Power Steering gone?

Hey folks,

I know there's a lot of similar threads, but none of them seem to match my symptoms quite right, so here's another...

Power Steering seems to be on its way out. I'm not sure it's completely gone yet (steering wheel is significantly stiffer, but I imagine it could be worse). There's also a squeaking/creaking sound when I steer, but it definitely sounds like it's coming from the cab, not underneath - almost like plastic dash parts rubbing or something.

Only thing I've gone recently is replace the alternator a few weeks ago. My serp. belt has seen better days, but it's nice and tight, doesn't squeak at all, and the PS pump pulley seems to be spinning just fine. Fluid is a bit dirty, but is full. No leaks (at least that I can see either in the truck or on the driveway)

Other items of note: This happened about 2 weeks ago, just for a single left turn. Then it went away and didn't reappear until yesterday. Now it appears to be here "for good." Should also mention when I got the truck 6 months ago, PS fluid was a bit low so I topped it off with... PS fluid of course. Now I find out I should have used Mercon... I only added maybe 2-3 ounces though - shouldn't hurt, should it? Tires are practically new.

So, power steering pump probably the culprit? As soon as I get my garage put back together I'll try bleeding it just to make sure that's not the problem. Is there anything else I can try, or simple tests I can perform to verify that it is a bad pump? I'd like to make sure that's it before I spend the money on a new pump and hoses. Anything else to look at? My steering joints underneath are all fitted with grease zerks and constantly ooze grease so I'm pretty sure they're fine. What about that creaking - could that just be due to the additional force I need to put on the steerig column U-joints, etc., due to lack of power assist, or is that indicitive or something else going on?

Thanks a lot guys!

-Bill

Completely forgot the details - my bad. '94 Ranger XLT 4x4 w/ ext. cab, 4.0L, and 5spd. Does have AC. All stock - no lifts, big tires or anything.

Thanks again!

-Bill

Hey folks,

No takers on this one? A few more updates - the "lack of assist" stilll seems to come and go (haven't had an issue for 2 days now). I don't see any bubbles in the reservoir after driving either. Even when it's working fine though, I do hear whining/protesting from the pump. I know these Ford pumps are always supposed to whine, but this is definitely louder than usual.

I suspect the pump, so I think I'll go ahead and replace it. The hoses are also pretty badly rusted (but no leaks... yet...) so I'll replace both of them as well.

Is using a re-build kit on the steering box recommended too (I read through the Tech Library article)? I'm not sure I want to go to that trouble, but will I regret installing a new pump without cleaning out and re-building the box? I do have about an inch of play in the steering wheel that seems to come from the box (determined by watching the pitman arm while I turn the steering column from under the hood). Is a little play normal, or should I go ahead and rebuild the box too?

Thanks!

-Bill

Only you can decide how much steering play to live with.

Might want to adjust it less than 1/4 turn in, if that much. Too much will make it bind.

Personally, since it just started acting up, I'd suck out the old fluid and replace it with synthetic ATF. Repeat every day or so (drive it, obviously) until you've used an entire Qt of synthetic ATF. See how that helps.

You may want to get the entire front end inspected. A bad ball joint, idler, TRE, etc. could make the steering effort increase and groan. Have someone turn the wheel while you inspect. Might be very obvious.

Thanks Earl - I'll have a look underneath while someone's turning the wheel. I don't think it's front-end-related though - the creaking is only present when the power assist cuts out (sorry, just noticed I never mentioned that). As long as the power steering is working, the wheel is smooth with no noise (other than the pump whining).

Changing out the fluid would be a heck of a lot cheaper (and easier) than replacing parts. I'll definitely try that too - thanks for the tip!

-Bill H

Ok. Sucked out all the fluid I could from the pump tonight and re-filled it. Then spent FAR too long figuring out just what the best way to bleed the system is (cap on, cap off, how far to turn the wheels, etc., etc.). Finally got it all set.

Now. The most stressful situation for the whole power steering system would be turning the wheels (on the ground, not jacked up) while stationary, right? Well, I knew it wouldn't enjoy it, but wanted to try it briefly before I took it out for a spin to make sure I wasn't going to crash into a tree or anything. So I dropped the wheels back down, turned it on, and turned the wheels (while parked) about 3/4 of a turn of the steering wheel in each direction, about a dozen times. When I checked the fluid after that, it was all foamed up - seems it managed to pull air in from somewhere.

So my question is, is that normal when you try to turn stationary wheels? Will any (good) system find some tiny leak to pull air through in that situation, or did I just verify that I do have a small leak somewhere that's pulling air? I've never seen the fluid foamed up like that after normal driving. I've been keeping an eye on it, and it always looks fine after driving.

Thanks guys!

-Bill

Empty/refill every day, drive it as normal. I wouldn't even rock the steering wheel back and forth (bleeding). Just drive it. Maybe the synthetic doesn't mix well with the old ATF / PS Fluid combo, making foam. Keep going until it's all synthetic and see if there is any improvement.

I've also heard of people putting limited slip additive in the PS system to quiet the Ford whine. Also seen mention of a Lucas PS additive for a similar result. Mine is good with synthetic ATF so I don't advocate either of these additives, but some people do report success with them.

Well, I couldn't find any synthetic Mercon, but I'm using some Valvoline Maxlife that I *think* may be a blend? Not sure, but I used that stuff in my (5 spd) tranny and transfer case, and have been very happy with the improvement in shifting smoothness since then.

I'll keep doing the remove/refill 'til I go through a whole bottle like you said, and see how it goes.

Thanks again!

-Bill