The 60s saloons are very light on the steering, but my Mk9, is far heavier, even when driving around city corners. Is this normal? I have no sqeaks.
The same car which has the ignition light coming on above 3000, if that has any bearing…?!
Is the belt common to both? Pete
Yes, Mark IX cars had the power steering pump driven off the back of the generator. Your issue could be a loose belt even though there is no squealing noise. As the effort to turn the P/S pump increases with RPM the belt slippage may set in.
The belt is correctly tightened as far as I can make out. Perhaps 1" between up and down at the mid point between the pulleys.
I didn´t say that the steering gets heavier with increased RPM. I simply observe that the steering at all speeds (but not noticeable above 30mph as you don´t turn much at higher speeds) is far heavier than on the 60 saloons. The S-type has the same setup as the Mk9, and the Marles Varamatic on the 4.2 Mk10 and 420G, both have much lighter operation of the PS. Most noticeable at parking manoevres.
I would have thought that all 3 cars ought to have the same light steering. All cars have radial tyres, and the Mk9 and S have 185s vs 205s on the 420G.