i noticed the dipstick didnt have it to full. i took it for a drive today and the steering wasnt' smooth so i thought it could be low fluids but then again im used to a truck so maybe im getting it wrong with these olds cars. i checked the hoses and everything and they're good to go.

so could it be i need to top it off?

thanks for any advice

 

You might want to dip the fluid in there and see how it looks, if it looks good just add to it. If its nasty you might want to flush it. For some strange reason it can disappear a bit somehow. That's my vote.

 

dip the fluid where?

thanks for the response sir

 

When you pull the cap with the dip stick off the pump unit, you can look down into the resivour and you should (will be able) to see the pump if it's that low it's surging. Use a small long screw driver and see if you can get some PS fluid on the screw driver from around the pump. You only need a few drops to look at to check the color, the lighter the color the better. let the oil on the screw driver drip on a white paper towel or white rag and look for floaties in the oil and a dark residue. Old oil might smell bad also. If all looks good you can just add to it. If not that's another story to drain and flush.

 

thank you thomas, will do that today at some point after work.

 

Also I believe you're supposed to check the power steering fluid when it's at operating temperature. But I doubt it makes a lot of difference one way or the other unless it's extremely cold out.

 

yes sir im aware of that but thank yyou for pointing it out!

 

You are welcome. If the power steering fluid investigation doesn't yield results on the steering smoothness issue, and as you are probably aware, start checking mechanical parts such as idler arm, tie rod ends, and even ball joints. I don't know how many miles the car has but they do wear out. My '73 was a daily driver and I had to replace the idler arm after several years and about 30,000 miles. Of course auto-crossing every weekend probably contributed to it's early demise. 🤔

 

thank you. will look into all that after work!

 

The PS fluid you use is up to you. I believe the 70s GM cars came with ATF Dextron the same as the automatic transmissions. They started using dedicated PS fluid in the early 80s that's a clear oil. I'm a fan of Sythetics myself. Saginaw PS pumps work fine with Sythetic oils. If the fluid in your PS is not reddish it could have been changed. If you just top off the oil level, make sure the oil you use is compatible with most or all fluids.