87 cadillac power steering hard to the left? and backing up the steering is hard (left turn)? ok when running down the road..whats up with this and ball park cost for the fix? does this car have rack and pinion steering?

SOURCE: Power steering very hard

lift up the front of the car and see if you can steer the car on the tires. your [problem may be what mine was and the u joint on the tilt wheel is bad not the power steering at all. Hope this helps.

SOURCE: power steering fluid leaks

if you take and pressure wash the motor capartment out at a car wash and then have a friend turn your steering wheel back and forth while you look ant the hoses you should see if the hoses have a small leak now never use your hand to check for a leak becuse the power steering systme is a hydralic system and if there is a pin hole and your hand is there the fluid can actually pierce the skin and rip off flesh but you should be able to see the leak just dont grab the hoses while the car is running.
hope this is usefull for you. and please rate my solutions
thank you

SOURCE: rack and pinion steering need to be replaced. is

going to be a difficult job and take alot of knowlege to do but if you want to do it yourself buy a hyanes manual they walk you throw step by step

Testimonial: "i felt it would have some dificulty to it. but if a hyanes manual is truly step by step, thats good somtimes hyanes is based on full disassembly"

SOURCE: How to diagnose 1999 Pontiac Grand Am Power steering problems

it could still be the pump is it making a whining noise,and does the fluid smell really burnt.jack the car up and put it on jack stands set the e-brake and chock the rear tires so it can not roll,then start the car and see if there is any binding the the steering rack if there is you will notice a small jump to the rack as the wheel is turned,or a shifting on the mounting bolts that hold the rack to the cross member.If the car goes down the road fine with out a bunch of shacking or wobbling then I think I would replace the pump and have the system thoroughly flushed.I hope this helps

Testimonial: "This is a great resource for citizens who need a little guidance in Fix It Youself or to buy smartly. Impressed with the prompt reponse also. Thanks!"

SOURCE: 1998 pontiac grand prix GT.

A rack and pinion is a very simple process on this vehicle and is quite likely causing your issue. This is going to look more complicated then it really is in addition having my own personal tips to use as well to ease the process.


Removal Procedure

1. Raise and support the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.
2. Place a drain pan under the vehicle.
3. Remove the tire and wheel assembly. Refer to Wheel Removal in Tire and Wheels.
   

Caution: Failure to disconnect the intermediate shaft from the rack and pinion stub shaft can result in damage to the steering gear and/or intermediate shaft. This damage can cause loss of steering control which could result in personal injury.

1. Remove the intermediate steering shaft from the power steering gear stub shaft. Refer to Intermediate Steering Shaft Replacement in Steering Wheel and Column-Tilt. Notice: Use only the recommended tools for separating the tie rod ends from the knuckle/strut. Failure to use the recommended tools may cause damage to the tie rod and seal.
   
2. Remove both of the tie rod ends from the steering knuckle. Refer to Rack and Pinion Outer Tie Rod End Replacement .
   

Support the rear of the frame (3) using jackstands.
Remove the following components from the power steering gear:

• The power steering pressure line. Refer to Power Steering Pressure Pipe/Hose Replacement or Power Steering Pressure Pipe/Hose Replacement .

• The power steering return hose. Refer to Power Steering Return Hose Replacement or Power Steering Return Hose Replacement .
Remove the power steering gear mounting bolts and nuts (1),( 4).

Remove the power steering gear through the left wheel opening.

Reverse the process for installation.


Now my own personal way of doing this doesn't seem as complicated.You need to lift the vehicle and support it on the subframe with jack stands not the engine cradle.Remove the 2 front tires so you can disconnect the outer tierods. Center the steering wheel. Once disconnected place a jack underneath the rear of the engine cradle.Basically the jack will just be used to support the cradle after you remove the two rear cradle bolts which I believe are 18mm heads on them.Once these are removed slowly start allowing the jack to lower down.You will then have much better access to the rack.At the intermediate shaft which connects the steering comlumn to the rack there is a pinch bolt that needs to be removed.You may need to lift the boot up to see it remove this bolt and push the intermediate shaft off the rack at this point you need to absolutely make sure the the steering wheel is not rotated at all slight movement is ok but no major movements.There will be 2 power steering lines attached to the rack the need to be removed from the rack.They are 18mm try and use a line wrench to loosen these so you reduce the risk of stripping them out.Once these are broke free you can use a regular wrench.After this you two bolts holding the rack to the engine cradle once removed the rack will come out pretty easy.Now before reinstallation I use a tape measure to measure from the end of the bellows boots on the rack to the full length of the inner tie rod.The rack should be precentered but many times the are not.You want these measurements identical on each side.If the measuresments are not equal turn the shaft at the top of the rack in small increments till they are all even.From there reverse the process for reinstallation.Make sure to remove the jam nuts and outer tierods so you can use them with your replacement rack.Once you have everything reassembled fill the ps pump back up and start the vehicle and turn the the steering wheel back and forth.Intially the ps will be noisy but will quiet down as the fluid level is corrected and air bleeds from the power steering unit. After all this is done an wheel alignment will need to be performed.