For lack of better terms..

So it's always been like that. I've had the truck now for 3 years.. and when you are idling, with no power, trying to maneuver out of a parking spot or something, where you are not quite under power but trying to utilize steering, it's very tough. If you give it a little bit of power it works, but you can't always do that and certain scenarios. Also makes loading and launching the boat very tough, when you need constant steering control up to including possible full deflections in either direction...

What do you guys think are the possibilities on this one? Hydroboost? Steering gear? I need to go to the gym? Lol, I have been told by a couple of other people that have driven it, that it is very tough. "That is a good truck, but your power steering sux"..

The steering even under normal driving conditions is not very tight, there is some wandering, it's been like that since I bought it. But nothing ever completely breaks, and it's just a little bit of an inconvenience, I always thought that was just normal for a truck like this..

I wouldn't mind looking into it, thanks for your input..

Jeff

 

Jeff, does the wheel return to center after making a turn while moving?

Is there an audible whine from the power steering pump when turning the wheel while moving?

Do you have large tires?

Have you checked your steering/suspension linkage/components?

Have you EVER adjusted the steering gear box with the lock nut on the top of the box?

You say there is "wandering", do suspect that is because the alignment is out or the steering gear has some play in it?

Are the tires wearing evenly?

Has the hydroboost or power steering pump ever been replaced to your knowledge?

Have you bled the power steering pump (ATF only) at all?

A few years ago my steering gear exploded (literally) while backing our 5th wheel into a camping spot. I replaced it with an AutoZone gear in order to get the truck on the road. A couple months later I replaced that gear with a free warranty replacement. Both were garbage... Leaked and had a lot of play in the wheel. I finally had the time and coin to get a good steering gear from Blue Top. Red Head was a close second and Texas Off Road was a third choice. I don't see the need for the ram assisted steering, but others love it. That might be something your interested in.

The Blue Top cleared up any and all steering issues I had, but I am not confident that is what your problem is quite yet. Talk to us some more so we can help you out.

 

Regarding the issues at idle: just went through that. Was having probs with the steering "fetching up" on turns at slow speed/not returning to center right off. Then the pump let go. Replaced with a NAPA one to get rolling. That's when I had the hard steering at idle (which I could improve by increasing rpm). Did what I could with more bleeding, but it was only marginally better. Then I drove about 140 miles on woods roads, including some stuff where I shouldn't have been that resulted in my front passenger side axle letting go. But all that knocking around cured what ailed the steering, so that was a plus? Anyway, I'm thinking an air in system related prob.

 

Following, but if you have big tires that can be a problem sometimes. Have a friend that sent his box to Redneck steering in Texas, they rebuilt his and ported it and know more problems. Little more involved but you can read on it. He turns his with his little finger now.

 

Sounds like a tired pump my truck was doing the same. On day I replaced the pump and could turn the wheel with one finger. People had told me it’s the “big tires” before but I consider my 35’s not all that big.

 

All great questions sous. And in fact, about a month and a half ago, you and I spoke about something, and you talked about having to turn a campsite into a repair shop to fix your steering gear. It kind of got me thinking about my steering. Which is part of what's prompting my thread here..

The wheel does return back to center after turns. I don't think I should have used the word wander. That was the wrong word. You had mentioned there being a lot of play with certain steering gears. That is what I'm dealing with. There is a lot of play, I would say 2 in of movement if I'm going about 45 mph will not change their direction of the truck at all..

There is an audible whine while utilizing the steering. More prevalent obviously at lower speeds like idle.

Im 99.9% positive that my tires are stock size.

I am not aware of when the hydro boost was ever replaced. If it ever has been, it looks old, it doesn't look clean at all.

Steering system was bled last year, because I blew a power steering hose, we only did it by turning the steering wheel back and forth. Driveway mechanics.. I will say though that the steering was identical after that procedure as it was before. And yes that was with ATF.

I've never touched the steering gear. In fact, after the thread that I read from you about a month and a half ago, I looked under my truck and started looking for the steering gear. Just to see what it was. Now I know.

