2004 A4 Avant 3.0 Quattro. No servotronic?

[q2quest]

The steering in my A4 is heavier than it should be. Air got into the system when I did the timing belt job. I have since bled the system and purged a ton of air, but it only helped slightly. I got rid of most of the groan. Then I began looking at maybe the relay for the servotronic and discovered the relay is not present. It was my understanding that all A4 Quattro cars sold in the U.S. came standard with the speed sensitive steering. Am I mistaken? Also, any ideas as to why the steering still feels so heavy? Fluid is not leaking and is above the "MAX" mark as discussed in other threads. Thanks.

[imnuts]

I don't know of any B6 A4s that had servotronic, not sure if the B6 S4 even had it. It did come on the B7 models. Is your power steering pump working? Are the boots on the rack leaking?

Sent from my DROID Turbo 2

[q2quest]

Ok, thanks for that. I'm not sure where I read that. The steering has always felt heavier than it should since I've owned the car, but got worse when I disconnected the PS lines to remove the front carrier during a timing belt install. I did not properly bleed the system afterwards and the pump was whining loudly. Since then I have fully bled the system and the pump quieted down, however the steering remains heavier than it ever was from the factory. The steering rack does not appear to have any leaks. The PS pump hose appears to have been leaking in the past. I replaced the hose clamps on both ends with worm gear style clamps and filled the reservoir up a little beyond the "MAX" mark as mentioned by others on this site, but still the steering is too heavy.

On a side note: The car was involved in a front end collision a couple of years ago and the previous owner had some of the suspension/steering components replaced. There is a very loud creaking sound coming from the suspension/steering components when the wheel is turned from one side to the other. This creaking tends to go away after the car has been driven for a while. I'm wondering if a lot of the bolts were tightened down prior to the suspension being loaded which could be causing some binding, making the steering feel heavy.

[Charles.waite]

The heavy steering feel (at least while driving) could also be a bad alignment.

[ImAudiHeree]

My 05 S4 have servotronic? I also thought 04 - 05 a4s had it too??

[Charles.waite]

Not sure if any of the 1.8ts could have servotronic but I think 3.0s could have it as an option. B7s all had it though. I personally love it on my b7 but some people hate it. Who knows.

[diagnosticator]

Yeah, funny thing is that my '03 new A4 window sticker shows Servotronic included but the steering was a standard wimpy koyo rack. I recently fixed that problem. B7s where equipped a lot better than the B6s.

[Charles.waite]

Yeah, funny thing is that my '03 new A4 window sticker shows Servotronic included but the steering was a standard wimpy koyo rack. I recently fixed that problem. B7s where equipped a lot better than the B6s.

That's bizarre. But yea b7s were definitely a bit more loaded. Solid tie rods. Servotronic standard. Fuel pump follower that can grenade the engine at any time. Fun times.

[ImAudiHeree]

That's bizarre. But yea b7s were definitely a bit more loaded. Solid tie rods. Servotronic standard. Fuel pump follower that can grenade the engine at any time. Fun times.

Don't forget about real cup holders that's actually a pretty big deal breaker.