93 legacy sport wagon awd auto: After a few weeks of driving Im noticing some odd behavior with steering response. Mostly noticeable in the snow because, well, it has a tendency of massive oversteer(partly my fault at all times). Now when you release the steering wheel to correct for oversteer the wheel sticks in certain spots, 10 and 2 position on the wheel. Fluid was low when I bought the car and I did notice a small leak on the rack. After filling the fluid problem still persists. Did some research and talking with a few people got a few suggestions, namly rack, pump, upper strut mount bearings. Pump was replaced once in the life of the car per the records I got when purchasing the car. Looked over the pump and it isnt making any odd noises. Strut mounts look there age. Rack seems to be working, steering is not limited other then the binding in certain positions. Now after further research Im curious about torque steering caused in part by towing with rear wheels on the road. Now I cannot verify this was ever done so I am wondering if there is any way to diagnose this. Either way this is an unpleasant driving experience in the snow. As of right now I dont have much if any $ to spend on this being the time of the year. Just looking for some input if anyone has experienced a similar problem.
How much snow do you have caked in the wheel wells? That might cause binding at certain points. Is there any noise when it binds?
how does the fluid look? is it clear? Excess moisture in the system responds poorly to heat and cold. it may be time to flush the system.
There is no snow caked in the wheel wells. This was happening before snow appeared. Fluid is clear, well as clear as atf is. There are 2 points equal distance apart in the steering that "bind". They bind in the sense when I turn a corner and let go of the steering wheel the wheel should return to the straight position. This does not happen. I physically have to turn the wheel into the straight position. It will turn on its own up to a certain point and then its like there is a restriction that slows steering. Honestly I can live with this. Living with it is completely different then enjoying my driving experience, which is what I want/crave. I really am stumped because if it was in the power steering system would it not do it intermittently? This is happening at specific points in the steering. I dont know, maybe Im missing something.
Towing with the rear wheels on the ground will cause your drivetrain to bind up because the center diff is frozen. If that were the case as you were turning sharply at parking lot speeds the car would want to stop moving. If you gave it gas the car would start to go but the tires would start skipping on the ground causing a chopping feeling.
