99 Montana turns right but not left.

J

jficarra3

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Not sure what the problem is, but driving down the road the other day I about wreccked b/c all of a sudden the van would turn right but not left. Even when it turns right its still hard to get it to straighten out. Don't know if this has anything to do with it but it seems when the brakes are applied is somewhat helps the van straighten out or turn left but not much. Yes the PS fliud is full. Any ideas???
 
How many miles ? Ever have any problems with the rack n pinion steering ,maybe she's starting to lock up but usually it will act sticky/jerky for a while before it won't turn at all .I guess you should also check the suspension parts also and tie rods,ect... Good luck keep us posted
 
145k, drove it of course! lol made only right hand turns only when there was plenty of space and time just in case I ran into problems. Will be checking front end today. It did not give any warning at all, it just started acting up all of a sudden. TY!
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Sounds like be a good one to lead a NASCAR race then (making only right turns).
 
LOL! Anyways, the best idea is to put the front up on a jack and turn the steering wheel side to side. It could be a few things including the intermediate shaft, but, check all the usual stuff while the front ends up...axles too.
 
ianmcdca said:
LOL! Anyways, the best idea is to put the front up on a jack and turn the steering wheel side to side. It could be a few things including the intermediate shaft, but, check all the usual stuff while the front ends up...axles too.
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OK thanks everyone.
 
I know you`ve probably fixed your van by now, but it dawned on me the other day as I was fixing my newest van....it`s a strut, right? It was a 'duh' moment for me as I had to replace both front struts. One was broken in a place that kept the van from turning in one direction.....not sure why I didn`t think of that right away....:o

Ian
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OK so I jacked the front of the van up this past weekend and took a look around. Nothing seems broke, bent, or lose. I had a buddy with me for and extra set of eyes and ears too. We put the van on jack stands and it turned left and right perfectly. When we put one tire on the ground, doesn't matter which one, it turns right and only half way left (from right turn to straight). If we put both tires on the ground the same problem persists, very frustrating. Bought the Haynes book and I'm going to look at how hard it is to chang out the rack and pinion.....*praying*
 
My Memorial Day Weekend project was a success! I went to the JY and they gave me a list of vehicels that had compatable rack units for my Montana. It was pretty easy to do too. It was more time consuming than anything else. So one Aztec rack unit and a day in the JY and Driveway together, the beast is back on the road.
 
glad to hear so it was the rack then ? was it sticky before this or just kind of started to act up ? how many miles do you have on the van and what year ?
 
Yes, it was the rack. No warnings really, just within a day or two it stopped turning one direction and when you turned it the other direction it was hard to straighten back out. I believe I have 150k and it's a 1999. The rack cost less than $30 from the JY.:D
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