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Wendell, there could be many causes of your problem, from a worn operating sleeve, to a broken sleeve pin, to too much end play in the worm, to a broken steering vane or vane pin, to a steering cam problem, to a problem with the steering valve itself, to even a failing pump. ~Seeing as it started after hitting a stump I would suspect the possibility of a broken steering vane pin or vane area problem. [that's the usual place if the problem appears after hitting something hard]. ~My suggestion would be to get the Deere power steering manual & follow the trouble shooting procedures. That steering system isn't that difficult to work on ONCE YOU KNOW HOW IT OPERATES. ~Installing a pressure gage is a good place to start but still probably won't pin point the problem. ~You should probably start with a steering vane oil by-pass test [both directions] on a hot tractor as that will show if your problem is in the lower hydraulic steering vane area, or if the vane area is good & your problem is higher up in the steering sleeve or steering valve area [the vane by-pass test is in the book]. ~You talk of a lot of steering play? You have to go over the entire steering system & figure out where the play is coming from... Is the play in the lower center steering arm where it attaches to the lower spindle [loose bolts]? Or in the steering shaft or U-joints between the steering wheel & steering gear, or in the splined connection of the steering shaft to the sleeve, or in the steering gear itself, or if you have a little play in all the above areas? Once you locate the area(s) that are causing the looseness you can address those specific areas. ~Because your problem showed up after hitting something the pump would be at the bottom of my list as the cause of your problem but with hydraulics you never know until ALL the tests are done & everything else is working as it should.... ~Get the Deere 2-cylinder Power Steering book, then read it until you fully understand how the system operates, then do some of the preliminary tests, then post back with questions on the results or some of the problems that show up from the tests. If you are good at reading between the lines & have a good mechanical background you can get by just using the I & T [JD-16] shop manual available from most tractor supply stores or some parts dealers... ~Post back with any questions you have..... [email protected]
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