1968 Charger steering problem ..new box

Put a new Lares P/S steering box in my Charger. I couldn't cough up $650 plus for the others. The steering wheel for the first 6 to 8 inches feels like manual steering then it feels like power steering. I bled the steering by moving the wheel lock to lock 10 to 15 with the wheels up with the car not running, then running. When I did that with the car in the air, the power steering felt correct all the way thru the travel. PS belt is tight. thanks for any suggestions

you might want to post on the Q&A forum as well for this.
sorry i can't help.

Is it their rebuilt box? http://catalog.larescorp.com/part/1033/

Or is it their new Power Steering box that has a different design than the older ones? http://catalog.larescorp.com/part/11033/

I bought a remanned box and pump a few months ago from them and couldn’t be happier. What’s your caster set at? Might want to put a pressure gauge on the pump, too, or remove the shim pack from the pump valve if you have a Saginaw. TRW pumps can also have progressive valving but I do not think it is adjustable other than by pulley size and rpm.

Guess the old style

Don't know the caster setting I just had it aligned and it drives fine... other than the kill your self steering problem. The wheel also doesn't return to center.

You said it works fine on jack stands. Alignment can change ease of turning and return to center. In what order did you do everything? Did you get a print out with the alignment?

What dont you get. He feels the lack of assist while the car is sitting still.

Glad to hear you solved his problem.

I bled the system before the alignment. No didn't get the read out. The car when on jack stands running or off steers correctly. It's when I drive it the P/S doesn't work for the first 6 / 8 inches of travel.

That sounds like some valve stuck internally or something else internally with the Power Steering gear.

I’d contact Lares directly in Minnesota.

And please report back with your experience.

Sounds like Lares is becoming (or already was) a major supplier of rebuild units. In the past A1 Cardone seemed to be the major supplier to parts houses.

Ask NITROUSN if he thinks you should check your idler arm.

Somebody from a different Mopar site said to check the idler arm also..does anyone know if there is a torque spec for it. This is a response from Lares today. I'll check the arm and bled again.


This sounds like you may have air in your system yet. Disable the ignition, using recommended procedure in your service manual. Raise front wheels until just clearing the ground. Place drain pan under power steering pump return port. Disconnect return line from power steering pump and place it in drain pan. Flush the power steering reservoir by pouring new fluid into reservoir until the fluid runs clear. Be sure to use fluid recommended for your vehicle. Leave return line in drain pan. Cap the pump reservoir return port to prevent leakage. Fill power steering pump with new fluid. While having someone watch the fluid level and adding fluid to the pump, crank engine over for less than 2o second intervals( to prevent wear on starter), continue to add new fluid until return line runs clear. Reconnect return line. This completes the flushing procedure. Now for the bleeding procedure. With someone watching the fluid level(keep fluid level above top of pump casting) crank the engine over using the ignition switch in less than 20 second intervals (to prevent wear on starter). While you are cranking the engine over, turn steering wheel ¼ left then ¼ right/ then ½ turns left and right from center slowly until you reach lock to lock. If you see foam or bubbles, stop and let the system rest until bubbles and or foam dissipates. Repeat bleeding procedure until bubbles and or foam no longer enter the pump. Reconnect ignition system, lower wheels to the ground. Start engine and test drive the car. If steering is smooth bleeding is complete. If steering is erratic, whines or fluid is foaming repeat bleeding procedure again. I know this procedure seems long however it is important to be precise.

Sorry he never asked me. I think he is on the right track to make sure it is fully bled. At least he did not take the asinine advice on getting an alignment.

When you first try steering you said no power assist unless you turned the wheel a couple inches. Do you have power assist then? If so it sure sounds like a problem in the gear boxes centering valve/control valve.

From 1974 FSM (Factory Service Manual)

Oh look at that. Improper wheel alignment. And I didn’t tell him to GET an alignment, I asked if he had the car aligned recently and if he had the spec sheet. The factory recommended different specs for power/manual steering. Changing those specs, especially with stickier modern tires, could aggravate issues and change return to center, which he also complained about. But what do I know, I’m not a total [censored] [censored] like you.

The one simple thing you could try is back off the sector adjustment screw 1/2 a turn and see if it changes anything. If it was set to tight it will change the return to center and could also change the assist feel at center.

Trying this tomorrow ..although my problem is not the same it may be the answer. If not I'll burn it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyFXXaxeXL4

[align:center][/align]

Lares says they have a Limited Lifetime Warranty

I give up. They are selling defective boxes and the best they can say is send it back. Can't do this type of work anymore, so I paid twice to have defective boxes installed and removed. I have spoken to other people on Mopar sites that have had problems with their Lares 11033 new box. One of the guys overheard the guy on the phone telling the guy next to him ..it's another problem with the 11033 box. This sucks, I spent 3 grand to do my complete suspension and the car is to dangerous to drive because of the box. Putting it away early because it screwed up. I'll have my old one rebuilt over the winter.

Try Peter.https://bergmanautocraft.com/

What are you going to do with the box? Try to get a refund? Throw it away? Sell for scrap? If you are going to keep it, I'd do some trouble shooting. Mark the position of the control valve with punch marks or some method. Pull the control valve off the box to expose the valve actuation lever. Have someone gently move the steering wheel, the lever should move with the slightest movement of the wheel. If it does, I would guess your problem is in the control valve. If it doesn't, or moves only after a lot of wheel movement, I would guess your problem is in the box. I feel your pain.