car trouble

[forgotten_aria]

Mostly just to document this, but I had my power steering cut out today. It got better after I turned the car off and back on. I couldn't see anything obviously wrong under the hood.

Comments

[binkbink.livejournal.com]

Sounds like something computery then, though a bubble in the fluid, low fluid, or vacuum failure used to be the reasons. I assume it was merely heavy and not scary.

The progressive rate calculator might have failed and thought you were going very fast.

[testing4l.livejournal.com]

Low fluid was my first thought.

I had that happen suddenly while I was driving a van down a mountain pass and about 1/3 of the way through a tight turn. That was exciting -- I learned to keep an eye on the fluid level after that.

[forgotten-aria.livejournal.com]

When I was checking under the hood, I looked at the level and it looked fine, just under Max I think.

I had been idling in traffic for a very long time, and then idled with my wheel turned hard for a little just before it happened. I might have just heated things up too much. I've also had some belt slipping noises a few months ago.

[testing4l.livejournal.com]

Power steering's one of those brilliantly simple things that's almost impossible to break. I've never known power steering to deal with a computer, but then again, the newest car I've ever owned was a '91.

There is a belt involved in the system, but you would have heard the belt slipping while you were trying to turn.

Another possibility -- power steering fluid clumps up if it ever gets in contact with water. Because your car's fairly new, I wouldn't expect this to be the case, but it's pretty easy to stir around the reservoir and work out if that's the case, so it's worth eliminating.

That's pretty much all I've got.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

This made me think you had it removed, sort of like an appendix. :)

[testing4l.livejournal.com]

Great way to build upper body strength!

(really!)

[athereal.livejournal.com]

Weird. My Mazda did that to me a few weeks ago. My friends with more car knowledge than me suggested it was probably a bubble in the line (since the fluid level and belt were just fine). Wonder if it's a Mazda thing?