steering by itself") is the indicative symptom.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

My factory manuals call that adjusting procedure "centering" the valve.

Ok Dan, got any idea why my 1979 Dodge D150 truck steers easier one way than the other? There is no valve to adjust like the car has. (Different kind of steering box) Maybe it is because there is an "Adventurer" emblem on one side and a "Custom" emblem on the other????

Now, can anyone tell me why ALL the steering gears are missing (been torched out) of ALL the Dodge pickup trucks in Minnesota salvage yards?

They wear out and get very vauge when going down the road. It costs $300 for a rebuilt box. The frame is cracked around the box, so why not cut them out!

...prob'ly because of that cheesebag GM saginaw box.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

...that's why front-end lackeys shouldn't be giving out advice. 99% likelihood you just need to adjust the valve.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

For what it's worth, my '71 PS started acting really weird - it boosted away from center and got very hard to steer straight. I replaced the valve assembly atop the steering box with one from a junkyard & adjusted it according to the manual and all was well again.

[I was told it was just a leaky O-ring inside the valve. It's been 25 years and no problems with it since.]