1997 Ford Taurus Power Steering

[Ron Ott]

Problem with power steering that is stiff with partial power assist. I've replaced rack and pinion, PS pump, ball joints, all hoses, power steering pressure switch and power assist actuator and problem still persists. Any suggestions!

[way2old]

Look for a filter in the line under the left front frame area. If filter is plugged, the fluid can not circulat properly.

[Ron Ott]

Sorry, forgot to mention new oil filter was included with new hoses.

[TaurusKing]

Damn, sounds like an awful lot of money spent so far.. here's a couple more,, how about the steering column shaft, bad bearings???, maybe the flex coupling is bad, wheel bearings could be an issue, but seems like those would have been checked already..

[footballguy]

Originally Posted by Ron Ott

Problem with power steering that is stiff with partial power assist. I've replaced rack and pinion, PS pump, ball joints, all hoses, power steering pressure switch and power assist actuator and problem still persists. Any suggestions!

Keep in mind I am not an advisor here or prefessional tech by trade, but I just went through the same thing on my 1999, just not as extensive (Thank God). I replaced the pressure hose, power steering pump, and the rack. Did it all myself for close to 400 bucks. I don’t even want to think what all that would have cost you if you had it done in a shop. First thing that pops in my mind, is bleeding the system. You replaced a lot of parts and it’s going to take some time to bleed all the air out of that. Hell, it took me a few days to get all the whining out and you've replaced a few more things than I did. The next thing that pops in my mind was my worse fear and I hope your steering column shaft isn’t bad.

Edit: I thought about this some more and I think it's highly possible you have a faulty rack. Did you buy a refurbished rack or a new rack?