I just drove my son's 2004 Dodge RAM Cummins about 1500 miles, and noticed how much easier it is to steer than mine is.

is there an easy way to make the steering 'feel' easier/lighter?
My '01 Suburban is so light, I can use my little pinky finger.

but my '02 XLT Excursion needs two hands on it.
using just one hand, causes my tendons to ache....

it runs straight down the road, on 285/75R/16 Michelin LTX Defender street treads.

a couple years ago, I bought the smaller Power Steering pump pulley kit, but never put it on, would that help?

 

On the Facebook world on some 7.3 groups I've seen quiet a few posts lately people doing the psc steering valve in the stock pump that ups the pressure I believe it is. It's fairly cheap and not to bad to do I don't think.

 

Not an "easy" way, no.
Bumping the caster to deal with wander increases steering effort.
A few of us have stepped up to the 2011-2016 steering gear since it is a much larger box with a better ratio.
Not a drop in modification by any means, but easier with a Dana 60 as the biggest hurdle is the pitman arm doesn't work with D50 draglink.
Upgrading the pump has its benefits as well. There is a thread in the 7.3 forum discussing some very good options. Ideas I wish I had when I upgraded mine
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-pumps-18.html

Needing two hands to steer seems excessive, you may be seeing the beginning of a component failure or other issues in the system.

 

I have a bad left wrist, so constant pressure over 100s of miles causes the tendons to start talking to me really bad...

but, as I also have a '01 K1500 Suburban, which are famous for having 'light steering feel',
the difference in the Excursion's feel is very noticeable.

just yesterday, I caught a guy on Facebook telling how to modify the existing power steering pump with a PSC valve kit. I will quote that here for comments.

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(quote)PSC upgrade for the pressure relief valve on the Excursion steering pump.

It's not a daunting task, and I'm here to guide you through it. With a little help, you can complete it in WAY less than the 3 hours it took me.

Why would you want to do this? It greatly increases the power of the factory 7.3 power steering pumps. I have pretty wide 35s, and in parking lots, I could barely turn the wheel. Now, I can do it with one finger.

Get your tools and parts; you will need:

From PSC Motorsports - SP-SD-FCV - Custom Pressure Relief Valve for Ford CII Power Steering Pump.

ATF Dexron V - to refill the power steering pump.

Dorman 82540 - This power steering washer is inside the larger nut where the power steering line connects to the pump.

Brake clean and kitty litter to clean up the mess. Get a small but strong magnet to pull out the old relief valve.

A small flat-blade screwdriver—you will use this to position the new silicone washer inside the pump and possibly remove the old one.

18mm wrench (for the large nut holding the valve inside the pump

5/16 socket - to pull the battery holder (1 bolts), bands on airbox pipe and air box off (4 bolts)

1/2 socket - to remove the battery tray (4 bolts)

11mm deep socket - for pulling the bands off the turbo pipe

Remove some parts - (the easiest way to get at the pump):

Remove the airbox (4 bolts), unhook the air sensor cable on the back and the large black air pipe at the top of the engine attached to the airbox.

It sits above the battery box and needs to be removed before the battery box.

Remove the driver-side battery and battery box (4 bolts).

You should now have a clear line of sight to the shielded intercooler pipe and the side of the power steering pump. Remove the intercooler pipe by loosening the band with an 11mm deep socket.

Slip it out carefully and set it aside.

Replace the pressure relief valve. This will be messy, so put some kitty litter down or drain your PS fluid if you feel like a hero.

Remove the 90-degree bolt on the side of the pump (1/2 inch, I think).

A small white crush washer should come out with it.

If not, I would use the small, flat blade to fish it out.

This will start the fluid dripping.

Remove the larger bolt holding the relief valve in the pump and use the magnet to pull out the valve. This will be really messy as all the fluid drains out.

CAREFULLY insert the new valve. It is a very precise fit and can get jammed if you don't get it in exactly straight or try to rush it. (Ask me how I know.)

Then, replace the large bolt to hold the new valve in place and snug it up good.

Insert the new Dorman crush washer all the way in the bolt recess (as shown in the photo) so that the 90-degree line will fit and crush it when you snug it up.

Now, put the line back in and snug it good and firm.

Bleed, clean and test.

Refill the reservoir, jack up the front of the truck enough to get both wheels off the ground, and with the truck off, SLOWLY turn to full lock each way a couple of times.

Only go fast if you want the pump to barf fluid all over the entire engine bay, windshield, and driver side quarter panel (ask me how I know... again).

Check the fluid level and refill as necessary.

If you are a hero, do this a couple of times.

Now hit the whole thing with brake clean and get it as spotless as you can.

Make sure there is NO fluid on the pump on the lines.

Now turn the truck on and do some slow back and forth turns to hard lock.

Turn off the truck and wipe a paper towel all around the steering lines you just tightened to see if you have any fresh fluids or leaks from your reassembly.

If you pass this step then it is time to put humpty dumpty back together again.

Also, you will most likely get a check engine light after starting the truck with the air sensor unplugged and the intercooler and airbox disconnected.

Just unplug both batteries for 15 min and it should reset.

Reassemble all the parts you took off in reverse order. Double and triple check that you did not leave a wrench somewhere you shouldn't have (ask me again...).

Take it for a test drive and feel the difference!
(/quote)
he posted a lot of pictures to help clarify the steps, bravo on him for doing that.