87 VL Power Steering Sqeal when full lock

[87RB30VL]

Hey guys, new member here so i'm prepared for the "omg search noob" speech lol, but I have searched google and these forums heaps and can't find anything, but i'm off to potentially buy an 87 VL tomorrow and while I was giving her a drive today, my dad and I heard a loud terrible sqeal coming from the engine bay when on full lock left anf full lock right. It also sounded like some sort of hissing, like pressure being forced out of somewhere. On return to the sellers house, we figured out it was the power steering belt slipping on full lock. Now i'm not sure about older cars, but isn't the pump meant to stop the belt slipping at full lock by releasing some sort of pressure or something so it doesn't stuff up?

Cheers guys, sorry if this was confusing but long story short: Power steering belt slips at full lock left & right and emits a really terrible squealing sound. Other than that, it works fine and is a breeze to steer.

[nasty1]

Fairly common problem . I can't remember if mine does

[87RB30VL]

Ah okay. Is this due to any reason, like the power steering pump going or the belt needing replacing? I'm not used to working on these cars as the only cars i've had have been a 1983 Ford Courier with no power steering, and a 1989 Nissan S13 Silvia with p/s that worked fine.

I'll have a talk to my mechanic today anyway to see what he reckons. Cheers for the reply

[detox_nath83]

if u get a squeal at full lock its the belt either tighten it, or replace it..
Mine used to do it and was fixed by doing this.

[87RB30VL]

Ah ok thanks, yeah my dad rang a power steering place and they said it was the belt, but he reckons it's dirt cheap to replace anyway so I might just get a new belt.

[detox_nath83]

Exactly man about $10 do your main fan belt as well while your at it

[87RB30VL]

Since i'm getting the car into my mechanic when I buy it anyway [Seller says it's fine but the battery warning dash light comes on randomly & the belt situation etc] so I might see about getting him to do all the belts. My S13 was only $159 inc. labour to do all the belts so the VL should be cheaper, being an aussie car right?

Also, I know this could be out of the topic criteria a tad, but anything I should get checked/check straight away after receiving the car? It has drums on the rear which I might get checked out too for wear .

[aussie_macca]

id honestly say your probably better off doing the belts yourself, nice easy job and saves paying labour. as for "rule of thumb" parts to check, i dont pretend to be a know it or all even know what anyone elses experiences are, but whenever ive bought a car the first things i have done is replace the oil and filter, same with the leads and plugs (though i may be fussy), air filter, and ive always replaced the radiator & heater hoses + decent coolant ( forgot this on just the one car and ended up learning my lesson on the side of the western freeway with steam pissing out of my bonnet at 10pm)......and on a side note i suppose it couldnt hurt to check the timing in case he's been running premium with the timing advanced, also i'd probably check the output of your alternator and have a fiddle with the plug on the back and see if your warning light comes on....anyhow thats just my 2 cents

[87RB30VL]

Cheers macca i'll take note of those!

[Tree cutter]

Brushes in the alternator could be worn out causing the light to come on at times or it could be just a bad connection on one of the wires. If the brushes are worn out it is cheap and easy to fix. The brush holder regulator assembly should only cost 20 to 30 dollars new and is held in by two small bolts at the back of the alternator.

[87RB30VL]

Well I rung the guy today who i'm buying it off & I wanted to pick it up today & pay him but when he took it for it's road worthy yesterday, the mechanic pulled him up on a few things and the battery light was one of them, so he's had it fixed. Amongst others was a chip in the windscreen, 2 new rear tyres, and he said something to do with the way the battery was sitting so I think he meant a new bracket.

From what he says, and from what the receipt says for the road worthy, the belts should be the only main issue, but i'm booking it into my local mechanic as soon as I get it so i'm gonna get him to do the belts while he's doing the oil/coolant/tranny oils etc

[GiBbzy]

my vl has done it from day one but only when full lock... i never had any problems gettin roady with it either

[aussie_macca]

if the brushes on an alternator are worn out i wouldnt suggest replacing them on their own, because if they are worn its a pretty good guesse that the slip rings are going to be well worn out as well, would definatly be a good idea to get the slip rings machined (takes 2 min on a lathe) or if they are well and truly worn then replaced (only means de-soldering 2 points then breaking the old slip rings with something like a chisel then bashing the new ones on and re-soldering). But if he's managed to fix it already then the odds are that yes it was just a loose wire/connection.....still cant hurt to check the output of it though, some people like the quick and easy route (once bought a car through a dealer and when they got picked up for the ABS lighting up they just removed the globe lol)

[87RB30VL]

Lol Macca I did that on the engine warning light on my parents old Barina so I could use it for my P's test back in the day haha, worked like a charm! Gibbzy, yeah apart from full lock it's fine otherwise. I'll check it again once the new belts have been installed etc and see if it makes any other noises apart from the usual ones that power steering systems make.

I'll also see if the guy noted what the problem was with the battery light