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No Power Steering when cold

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Old 03-08-2007, 08:51 PM
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No Power Steering when cold

Today I started my truck and rolled down the driveway like always, then when I went to turn onto the road I had no power steering. Thinking WTH? I proceeded to pull the truck back up the driveway and now the PS was working fine? Come to think of it the last couple of times I drove it, the first turn out onto the road was "heavy" like PS was sort of working but not 100%, but after that it works like normal. Today though it was gone completely but only for a few minutes. Any ideas what could've caused it? BTW when I said cold I meant the truck not weather it was kind of warm today about 40*
Old 03-08-2007, 09:26 PM
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could the fluid have been contaminated somehow with water or anything else thats clogging down the system or partially freezing it if it was water? just a thought.
Old 03-09-2007, 06:44 AM
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have you checked the fluid level?
Old 03-09-2007, 07:38 AM
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Sometimes I have the same problem. I need to check the fluid, but I'm pretty **** about what kind of fluid to use, in order to make sure the seals in the pump don't go south. What power steering fluid are people using?
Old 03-09-2007, 08:29 AM
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Valvoline SynPower semi-synthetic is my personal preferance. However, first I'd buy a couple of bottles of cheap PS fluid to clean the old stuff out using the suction gun method (suck out 12oz from PS pump, replace with 12oz clean fluid, start engine, turn wheels back and forth, repeat).

Once you've got the dirty stuff mostly purged, then repeat using a couple of bottles of the SynPower. It really helps in cold weather.
Old 03-09-2007, 08:44 AM
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yeah what he said. or you could pull the lines off, drain the entire system and then fill it with synthetic ps fluid. the syn. is supposed to help with the cold alot.
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