Hi! I'm helping my friend figure out her truck because she doesn't have an account. Her 1998 Ford Ranger power steering went out and when I checked the fluid, the dipstick had melted into the fluid!

What would cause this?

I assume the power steering unit needs to be replaced.

Do the lines need to be bled?

Thanx!

S

 

yes the system needs to be bled

just start the truck and turn the wheel from left to right (not all the way) check the fluid after a few turns top up as necessary

 

For the P/S dipstick to get so hot that it melted, the fluid must have been low/leaked out, or the system was plugged up such that the fluid couldn't circulate & the pump was workng against itself.

In any case it sounds like she'll need a pro to evaluate & probably rework, or replace the entire system, because that kind of heat is distructive to everything in the system & particles of rubber, plastic & metal can clog up all sorts of things, like the power steering pumps valving, the rack & fluid cooler & they are very difficult to clean up well enough for salvage.

So at the very least the system is likely to have to be disassembled & flushed, hoses replaced, or probably completely repaced would make more sense, as it would be very costly time wise to try & clean the system up/ flush it out & then you wouldn't really know what the internal damage to various components might be, nor how clean internally you managed to get it, so future reliability would be in question!!!!!

If she decides to try to clean it up/flush it out & rework/salvage some parts, be sure to add an inline filter to the small diameter power steering pump return line from the cooler, to catch any particles not flushed out, that might get loose to cause mischief in the pump, or rack.

Ford now sells inline P/S filters for newer vehicles, that would fit & there are aftermarket ones available at most autoparts stores, like "Magnifine", that would be a good one to consider.

A bunch more thoughts for pondering, let us know how it goes.