Hello I am new to the group and if this question has been asked please forgive me. I have a 1973 v-8 Maverick with power steering. While my brother had it he put headers on it. I don't remember the brand I think they are Headman. Anyway the headers required a bracket to lower the slave cylinder on the drivers side.Well ever since we have had problems with the P.S. The pump has gone out twice and the slave cylinder has been replaced. Currently the P.S. is intermittant sometimes it works sometimes it does not. It also won't turn very sharp to the left. Has anyone had these problems? Any suggestions would be appreciated. CARY
Remove the power steering, there is an adapter for Mustangs that works fine on Mavs. Otherwise you have to replace the center link, pitman arm and I forget what else. The PS on these cars sort of sucks....If you werent so far away I would give you mine
Rcomet75 is right on about getting rid of it. These cars are just too light weight to need it. You will have much better road feel without it and not have to worry about problems again. Don't worry about having a power steering gear box instead of the manual box. That PS box ratio is more desirable by most drivers anyway.
Wow, I'm a bit surprised at this. You asked how to fix your P/S and folks told you to remove it completely! I put headers and the lowering bracket on mine with no ill effects. As far as having intermittent power, start with the basics. Is there enough power steering fluid in the resevoir? Is the belt tight enough? Are all the fittings tight? Also, there are two different slave cylinders as well. They look the same on the outside but have different fittings. You said yours was replaced... did you get the right one? As for not turning very sharp to the left, were the tie rods incorrectly adjusted? Is there interference from the header pipe to the slave cylinder (even with the bracket)? Just some suggestions, hope you get it worked out. Sam
Funny, I don't see where he was asking how to fix his power steering. I read it as, Cary wanted to know what we thought of the situation with his power steering. Save the money it would take to fix it and remove it, is my thoughts. Now if he wants to fix it, that's fine too.
If people want to remove their power steering, that's fine, but to say that it sucks on these cars is inaccurate...mine has worked great for over 30 years...
It sucks on these cars. Sorry TL, I had to do it. Actually although I"m not a fan of this system, I believe the intermittent problem can be caused by the control valve assembly. Its the part that the pitman arm hooks to. I believe when the thing is pushed one way or another, it opens valves that direct pressurized fluid to the slave cylinder for the assist. If this valve is sticking, it will cause your exact problems. You can probably get a remanufactured unit form any Mustang supply house. Ford put this system on almost all their compact and intermediant cars.
Thanks for the input I have actually contemplated removing the power steering, especially since I put 4 inch rims up front with vw bug tires. With tires that narrow I really don't need the p/s but I am not sure what to do to remove it. Can I just pull the slave cylinder and pump and cap the box? Also is it possible to keep my A/C? My experience has been most Mavs I have seen without P/S also lack A/C. So I would think finding the correct pulley set up might be a problem. I will also look into the valve you mentioned. I don't think I looked at that. Cary
