leeboy

I know my steering needs some attention , but today I was manoeuvring into a parking spot , and while the truck wasn't moving( engine running) I absolutely couldn't turn my wheels left or right. I let off the brake and let it start creeping ahead and then I could turn. 2nd odd thing I noticed and it's doing it quite a bit today. If I'm at a stop and have the wheels all the way to the right , ( say, turning right from a stop) and as i take off and start straightening out to the left, there's a good pause like something isn't keeping up , followed by a lengthy "squeak" like someone stepping on a squeaky toy or a bad shock. ( not really a power steering whining noise ) any input on what some of these gremlins could be?

KATOOM

Check your power steering pump fluid. Its either running on empty from a leak or the fluid smells like the back side of some petroleum animal or the pumps simply toast from either of the things just said. Power steering is the most neglected drivetrain component. Changing the PS fluid is nonexistent for most people. What you can do is get a quart of synthetic PS fluid. Synthetic is best but new and fresh is better than what you have. Look for a cheap hand pump with a length of clear hose because you'll need to stick a hose all the way inside the PS pump reservoir and suck out the fluid. If its full then you should be able to suck out approximately one pint of fluid. Replace that pint with half of your new quart, drive it around the block with some good turning of the wheel and then repeat the process using up the last of that quart. Your PS.....and brakes.....will be much happier and drive a lot smoother.

leeboy

Cool, thanks for that info , and will do

sherod

I can't remember on a 99 for sure about hydroboost, but I just went through the "Squeal" thing on my 08. Turned out it was the high pressure line running from the pump to the hydroboost. The internal liner was separated. My symptoms were slow steering, brake pedal kicking back at me, and the squeal. Maybe this will help.

KATOOM

The hydroboost system on these trucks runs very hot which is why its highly suggested to use a synthetic fluid to help combat the running temps. Some people had tried plumbing in a cooler but I understand that you can run into other issues with total line volume and the pumps ability to fully pressurize the system.