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Old May 4, 2016 | 09:47 PM
  #1  
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Bigpipes 35
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Hard steering

Has anyone found a cure for the hard steering on our trucks. My 03 almost feels like there is no power steering at all and when sitting still with the brakes on it wont turn at all. My dads 08 steers light as a feather. I have already flushed the system twice and installed synthetic fluid along with installing a redhead gearbox and new ball joints..
 
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Old May 4, 2016 | 09:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Bigpipes 35
Has anyone found a cure for the hard steering on our trucks. My 03 almost feels like there is no power steering at all and when sitting still with the brakes on it wont turn at all. My dads 08 steers light as a feather. I have already flushed the system twice and installed synthetic fluid along with installing a redhead gearbox and new ball joints..
My '04 does the same thing. Drives nice most of the time but occasionally, at a stop, the power steering is mostly gone.

I've got a buddy who currently works at Toyota, but he was a tech at Ford for like 15 years. I asked him what it would take to fix it. He said he could fix it for me, but the new pump might go bad in a week or a month, or 10 years.

His advice was to live with it the way that it is. Which at least on my truck isn't too horrible. Make sure you keep your tire pressure up. Makes it easier to steer when it's sitting.

-J
 
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Old May 5, 2016 | 06:00 PM
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Bigpipes 35
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Originally Posted by CyberJay
My '04 does the same thing. Drives nice most of the time but occasionally, at a stop, the power steering is mostly gone.

I've got a buddy who currently works at Toyota, but he was a tech at Ford for like 15 years. I asked him what it would take to fix it. He said he could fix it for me, but the new pump might go bad in a week or a month, or 10 years.

His advice was to live with it the way that it is. Which at least on my truck isn't too horrible. Make sure you keep your tire pressure up. Makes it easier to steer when it's sitting.

-J

That's kinda what I was afraid of. I have debated putting a new pump in but not sure it will help.
 
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Old May 5, 2016 | 08:06 PM
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The whole "crap shoot" thing is what kills me. I don't mind spending money to fix something, especially on my '04, it has treated me very well for over 11 years. I can definitely spend some money to fix it. But the way he made it sound, the new one is pretty likely to fail at some point in the same manner.

-J
 
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Old May 5, 2016 | 09:13 PM
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Bigpipes 35
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Originally Posted by CyberJay
The whole "crap shoot" thing is what kills me. I don't mind spending money to fix something, especially on my '04, it has treated me very well for over 11 years. I can definitely spend some money to fix it. But the way he made it sound, the new one is pretty likely to fail at some point in the same manner.

-J

I think you should replace yours and tell me if it helped..
 
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Old May 5, 2016 | 09:32 PM
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Sounds like your pump isn't building enough pressure. The right way to test this is with a tool that costs more than the pump. I'd replace the pump unless you know someone with one of these:

Amazon.com: OTC 5079 Heavy-Duty Power Steering Pump Analyzer: Automotive Amazon.com: OTC 5079 Heavy-Duty Power Steering Pump Analyzer: Automotive

Or you could always pay a shop $100 to use theirs and likely tell you to replace the pump.
 
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