Steering check

At each maintenance of the car, check the condition of the protective cover of the steering mechanism, the caps of the hinges of the rods and the tightness of their fit. They must be replaced in the presence of cracks, ruptures and other defects that violate the tightness.

Note. All power steering systems make different sounds during operation. One of the most common sounds is a hiss when the steering wheel is turned while the vehicle is stationary. This sound is especially audible when turning the steering wheel while depressing the brake pedal. This sound is in no way related to the performance of the steering. Do not replace the distributor unless the hissing sound becomes too loud. The new distributor will also make a slight noise, and such a replacement does not eliminate the malfunction in all cases.

Make sure that the steering wheel spoke is horizontal when the vehicle wheels are in a straight line. Otherwise, determine the cause of the malfunction and eliminate it.

Turning the steering wheel from lock to lock, visually and aurally check the following:

• reliability of fastening of the steering column, steering gear and steering wheel;
• lack of clearance in rubber-metal joints and steering rod joints, as well as in the joints of the elastic coupling of the steering shaft;
• reliability of tightening and locking of the bolts for fastening the rods to the steering rack and the nuts of the fingers of the ball joints;
• lack of jamming and interference preventing the steering wheel from turning.

If knocks and jams are found, disconnect the transverse links from the swing arms of the telescopic suspension struts and repeat the test. After making sure that knocks and jams come from the steering, remove it from the car and check the clearance between the rack stop and the nut. The maximum allowable gap between the stop and the nut is 0.2 mm. If necessary, replace worn parts and adjust the gap between stop and nut.

Steering wheel free play check

Set the steering wheel to the straight ahead position and start the engine.

Check the free play of the steering wheel around its circumference.

The steering wheel free play should be 0–30 mm.

If the specified value is exceeded, check the connections between the steering shaft and the steering gear.

Checking wheel angles

Place the vehicle with the front wheels on a turntable and check the wheel angles.

Wheel angle (car without load):

• internal — 37°±1°30'
• outer — 33°03'

If the steering angles are not as specified, adjust the toe-in and check the steering angles again.

Check of a condition of tips of steering draughts

Checking the moment of resistance to turning the fingers of the ball joints of the tie rod ends

Using the special tool, disconnect the tie rod from the steering knuckle.

Check that there is no excessive clearance in the tie rod end ball joint by turning the ball joint by the pin several times in a circular motion.



Wrap the nut of fastening of the hinge pin of the thrust and check the moment of resistance to turning the hinge pin, it should be equal to 0.5–2.5 Nm.

If the torque is greater than the specified upper limit, replace the tie rod end.

If the moment of resistance to rotation of the hinge pin is less than the specified lower limit, check the clearance in the hinge and replace it if necessary.

Checking the effort of turning the steering wheel on a stationary car

Park the vehicle on a level surface with the steering wheel in the straight ahead position.

Increase the crankshaft speed to (1000±100) min^-1.

Note. After checking, reduce engine speed to idle.

Using a spring balance, check the steering wheel turning force by turning it 1.5 turns in both directions.

The force of turning the steering wheel on a stationary vehicle must be 29 N (3.0 kgf).

While turning the steering wheel, make sure that there are no sudden changes in force.

If the steering force is increased, perform the following checks and adjustments:

• check the ball joints of the tie rod ends and protective covers for cracks or damage;
• check the turning moment of the drive gear of the steering mechanism and ball joints of the tie rod ends;
• torque of the ball joint.

Checking the return of the steering wheel to the straight-ahead position

Check the spontaneous return of the steering wheel on the following parameters.

When making moderate or sharp turns, the force on the steering wheel and its return should be the same in the left and right turns.

After turning the steering wheel 90°and holding it for a few seconds while the vehicle is moving at a speed of 35 km/h, the released steering wheel must turn at least 70°towards the neutral position.

