Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sat, 19 Mar 2011 21:14:48 -0500, justme wrote:

I have a IH-3400A backhoe in decent condition but the power steering
has gone out. It started failing by working intermittently and now,
it is completely gone. Yes, it has fluid. Sometimes the steering
wheel will turn if you put a great about of force on it and the front
tires will turn. At other times, the steering wheel will easily turn
but not front wheel action.

I do have a limited service manual for the machine showing the flow
for the steering. I was thinking of getting a 0 to 4500 p.s.i. gauge
and working down the line to see where I am not getting pressure but I
don't know what I am doing.

Any ideas that don't cost an arm and a leg?

Lift the front wheels off the ground and run it back and forth about
fifty times. Does it ever kink? I'm wondering if you're losing balls
or worm in your steering gear.

Is it making noise at all? Does the noise change when it binds? Do
the pressure lines torque when you force it to the locks?

Broken springs on the pressure regulator can cause this symptom, too,
by allowing most of the force to bypass.

It's a backhoe, it doesn't have steering gear. This is 100% "steer by
hose" hydraulic steering. His symptoms of sometimes hard to turn the
wheel, sometimes the wheel freewheels point to the hydraulic steering
valve.

There is not likely to be a pressure regulator of the type you're
thinking of either, this normally runs off the main hydraulic pump and
these are normally closed center hydraulics with serious variable
displacement pumps.