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I own a 1987 Toyota Itasca RV that runs a 22RE engine. The steering is so tough that I am getting a shoulder workout every time I drive it. I am unsure if the power steering is just not strong enough or if the additional weight added to the chassis by the RV home is causing the wheels to be more "weighed down" or what but I need to find a way to either increase the strength of the power steering or beef it up with an upgrade.
Is there any way to increase the strength or sensitivity of the power steering? either through modification or upgrading? Is there an aftermarket kit for increasing power steering?
Any and all help will be appreciated.
Thank you 1987 Toyota Itasca Under hood Steering column VIN info
How many miles are on it? What does the fluid look like? Has the steering box been replaced or overadjusted? Does the pump make noise? Is it easier to turn with wheels off the ground?
i would start with the pump reservoir and see that it’s clean and fluid flows freely. There is some filtering screen if i recall correctly.
I can't imagine it would leave the dealership like that so I would think you need to go through the system and check it out. It may be time for a rebuild on the pump and steering box. Do you have the skills and tools to do it yourself? There are rebuild kits available and possibly reman units. It could probable use a power steering cooler if it doesn't have one.
A worn pump or leaking seals in the box can give you low flow and pressure. Anything binding in the linkage?
The chain parts stores have a power steering pressure tester in their loaner program (trust me, I know). Probably don't have in store, but their corp. can ship to them within a day or two.
It's a bit of a pain to hook up, and messy to a degree, but you can get pressure readings and see if you have a pump issue or a steering gear issue. Highly recommend having the FSM and several qts of Dextron, too.
The stock Toyota power steering system is more than strong enough to turn those wheels on a motorhome if working properly. I've driven dozens and dozens of these units over the years, and of all the things I wasn't crazy about (my scariest test drive was a motorhome on a 4wd chassis) the ease of steering was never a problem.
As Melrose mentioned, simply pulling the reservoir and cleaning the screen may be enough. That screen is incredibly strong, but fairly fine-meshed. it could be restricted.
I recently overhauled my whole system. The flow control valve kept sticking in the pump. I'd clean and polish, but would bind again in a few minutes. Eventually I pulled out the steering gear box and found some think residue inside. Cleaned everything, reassembled, and that fixed the sticking flow control.
The pump is fairly easy to disassemble, clean, and reseal with common tools. The steering box is a little tougher, but still do-able.
01-05-2024, 12:16 PM