Note. When the steering wheel is turned very sharply, increased resistance may be felt for a short time. This is not a sign of a malfunction, but is due to a slight decrease in the power steering pump supply.

Checking the condition of the hydraulic booster

Check the deflection of the power steering pump drive belt by pressing it with a force of 98 N (10 kgf) at the location indicated by the arrow in the figure.

The deflection of the power steering pump drive belt should be 6–9 mm.

If the belt deflection is not within the specified limits, adjust the belt tension as indicated below.



Loosen the pump drive belt tension adjustment bolt.



Insert a suitable lever between the bracket and the pump, adjust the belt tension to the desired value by turning the pump housing.

Tighten the adjusting bolt.

Check belt tension and readjust if necessary.

Attention! Rotate the pump drive belt in the normal direction several times and recheck the belt deflection.

Checking the fluid level in the hydraulic booster reservoir

Place the car on a flat horizontal platform.

Start the engine. With the vehicle stationary, turn the steering wheel right and left several times without interruption to warm up the working fluid to a temperature of 50-60°C.

With the engine idling, turn the steering wheel from lock to lock several times.



Make sure that there is no foaming or cloudiness of the fluid in the reservoir.

Stop the engine and check the difference in fluid level in the reservoir with the engine stopped and the engine running.

If the fluid level has changed by at least 5 mm, bleed the power steering system again.

If the fluid level rises sharply after stopping the engine, bleed the system again.

Note. Incomplete bleeding causes rattling noise from the pump, increased noise from the distributor and shortens the life of the pump.

Power steering fluid replacement

Raise the front of the car until the wheels are off and place on stands.

Disconnect the drain hose from the hydraulic reservoir and plug the reservoir opening.

Attach a vinyl hose to the drain hose and lower its end into the prepared container.

Disconnect the high voltage wire from the ignition coil.

Drain the fluid from the system by turning the starter on and off several times and turning the steering wheel in both directions until it stops.

Attach the drain hose to the tank and secure it securely with a clamp.

Note. The volume of PSF-3 fluid for filling the system is 0.75-0.8 liters.

Pour the required brand of fluid into the hydraulic booster reservoir.

Start the engine.

Check that there is no fluid leakage from the hose connection, stop the engine.

Add fluid to the bottom of the power steering reservoir filter.

Remove air from the system.

Removal of air from the hydraulic booster system

Disconnect the high voltage wire from the ignition coil. Turning the starter on and off for 15–20 seconds, turn the steering wheel five to six times from lock to lock.

If bleeding is carried out while the engine is idling, air will enter the liquid. Therefore, bleed only when the engine is cranked by the starter.

Note. During pumping, add fluid to the tank so that its level does not fall below the filter.

Connect the high voltage wire to the ignition coil and start the engine at idle.

Turn the steering wheel until there are no air bubbles in the fluid in the reservoir.



Make sure that the liquid has not become milky, and its level is between the marks «MAX» And «MIN» on the wall of the tank.

Make sure the fluid level in the reservoir fluctuates slightly when the steering wheel is turned to either side.

Repeat system flush:

• if the liquid level has changed by more than 10 mm;
• if the fluid level rises sharply when the engine is stopped.

Checking the discharge pressure of the hydraulic booster pump

Disconnect the high pressure hose from the pump. Attach a pressure tester to the pump and high pressure hose as shown.

Bleed the system, then start the engine and warm up the fluid to operating temperature (about 50–60°С), by turning the steering wheel several times.

Increase the crankshaft speed to (1000±100) min^-1.

Close the pressure gauge valve and check that the fluid pressure is within the specified limits.

Discharge pressure of the hydraulic booster pump 8.3–8.8 MPa (85–90 kgf/cm²).

Attention! It is allowed to close the valve of the pressure gauge for a time not exceeding 10 s.

If the pressure is not within the specified limits, repair the pump.

Remove the control devices and attach a high pressure hose to the pump, tighten the fitting to a torque of 55–65 Nm.

Pump the system.