I have a 99 chevy breeze. When the car is parked, before there is any forward or backward motion, the car is very hard to steer. I can parallel par, but would never be able to parallell park,with the problem the car is having. The power steering fluid is fine and does not leak. If I am travelling forward, or back the steering is fine, it’s only when the car is not in motion that it is hard to steer. I have been told it is probably the power steering pump. The car has 109,000 miles on it. Your opinion? You have a great show.
In the old days, before power steering was a universal option, we learned to parallel park by creeping the heavy car forward or back as we turned the clumsy steering wheel. A lost art!
I wouldn’t be too quick to replace the power steering pump. It is possible you have leaky seals in the rack and pinion. This is an expensive repair. If I owned your car I would forgo repairs and simply use the creeping technique when parallel parking.
it DOES sound like a power steering pump problem.
can you live with it this way?
you could take this to you local mechanic and have it looked at to decipher exactly what is wrong.
I can get away without parallell parking at all and can live with this. If it is a rack and pinion, my only fear is the danger in driving and what will happen when it finally goes. Should I stay off the highway? Because it does have 109,000 miles I’m sure before winter I’ll hopefully getting a new car.
A Chevy Breeze? You wouldn’t happen to mean Plymouth Breeze would you? I’d get the problem looked at by a professional. The ability to steer is one of those things you don’t want to mess around with.