Hi,

I'm having problems with the power steering on my Discovery.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it dosen't!

Seems ok when the engine is cold but after it's warmed up I only seem to have power assistance about half the time.

Swapped my power steering pump about 6 months back as it was making alot of noise (did put a second hand one in and it's done alot of miles since then so could well be knackered again) this time though it isn't making any noise.

What's the most common component to break and is there an easy way of proving what part is faulty?

Ta,
Pigsywigsy

Hi,

First thing to do would be to check the grade and quality of your pump oil, if it's the wrong grade it will perform differently hot and cold.
Knackered steering column universal joints can give the same symptoms, as could overly tight or collapsed swivel ball pivot bearings, first course of action should be to jack up front end and turn lock to lock with and without engine running to try and isolate which item is causing the problem. I have known of a bent steering damper to give erratic / stiff steering too.

If the pump is running noislessly and mostly working then it is less likely to be the cause.

L3on..

Thanks for your suggestions l3on, i'll have a look into it.

could still be a little air trapped in the system, might be a good idea to double bleed it first.
If you've rulled out most of what l3on has suggested and its down to the u.j in the steering shaft this can found in the part of the steering column running from the bulkhead to the p.a.s box