Today I put on an AGR 12:1 ratio box. It has firmer valving for better road feel. I thought this would be a great thing.
Apperently not.
Either the valving is REALLY stiff or something is wrong.

Would air in the system cause a stiff turn of the wheel?

I went from turning the wheel with one finger (pinky) with the old box, to almost needing 2 hands with the new one.

Is my old pump maybe not strong enough?

Any ideas??

Does the pump whine when your turning.
If so ya got air stilll in the system. Keep it filled and work it. Let it sit and the air to settle.
Repeat as necessary till it clears up.

I rebled the system,still very very stiff.

If you have a lot of air in the system and you start your engine, the air passes into the power steering pump and gets whipped into a froth. With air entrapped in the fluid, you now have a compressible fluid. It doesn't provide very good power assist.

It is best to try and work the steering full lock to full lock about a couple dozen times before starting the engine. Refill the pump reservoir as the air is worked out. Then start the engine.

If you already started the engine and the fluid is milky; the pump is making quite a bit of noise; etc. It is best to just let the car sit over night to let a lot of the air settle out. Then try some full locks to work the rest of the air out.

Jim

It's almost certainly your pump. The AGR box needs a higher-output pump than most early-year stock pumps can handle.

When I did their box in my '70, I also bought their pump to swap in place of my stock one. The whole system works great for me.

Note there are cheaper alternatives than going with the AGR pump, like a later-model pump, etc. But I figured what the heck, and it all works really great on my setup.

Oh yeah - bleed it as many times as AGR says - it's a lot of turns but it will clear all the air.

JIML82- Yes,I worked it and no air present. Thx.

Xtreme70SS396- How much effort is required for you to turn the wheel while driving? Can you palm the wheel? which pump are you using?

I can certainly "palm" the wheel.

It takes a little more effort than before, but with MUCH better feel, and it's almost instantaneous, where before the wheels would turn after a long delay... Zero slop now where before there was a lot of slop, if that makes sense.

Ya,that makes sense. That is one of the reasons I was changing. Mine just seems to take alot of effort. It feels like something is too tight. Almost like something was tightened down too much.

I do have quiker response.

NO self centering aspects though. Also have a dead spot at center where you can feel ssomething is centering in an indent, and I have approx 1/2" play in the wheel in that spot. very weird. You have to put effort into the wheel to overcome that spot, then same effort to turn wheel.
Does any of this sound right? does any of it make sense to you????

Very confusing to me.

you may want to check this link i also had some problems with there box no hard turning but i did have like the dead spot that you are describing.Jiml82 has alot of knowlage he helped me out alot.anyway heres the link good luck.http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91337

you may want to check this link i also had some problems with there box no hard turning but i did have like the dead spot that you are describing.Jiml82 has alot of knowlage he helped me out alot.anyway heres the link good luck.http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91337
Oh No. :( I read that thread while it was going,but forgot all about it when I was getting ready to order my box. It didnt show up when I was searching for info either(yes,I did use the search,it either didnt come up,or I used wrong info)
Now I think I am SCREWED! Now what?

Update,I just loosened the mounting bolts,tried to turn wheel with bolts loose. No change. Retighten mounting bolts,no change.

Just wondering,what does everyone think about returning the AGR box, and getting a Monte carlo SS box ? Do they have a nice feel to them?

Interesting - but in the long run, looks like AGR sent him a new box which worked well, just took them a LONG time to respond. I'd bet they read these posts occasionally...

Give them a call with the specifics of the previous post and your problems, maybe even email them a link to this thread - bet they'll respond favorably. Like I said, mine works great - I know you'll be happy with it once you get a good box.

Ya,Im going to give them a call and talk to them.

O.K. Ive driven this thing for 2 days and this is definately NOT good.
I will be calling AGR tomorrow.
Anyone have any suggestions for replacements if AGR doesnt satisfy me?
Anyone know where I can get a Camaro box with the stops removed??

No alternative suggestion, just a tid bit of info; in my assy manual it says there needs to be 1/8th to 1/4th inch gap at the coupling to the column shaft to prevent binding. May not be your problem but you shouldhave that info in your pocket when talking with AGR.

I have seen this problem a coulple of times before. Make sure that you have the right hose or you will have that EXACT problem. Some use what looks like a flared fitting and some use like a compression fitting. You can change the fitting in the pump so that you can use the correct hose. I bet that is your problem. I went from a early style to a latter style and had that same problem.

Steve

I installed an AGR variable ratio box in my 67 Malibu a year ago and didn't have any problems. But, I replaced the pressure relief valve in my pump with one from a 69 or 70 Cutlass, from a wrecking yard, at the same time. I think that's what raises the pressure for the latter boxes.

I called AGR this morning. Talked to james. He gave me some things he wants me to do. He seemed to think I have air still,or somekind of restriction. He also said I need a pump.
I ordered a pump today,along with new lines.