Power Steering Confusion?!

[thehoe92]

Watching the scene in "The Hangover" where they are pushing the tiger and it reminded me..

Driving along and I ran out of gas so I flip it to neutral to see if there is just the tiniest bit left that I can start it again and get it off the road.. No luck!

So I figure pull over off the busy street and call for someone to get me gas but my steering is locked!! I pulled it hard over so my wheels would turn a little and it got me off the road but on the opposite side of the side street I pulled into!

Anyways how are you supposed to steer if your car can't start your car and the power steering only works when the car is on?!

Boggles my mind!

Maybe I'm missing something help me out here..

 

[Eagle]

have you seen the guys on here? not an issue for them.

Seriously though you just have to put your back into it and wrestle it over without power assist. And that is ANY power steering equipped vehicle, for the record.

in a non power steering truck (like my greatuncle's old square body) you have more mechanical advantage (more turns lock to lock) so you only fight with it at a stop, but you have to turn the wheel a LOT, maybe one full turn or more, just to make a left turn.

I like power steering now...

 

[thehoe92]

have you seen the guys on here? not an issue for them.

Seriously though you just have to put your back into it and wrestle it over without power assist.

just one of those things I didn't think to wrestle with seems kind of important to have my steering still work after I tug it over haha!

pushing a tahoe with quite a bit of weight in the back in beat on 24's ain't the easiest thing to do when you are a skinny ass white boy!

but really thats all it takes is just pulling it harder?
seems a little weird to me

 

[92__silverado]

You've never driven a vehicle without power steering. You should try backing out of a parking space with no power steering. Like eagle said, when you are moving it ain't bad. Its when the vehicle is sitting still that its a beast.

 

[ecordell]

yea no power steering sucks lol, I know

even moving mines a *****, teh 81 shortwide is a heavy old ***** and it sucks with no ps lol

 

[thehoe92]

no no no...

I'm saying that it locks up when the car is not started like you cannot move the wheel at all.
so what are you supposed to do when you run out of gas and need to steer it?

 

[92__silverado]

Oh you are talking about the steering wheel lock. As long as the key is in, in the ON position you should be able to move the wheel.

 

[thehoe92]

key was turned all the way to accessories and it wouldn't budge.
I would go to try and start it and I could pull the wheel over a little while it was trying to start but once it stopped cranking it locked again

 

[NOPROBROBB]

I can relate to you, my power steering pump went out on me a couple of weeks ago, it is a fight just to get it to turn a little. But as mentioned above it is a tad easier to turn the wheel when you re actually moving. I ve bee lucky enough to always have owned vehicle with power steering but my brother was telling me that a vehicle with power steering and it goes out is far worse than a vehicle that wasnt designed with it in the first place. It would be a bad day if your serpentine belt went out while you re out and about

 

[gtbigup01]

my first car didn't have power steering and that was a 93 VW FOX, got used to it since i hadn't driven much prior to that, now I'm like man PS is great. Volkswagen didn't believe in power steering in their earlier cars, guess they came to grips with reality. It totally possible, ur just not used to exerting that much effort.