Why is it hard to turn the wheel left on my 2004 Chevy Suburban?

Question

I know that the power steering makes turning a lot easier. And I know that when it goes out it's a lot more difficult to turn.

My power steering works fine when I'm turning right - you can hear the pump(?) whirring when you do. When I turn left it feels like the pump has gone out - yet you can hear it whirring even louder than turning it right.

We just checked the power steering fluid levels - it was a bit low, but it only took about 2oz to go from "add" to the "c" line.

What could be wrong with the steering on my 2004 Chevy Suburban?

Answer 1

From your description, I'd think your steering box (or gear, if you like) may be going out. Within the steering gear, there are check balls which, when you turn the wheel to the right or left, move out of the way to allow the path of the power steering fluid to change, thus giving you the "power" in the power steering in either direction. If the ball which controls the left turn movement is stuck/damaged/worn out, it might be the culprit. Because the vehicle can be turned in one direction but not the other leads me to believe it's an issue with the box rather than the pump. If the pump were at issue, you'd have issues in both directions. If it were some part of the steering/suspension assembly, you'd have issues in both directions as well.