My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help!

   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #1  

Prankstar

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Feb 15, 2011
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6
Tractor
New Holland 1530 3 cyl diesel
I'm having a weird problem with my New Holland 1530 compact tractor. The power steering cylinder/ram is bending shafts like crazy. I'm on the 3rd bent shaft. When I'm steering all the way to the left and hit the lock the shaft wants to keep pushing out of the cylinder and ultimately bends the shaft as if it were hollow. I did an inline (in series) power steering pressure test and the pressure is jumping real high when the steering gets to the locks. I saw the gauge staying fairly steady at 1400 psi and below while turning the wheel and then jump upwards of over 4000 psi when it's on the lock. I back off immediately as it scares me to see that much pressure. I'm not sure if it would go any higher.
That seems like excessive pressure to me so I took the relief valve out of the steering motor under the steering column to inspect it. It's a very simple valve and doesn't appear to be sticking. I could be wrong though. I did see some slight wear on it but not much.
I'm assuming that this pressure is way to high, and it is just a simple system that consists of a steering motor (I don't understand this part very much)that connects directly to the steering wheel, a pump, and a steering cylinder/ram.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #2  
:welcome:

You only need to make one post. Saves getting two threads started to help you.
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #3  
I'm having a weird problem with my New Holland 1530 compact tractor. The power steering cylinder/ram is bending shafts like crazy. I'm on the 3rd bent shaft. When I'm steering all the way to the left and hit the lock the shaft wants to keep pushing out of the cylinder and ultimately bends the shaft as if it were hollow. I did an inline (in series) power steering pressure test and the pressure is jumping real high when the steering gets to the locks. I saw the gauge staying fairly steady at 1400 psi and below while turning the wheel and then jump upwards of over 4000 psi when it's on the lock. I back off immediately as it scares me to see that much pressure. I'm not sure if it would go any higher.
That seems like excessive pressure to me so I took the relief valve out of the steering motor under the steering column to inspect it. It's a very simple valve and doesn't appear to be sticking. I could be wrong though. I did see some slight wear on it but not much.
I'm assuming that this pressure is way to high, and it is just a simple system that consists of a steering motor (I don't understand this part very much)that connects directly to the steering wheel, a pump, and a steering cylinder/ram.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The 4000 PSI seems rather high for system pressure. Do you have other hydraulic functions on this tractor like a FEL or remote quick disconnects for running implements? If yes can you take a pressure reading in one of them?

I am not familiar with NH 1530 but would suspect that the pressure should be 2000 - 2500 PSI or less. I also suspect that the steering relief valve is not in the steering unit itself. Do you have a service manual? If not you may want to invest in one, probably less expensive than steering cylinders.

Roy
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #4  
I'm having a weird problem with my New Holland 1530 compact tractor. The power steering cylinder/ram is bending shafts like crazy. I'm on the 3rd bent shaft. When I'm steering all the way to the left and hit the lock the shaft wants to keep pushing out of the cylinder and ultimately bends the shaft as if it were hollow. I did an inline (in series) power steering pressure test and the pressure is jumping real high when the steering gets to the locks. I saw the gauge staying fairly steady at 1400 psi and below while turning the wheel and then jump upwards of over 4000 psi when it's on the lock. I back off immediately as it scares me to see that much pressure. I'm not sure if it would go any higher.
That seems like excessive pressure to me so I took the relief valve out of the steering motor under the steering column to inspect it. It's a very simple valve and doesn't appear to be sticking. I could be wrong though. I did see some slight wear on it but not much.
I'm assuming that this pressure is way to high, and it is just a simple system that consists of a steering motor (I don't understand this part very much)that connects directly to the steering wheel, a pump, and a steering cylinder/ram.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I think you maybe looking a the wrong part of the system by concentrating on the hydraulics. You've damamged three cylinders or cylinder rods so you have more then enough data to tell you that something is wrong. Are your steering locks adjustable? Maybe your steering geometry needs adjusting. There should be some info in the shop manual or the owners manual about about adjsuting the linkages.

I think the high pressure you are seeing is from the cylinder hitting the end of it's travel before the steering lock is reached and then the rod buckles. That may cause the relief valve to blow but the hydraulics aren't the problem. I think maybe either the lock needs adjusting or the linkage does, or both.
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help!
  • Thread Starter
#5  
The tractor does have a front end loader, and a 3 pt hitch in the rear, mid pto, rear pto.

The power steering has its own system on this tractor. I don't believe that it controls the other hydaulics. There is a hydraulic pump on the side of the engine, but there is a power steering pump mounted perpindicular on it and I believe it just spins a gear off of it for the power sterring pump. I don't see a relief valve in the p/s pump. The relief valve is located in the steering motor that is mounted under the dash and the steering wheel column mounts directly to it. The only other parts to the system are hydraulic lines and the Cylinder. BTW the cylinder is fixed on one end (and Closed), to the center of the tractor and the rod only comes out one side of the cylinder.

The Manual states that the pressure should be around 1300-1500 psi. But it doesn't say what it might jump up to when the steering hits the locks. The locks are just adjustable bolts on the wheel hubs that hit the front axle when all the way turned.

My feeling is that the steering cylinder rod is pushing out at normal pressure, then the lock hit the axle and the pressure ramps up and the rod still has some travel and it pushes on it so hard that bends the rod. This occurs while turning to the left. When turning to the right everything is ok because the rod is retracting into the cylinder.

I will doublecheck the steering linkage and alignment but it appeared to be good at first inspection.

Why would the pressure reach 4000psi?
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #6  
Can you install a gauge in inlet line to the steering unit and see what the pressure is while turning both directions. Is the pressure similar while turning in both directions? From your description this is a single rod cylinder so I would expect the pressure to be lower while steering left do to the different areas of the cylinder.

Then since you don't damage the cylinder turning right gently turn till the steering stops and see what the pressure builds to. If it also climbs to 4000 PSI then I would suspect your relief valve is not working.

Do you have a schematic of the system that you could post?

Roy
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help!
  • Thread Starter
#7  
When I had the pressure gauge installed I was measuring the pressure of turning to the left. When I turned the wheel left it would build pressure and when I would turn right it would go to 0, because of the areas in the cylinder like you said. I didn't hook up the gauge to measure the right steering pressure. And I am without a gauge now. I had to return it to its owner.

I'll work on getting a schematic
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #8  
how about turning the adjusting lock to allow the rod to fully extend?
 
   / My New Holland has a power steering issue. Please Help! #9  
Prankstar, I don't know much about your tractor, but if the PS pressure ever goes to 4000 psi as you stated in your first post, I gotta believe you have a relief valve stuck closed somewhere. That 4000 psi is essentially dead-heading your pump. Most PS systems I am aware of will go into relief at about 1500 psi. The relief valve is often adjustable an located on the steering motor at the bottom of the steering column. Without a service manual for your tractor, I'm just not sure where it is located.

EDIT: See item #17 below. That's your relief valve. Items 15 is removed on the side of the steering motor for access.
 

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