CAN POWER STEERING FIX ITSELF?

The weather. Failing steering racks are famous for misbehaving just like this in colder weather. Perhaps you’re too young to remember the great Rackand-Pinion Epidemic of the 1980s. It hit GM cars particularly hard, so we know the symptoms well. In cold weather, things shrink. See the “Seinfeld” “shrinkage” episode if you need any further elucidation on that. Back in the ‘80s, GM’s problem was that certain seals inside the rack would shrink in colder weather. And when they shrank, they’d allow power-steering fluid to sneak by them, causing a loss of pressure. That caused the power steering to fail, sometimes only in one direction. The only solution was a new rack. The symptoms were always worse when the weather was cold. And they tended to go away after the car was driven for a while, because everything heated up under the hood. I don’t know if those same seals are causing your problem, Luis. It could be one of the valves, too. Or something else. But if your mechanic investigated and says you need a new rack, he’s probably right. And based on historic temperature ranges, I’d say you have until around Columbus Day to save up a thousand bucks or so. Good luck. Which is cheaper, buying or leasing? Should you keep a car forever or dump it after three years, before trouble starts? Find out in Click and Clack’s pamphlet “Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?” Send $4.75 (check or money order) to Car Talk/ Next Car, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. Got a question about cars? Write to Car Talk in care of this newspaper, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.