Tires are wearing evenly. It appears so...

I have not checked the suspension linkage components.. I do believe that The ball joints will need replacement soon..

Hopefully this will give you some more info . Thank you sous..

 

That's exactly how I would like to handle my truck. With my pinky ideally. No 35s aren't that big mine are 40's....... Centimeters.. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

Probably a weak pump.

@ESwift how did the PS pump overdrive pulley work out?

 

Had the same issues here as well. As others have said it's probably time for a new pump. When I did mine I did the steering box as well and with a new pump it made a world of difference! I went with Motorcraft for both and am very pleased with the results. One tip if you do the pump do not press the pulley on too far. It can be pressed on further then it is supposed to be and if you do that you'll be chasing a belt squeak as the belt is out of alignment. Press the pulley on just enough so it is flush with the shaft it rides on. Learn from my mistakes!.

 

I remember our conversation offline, and hope you find a solution soon.

If you jack the front tires up, can you move them side to side or up and down as if they are rattling? This is a decent way to check the ball joints. YouTube has many videos.

In my humble opinion, regardless if you need to replace the power steering pump or not, you have a steering linkage or steering gear failure. 2" of play in the steering is what I had and dealt with for years.

We decided that even though I had towed heavy thousands of miles this way, this needed to be resolved before we headed out west with the 5th wheel. The BlueTop was the ticket and now the steering is tight, responsive and spot on.

You may have other issues going on though, including the power steering pump.

You should have someone turn the steering wheel while your underneath looking and checking for loose joints or worn joints. Keep fingers and hands clear of moving steel parts! Some investigating and problem solving is needed in order to get the steering back where it should be.

Keep us updated, we are here to help.

 

1” of play is normal as this is the torsion spring opening and closing the the ports in the the hydraulic valve that give your steering its power.

that said your whine is the clue, a whine indicates cavitation. Once the hydraulic fluid cavities it becomes worthless at powering the steering since the fluid becomes frothy. Once frothy it will never be as useful as a hydraulic fluid again. Never.

drain, flush and refill the system, this time bleed the system correctly so it doesn’t whine even the first time you start the vehicle.

depending on how bad the cavitation has been you may have ruined your pump. If it was mine i would replace it just to save the headaches

 

Mine still whines when hard over after replacing the steering gear and PS pump, and doing a bleed of the system. My reading suggested this is a common phenomena... I saw one person correct it by having a dealership put their PS res under a vacuum to draw any trapped air out.

 

Definitely flush the fluid and see if that helps.

When I replaced my dying pump with a new OEM one that helped some.

When I replaced my leaking steering gearbox (A1 Cardone) with a Blue Top it was night and day.

 

Yeah, I definitely think you are correct that I have some type of failure and or Warren parts somewhere. It's always been that way, I just labeled it "truck", but wouldn't mind getting the comforts of good steering in that truck. If the steering gear is not almost on its way out soon it will be. I can't recognize what kind of steering you're at currently is. I definitely like to control my failures though so that I can be confident when I'm out trailering, so that I'm not sitting at a campground one day changing my steering gear. Lol..

I've decided to go with the blue top. Part number 2764bs, my assumption would be that I definitely want to get the pre-tapped ports. Running an extra $90. I'm utilizing,


https://bluetopsteeringgears-com.3dc...ctor_p_29.html

☝🏼 Would you say that's the best place to acquire it? Kind of thinking maybe it's the only place to get it... I'm going to post some pictures of my front end on this thread. I definitely want to do some upgrades on the suspension and steering linkages. Curious what you and everybody else would recommend. If I'm going to redo the steering gear. I think I'm going to do it all at once. Just get er dun.. the front end of my truck is just fugly.. wouldn't mind making it prettier.. mostly I want to get it to a point where I have no worries when I'm far from home under tow .

 

Can anyone send me a link, or just summarize what the function of the hydroboost does? I thought it was power steering and brake related. Obviously because the fluids are different they don't commingle.. it thought hydroboost would have got some nibbles on this thread, but looks looks it's the pump that is getting more attention..