steering wobble and finicky power steering

[rfoxden]

I'm looking at buying my dad's '96 Astro but it has a couple issues that make me leary. First off, sometimes it randomly wobbles while driving not dependent on speed, you can see the steering wheel wobble a bit. He's replaced idler arms and tie rods since he's owned it for about 5 years. I'm wondering about u-joints? Secondly, sometimes it feels like the power steering goes out ie. when I was pulling into a parking spot and braking at the same time. My last Astro was a money pit and not sure if I want to get into another similar situation. Love the vans, but hate the upkeep. This one only has 127,000 miles on it, too. thanks for any help

[astro355]

Hello,

does the power steering pump or gear box leak?

is it low on power steering fluid?

[rfoxden]

I haven't had it long enough to know if it's leaking, it's been raining here non-stop since I picked it up Sunday, so I wouldn't notice any wet spot on the driveway. Dad hadn't been driving it much this past year, but I'll check with him to see if he'd noticed any leaking. I'll go check the fluid this afternoon.

[astro355]

If the pump is leaking, you will find fluid on the bottom of the pump. If the gearbox is leaking, you will find fluid around the input shaft.