No power steering on a Terramite

[cstamm81]

the old grind, I too would be surprised if this system could not be retro fitted to something else. My draw to the machines has been the ease of access to working on things, and the fact that it uses a lot of non-proprietary parts. This steering box could be a real gotcha though. I'm wondering if my issue is not the box, rather the adapter plate that feeds the steering cylinder as ptgdigger mentioned. There was a similar thread on the Terramite forum where a guy posted that Terramite service recommended a new adapter plat as the cure to his loss of power steering. I am still hoping for an easier fix..

 

[ptgdigger]

ptgdigger you are correct in that this is how the Terramite system works, based upon the drawings and other threads. Will I get any useful information by teeing in a pressure gauge before the steering cylinder just to see where I am at?

That would be a good place to start, if you have good pressure and a reasonable amount of flow then that points the finger at something other than the trans.

However I suspect you will find very low flow at a very low pressure and confirm a trans problem. This machine can almost certainly be re-engineered to work off the auxiliary pump that powers the loader, the difficulty of that switch will be "what pressure was the steering system designed for?" vs "what pressure does the aux system operate at?" Someone will probably have to ask Terramite those 2 questions to know how to proceed from there.

Ray

 

[cstamm81]

I will cross my fingers it is not a trans issue. Apparently the adapter plate is bolted onto or into the trans. It is my understanding this adapter plate is replaceable without replacing the whole trans. Another poster said Terramite quoted $425 for the part. I wonder how much the whole darn trans costs...
Outside the box but, is it possible the hard steering is all in the steering box and is a mechanical binding issue and not a hydraulic issue at all? Tractor running or not, the wheel is hard to turn either way. When turning the wheel to the right with any speed I hear a clicking/ grinding noise either in the steering box or the trans.

 

[wdchyd]

Outside the box but, is it possible the hard steering is all in the steering box and is a mechanical binding issue and not a hydraulic issue at all? .

Yes.......a pressure guage tee'd in either line going to the steering cyl may help to show if it is developing pressure, thus mechanical binding could be at fault

disconnecting hyd cyl completely while off the ground would be an option to detect mechanical binding, it should be free to turn

 

[Terramite Connecticut]

I also have a 1993 T5C. My power steering does not work but I have noticed that it steers the same (hard) with the engine running or not. This tells me that my steering box is doing the work of moving the steering cylinder without the benefit of flow from the pump especially if the engine is not running.

Does your steering work at all with your engine not running?

 

[cstamm81]

I can steer with the engine running and not running, and it takes the same effort to steer both ways. I disconnected the cylinder from the front end to make sure the front end was not binding up some how. It was not. I am going to check some pressures to see if the hydrostatic trans is supplying pressure and flow to the steering box.

 

[cstamm81]

wdchyd, help me understand this. I have four lines coming off of the steering box. Two go to the steering cylinder. One goes to the hydrostatic trans. One goes to the hydraulic tank. So, I am assuming with the engine running the hydrostatic trans is constantly supplying flow to the steering box. When the wheel is turned either directon a valve inside the box directs flow to the subsequent side of the cylinder. When the wheel is not being turned, flow is diverted to the tank.

If this is true I would be best served to check for pressure coming off of the hydro trans before the steering box correct? Sorry, I'm green when it comes to hydraulics.

 

[wdchyd]

Yes, you have it right (that's assuming that the hyd system is open center)

there will be flow going through the steering unit whether you are steering or not

Theoretically you could temporarily install a standard 4-way control valve and the thing should steer..(in/out & 2 cyl work ports)...you wouldn't want to leave it on there but it would show you if the cyl and pump were functioning ok

when i troubleshoot a hyd sys, I usually will start either at the source of the hyd power (pump) or at the end of the line (steering cylinder).....then work towards the middle

I will try to prove out what works and with a process of elimination will find the culprit usually fairly quick in simple systems......in hydraulics you'll find troubles will either be super simple or super major......always hope for the easy solution but don't be afraid to dig

 

[cstamm81]

I really appreciate all of the help and the free education! I hope to get some time to work on it next week. I will surely post my findings

 

[cstamm81]

I got a little time to check a few things out. I threw on a cheapie 3000 psi gauge and some npt fittings. I tee'd into one side of the steering cylinder, right before the cylinder. It showed maybe 50 psi... I then took out the gauge, and let the hose out of the cylinder to see how much flow I had visually. Engine running, turn the wheel to send fluid to disconnected hose, decent flow, a nice steady stream similar to the flow from a garden hose with no nozzle on it. Engine off, turned wheel same way, same amount of flow. I certainly would expect 500 plus psi to make quite the mess, and be much more impressive than this.

I then tried to tee right off of the hydro trans before the steering box, but I could not fit the tee in line. For grins I took that hose off and ran it at idle. Again a decent stream but not much pressure. I did not run above idle. So, I do not understand how the adapter plate works, but I was surprised to have flow. I was expecting nothing or next to nothing. I'm wondering if it is pumping but just barely and that is the whole issue. I would like to get the gauge tee'd in right from the trans, but will need a short length of hose. I wonder if it's worth it.

Why when I have the engine off does the turning of the steering wheel pump so much fluid through the lines? I am thinking as I turn the steering wheel either direction it is just working as a diverting valve for the pressure supplied by the trans. But this wouldn't explain why there is pressure with the engine off.