jgag

i have been lurking on this board for about six months and finally found a problem the search feature can't answer.

For the first time since I bought th truck it got cold (6 deg F). This morning when i went to start the truck the power steering fluid was frozen. It was very difficult to get started from the load on the pump and howled like nothing I have ever heard. I had to get to work so off I went withh almost no power assist below 2500 rpm. This afternoon i got the fluid completely thawed. isucked out as much fluid as i could and topped off with new synthetic - allowing it to overflow multiple times. The fluid that came out was very milky brown.

My question is:
First is this a common problem with these trucks
Second how did that much water get into the powersteering fluid
And finally what is the proper way to completely change all the fluid

Thanks in advance

kawi600

Remove as much old fluid as possible, maybe even flush it out entirely if you have a heated shop. Then use synthetic fluid. Much better in the cold.

Devin_01

I change mine every 25,000 miles wit just regular ATF. 270,000 miles and zero prblems.

Marine

I also changed mine to synthetic PS fluid in 2002. I sucked it out of the reservoir, filled it up, cranked the engine. I repeated that probably 12 times, and it was clean. You can also take the lines off the steering box, and let it drain out.
I'll be doing it again this summer.

It is not a common problem...that is why you couldn't find it in the search.
You must be getting water in there somehow. was the level correct when you checked it, or high?
Did you have the truck serviced at a shop lately? Maybe they put something in there that contaminated if they topped it off.

Geico266

Welcome to DTR

Sounds like there is a PO'ed wild animal under the hood. Synthetic fluid will tame it right down.

Good question!

atc250r

Maybe it saw some deep water crossings and that got water in there?

John

jgag

Thanks for the responses. I have only had the truck since the end of summer and don't know any history. but it only has 106K miles, and I have heard that repeated short trips can cause excessive moisture in power steering (as well as all kinds of other problems). In the spring I will change all the fluids to synth.

infidel

You're lucky. The owner's manuals for Rams older than "03 specifically says not to use ATF as it's not compatible with the system's rubber components.

D2 Cat

Ya, I have a friend who's a good auto mechanic. His son put ATF in his brake resevoir. A few days later it required attention. It did damage to the seals.

Fueling around

A common problem is cold weather howl.

Suspend front wheels off the ground. Pull the return line and drain reservoir. Cap it off and refill reservoir. Put return line in collection jug and start the truck. Turn wheels almost full left & right. watch fluid level and keep refilling as it drops.

Which PS fluid did you use?

Matt Lambrech

I had s similar problem (low PS and groaning) with my 1995 cummins and it turned out to be a tiny pin hole in the return line from rust right above the power steering box. I saw white foam in the PS fluid but the level seemed ok, and after it warmed up things would get better. Fixed the line and it been OK ever since.

ajg617

Having mine changed tomorrow. Howled something terrible the other morning when we were -3.

czcapri

I hopped in my truck sunday morning and turned the wheel to get out of the driveway and had a whine from the pump , it finally went away today when my brother borrowed the truck and the shaft broke. Both it and the pulley popped out of the pump, luckily he was idling and shut it off quickly. So I guess I know what ill be doing this week. My truck is 04.5 4x4 and the whinning noise wasnt there saturday.

RowJ

I used synthetic ATF for a yr...developed a small leak.
Found Valvoline Synthetic ATF and steering is better/smoother and no leak! The synthetic Valvoline can be hard to find but worth searching for... my Autozone finally got it in!
Have never seen any other synthetic brands??

RJ

infidel

Redline and Royal Purple both have syn PS fluid. Amsoil's syn PS fluid seems to be ATF.
I used to change whining pumps over to synthetic but have found Lube-Gard PS Treatment with regular PS fluid works just as well and is easy to find.