1976 Avanti power steering

[rwolak]

Just a curious question. Purchased a '76 Avanti that, per the previous owner, had the power steering rebuilt. My question is: How should the power steering react? For instance, mine goes from hard, manual like steering, when standing still or moving very slowly, to becoming easier the faster the car moves. The steering is fine during open road driving.

I've owned a couple of mid-70s cars before and most power steering units, particularly GM units, can be steered with one finger even with the car standing still. Should I expect that type of steering from the Avanti?

[Jim78]

The Avanti power steering is totally unlike the old GM "one-finger" systems. What you are describing seems somewhat normal. You need to look at the Avanti shop manual. There is a procedure to check the force required on the steering wheel to determine if the system is producing the proper assist. There is a troubleshooting guide to follow if it is not correct. Whoever rebuilt the system may not have adjusted the nut on the spool bolt correctly. This will affect the amount of force required to steer.

[rwolak]

The Avanti power steering is totally unlike the old GM "one-finger" systems. What you are describing seems somewhat normal. You need to look at the Avanti shop manual. There is a procedure to check the force required on the steering wheel to determine if the system is producing the proper assist. There is a troubleshooting guide to follow if it is not correct. Whoever rebuilt the system may not have adjusted the nut on the spool bolt correctly. This will affect the amount of force required to steer.

Thanx for the response. Since posting, I did find out that the system should react as you described. However, I will look at the manual to verify adjustments.