HI,
So I just bought a G6 and was told the power steering has cut out twice on previous owner. I did some research and found there was a recall, however I should have searched more because I found out my car is out of this "extended warranty" it only covers up to 150,000 miles (I'm at 167,000). Dealership wont cover me.
My question is: Does anyone know the cause of this loss of power steering? I would like to fix it so that I do not run into this problem. What components would need to be replaced?
My car is a 2007 G6 4 cylinder with 167,000 miles
You need to verify which steering you have - hydraulic or electric ? According to a post earlier in the thread, while 2005-2006's had electrics, they went back to hydro on the 07's. My 07 G6 had hydraulic.
If it's electric, it will likely be an electrical connection issue somewhere in the rack. I doubt it's serviceable, so you're looking at a replacement rack most likely. We spent around 800 bucks on one for my son-inlaw's 2012 Fusion a while back. Rebuilt electric racks are kinda pricey, but will eventually get less expensive as they become more common.
If it's hydraulic, I'm guessing seals. I understand these can be replaced, and are usually the main ingredients in rebuilding a rack. If a seal is leaking, the pressure on either side of the piston can equalize meaning that the pump is doing no work and the driver is doing all of it without assistance - hence the steering cutting "out twice on previous owner". It's possible for a DIYer to rebuild a hydraulic rack, but I've always opted to swap them out with store-bought units.
I never had to replace one on 07 G6. But I think we spent less than 300 bucks on a rebuilt rack for one of my 200x Impalas. We had to drop the subframe for that one. Not sure if it's necessary on the G6. It was a bear replacing the high pressure line on the G6. I don't recall having to drop the subframe for that.
Also, (if yours is hydraulic) have you been checking your power steering fluid level? A leaking seal may be pulling that down.
HTH.
Doug
.