# Power Steering Problems?

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-problems/29592>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** steering\
**Created:** [April 24, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-problems/29592 "2009-04-24T23:55:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chpage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/65b543/32.png) [@chpage](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chpage)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-steering-problems/29592/1 "2009-04-24T23:55:38Z")

</div>

The 2005 Toyota Camry I’ve had for 5 months has been doing strange things to me for pretty much the entirety of the time I’ve owned it.  
  
 At first, I would feel the steering wheel lock up every now and then while taking left turns - I would easily rotate it to the 9 o’clock position, but on it’s way back to 12 it’d pause briefly and need a jerk to get it to continue to 12 o’clock.  
  
  
  
 We took it to our usual mechanic who said that the pinion had cracked. We replaced it. I have never had it have the left turn problem again.  
  
  
  
 But a few weeks after that fix I started my car and found that even putting all of my weight into it, I couldn’t turn the steering wheel very far. I walked around the car to make sure nothing was stopping it and checked the steering fluid in case of a leak.  
  
 We called our usual mechanic, who guessed a broken steering pump or shards of the old pinion in the steering fluid blocking it from getting to the pump. He also said to rev the engine.  
  
 I did, and I could turn the wheel easily again.  
  
  
  
 A month later and I found unable to turn the steering wheel again until I revved the engine. So I took it into a local shop who couldn’t find anything wrong except worn down front brake pads.  
  
  
  
 Am I doing something wrong when I get in the car, or did this mechanic miss something?