some play in the steering wheel

ok, so for the year I've had my 94 Bravada, I brageed that it handled and responded much like a sedan with tigh feeling turning. The past week however, after not having driven it in a few days, I noticed the steering felt like it had some play in it. The car didn't wander at all, but when turning it felt lke I had to turn the wheel more to get the same results as before. Plus it felt like I had some play before the car would respond. I added some Power Steering Fluid, and it felt like it helped a little, but I'm not quite sure if that is the problem. I know it could be a fan belt or the gearbox, but I believe that if either of those were the case, it would've been a more gradule decline in response. I guess I'll add more Power Steering Fluid and see what happens.

check your tire pressure. a soft tire can cause these symptoms.

true, but then my car should wander to one side.

perhaps it's just a matter of perception on your part. after not driving it you noticed something that had been gradually sneaking up on you.

or it could be a belt or power steering pump gone bad. never over fill the power steering. a simple test of the belt and power steering is to turn on all accessories such as the AC, the head lights, the interior lights, the radio and the coffee maker to put a full load on the belt, then have someone turn the steering all the way from righ to left as far as it goes while you look under the hood. listen for belt slippage, power steering noise and watch for belt felx by looking for a bouncing tensioner pully.

a new belt cost less than $50 and should have been changed on your Bravada already by now. it takes aout ten minutes and the only tool you need is a pry bar. i change mine on all my cars before they break or have problems and store the old one with the jack, just in case

all of this class of GMs have front end wear that is usually not dangerous but does cause noticable drivability problems such as you describe.

I agree that low tire pressure makes for some mighty sloppy steering.
The idle arm is kinda worn on my '92 and the steering isn't as tight as it used to be too.
A wheel alignment will correct any toe out to tighten up the steering too.

well, the belts look new, but I'll check that anyway. I know I didn't add too much fluid, I probably could add more in fact. Could it be the steerting gearbox?

I kinda doubt it unless it was beat up going "off road".

okay, here's another little twist. While driving, it seemd like it was a little loose to the right, and a little more than that to the left. I checked the right and it was at 35 psi, and then the left was at 25 psi! So I added some air, and drove it around the block a couple of times. Now the car is responding better, in fact I'd say normally! However, the steeting wheel feels too soft, if that makes sense. Is that a symptom of too much power steering fluid, because when I check the level it seems a little high.

Oh, and the belts looked new, and donb't jump at all with everything on and my friend turning the wheel.

its hard to explain the sensation of having a soft steering wheel, but having the car responding the way it used to.

Wheel alignment, polyurethane anti swaybar bushings and new shocks tighten up old front suspensions...made my old '79 Malibu fun to drive.

Wheel alignment, polyurethane anti swaybar bushings and new shocks tighten up old front suspensions...made my old '79 Malibu fun to drive.

Hy Chris, i did all that plus idler arms on my Astro, made a huge difference. plan to do it to my Bravada soon. worn idler arms really add a lot of wander to the steering, but shouldn't cause a soft steering condition. is the amount of steering boost adjustable on the Bravada's power steering pump?

I don't know any adjustments to the power steering pump. Did you know there was/is an AWD option on the Astro?

yeah, both the astro and the safari had the awd option with the 4.3 engine. same powertrain as the blazer but the astro is a unibody, not a truck frame.

ok, I finally took it to a good mechanic I know, and he put my worries to rest. There is nothing wrong with the steering at all. He checked the whole system, and told me that it has to be in my head, so I guess he's right. Luckily he didn't charge me, because he was pretty much done for the day, and didn't have to fix anything.

Sounds good Toolwise, you can watch how your tires wear to judge your front wheel alignment.

yeah, and so far over the year I've owned the truck, the tires have worn evenly.