Power Steering Boxes are used by vehicle manufactures when space is a consideration. The steering box is compact but it also needs to be used in conjunction with other steering linkages. The steering wheel input shaft is attached to the vehicles steering wheel via linkages, the steering box converts the steering wheel rotation into lateral movement via these linkages that then moves the road wheels to steer the vehicle. This system is more compact but it requires extra steering linkages that can make this system more complicated but it is still very popular with most manufactures today
How does it work?
As the main input shaft (sometimes referred to as a worm shaft) rotates a piston moves back and forth along the shaft, this piston is linked to an out-put shaft (sometimes referred to as a sector shaft). This sector shaft is then linked to the linkage that then moves the road wheels to steer the vehicle.
To give hydraulic assist attached to the worm shaft is a control valve, when the input shaft valve is turned it controls the fluid that is supplied by the power steering pump and directs the fluid to a piston attached to the worm shaft then the fluid forces against the piston to give the sector shaft steering assist (i.e. power assisted steering).
Power Steering Boxes are designed extremely well by each manufacturer, but with the compact design the under bonnet temperatures are getting higher and higher this can cause some problems. The most common problem with most power steering boxes is leaking fluid out of the unit.
The next common problem is the wear and tear on the unit like free-play due to excessive use of the steering unit or lack of maintenance on the vehicle.
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