Not a GTI: Mk3 1.6 PAS issue?

[4lex]

Hello all. Haved just picked up a mint little '96 golf, with an odd PAS issue. Sometmies I don't get any assistance when turning, which seems not to relate to engine speed or road speed. The belt is tight and turning the pump, we're not losing any fluid. The reservoir is overfilled slightly, could this realistically be an issue? Have read a couple of posts that suggest it's fussy about a specific sort of PAS hydraulic fluid, would I expect these symptons from wrong grade of fluid? Or any I just looking at a pump on it's way out? Oh, it's a 1.6CL single point efi motor. Gets 50mpg!?

I haven't got a great deal of history on the car - I have an invoice for a 'full service' at 92k (300 miles before I bought it), which I guess could include PAS fluid, but it worked fine for the first 1000 miles, just started with this intermittent thing.

Cheers,
Alex

PS - if anyone has a link to a workshop manual pdf that'd be great.

[trog_nfs]

Change the belt as a first step. Could be old and slipping. Tend to notice more if the roads are wet

[4lex]

Thanks mate. Water pump failed yesterday, which forced my hand on this. Stripped it all down, did the cam belt and tensioner while I was in there, refitted the existing aux drivebelt and all is working fine now.

Not sure how this can be really, quite surprised the dramatic failure of the water pump didn't take out the cam belt (impeller and drive pulley seperated), but the two items going bad together sounds like too much of a coincidence for me.

Cheers,
Alex