How Does A Power Steering Box Work

Hydraulic pressure does the work and the driver controls the direction by turning the steering wheel.

How does a power steering box work. A double acting hydraulic cylinder applies a force to the steering gear which in turn steers the roadwheels. When the driver is not exerting force such as when driving in a straight line the system shouldn t provide any assist. The steering box is compact but it also needs to be used in conjunction with other steering linkages. Any steering component malfunction can cause the vehicle to be uncontrollable and thus should be checked by a professional immediately.

The first part is a block of metal with a threaded hole in it. In this wheelzine article we shall understand the different mechanisms which function together to make the power steering system in a vehicle work. Recirculating ball steering is used on many trucks and suvs today. The linkage that turns the wheels is slightly different than on a rack and pinion system.

The key to operation is a very sensitive valve system. The oil works a piston that helps to push the steering in the appropriate direction. The device that senses the force on the steering wheel is called the rotary valve. The working of a power steering system relies on the combined functioning of a number of mechanical parts.

Hydraulic power steering systems work by using a hydraulic system to multiply force applied to the steering wheel inputs to the vehicle s steered usually front road wheels. If you find a steering box in a salvage yard that has been sitting in the open with no hood you can bet that water has gotten inside the box. On steering boxes with long input shafts there is no seal at all to prevent this as you can look down where the shaft goes into the adjustment nut and actually see the upper input shaft ball bearings. The manual steering boxes like the power steering box are used by vehicle manufactures when space is a consideration.

Power assisted steering overcomes the problem. A power steering system should assist the driver only when he is exerting force on the steering wheel such as when starting a turn. The engine drives a pump that supplies oil under high pressure to the rack or the steering box. The hydraulic pressure typically comes from a gerotor or rotary vane pump driven by the vehicle s engine.

Manual steering boxes are relatively rugged in construction whereas power steering can be prone to leaking fluid or low fluid levels. The recirculating ball steering gear contains a worm gear. You can image the gear in two parts. Both systems use a similar torsion bar driven valve to direct and relieve pressure in the cylinder.