In the morning when I start my pickup up i have absolutely no steer or brake assist at all. It's all I can do to stop the thing at 15mph. After 15-20 min it clears up pretty good. 50% of the time I can turn my wheel a 1/2 turn with finger ease but then it locks up and your on your own, no asssist. My brakes will get really hard and sometimes they will shoot 1/2 way to the floor then build pressure and push back up real hard and then you have good brakes. It feels like the back brakes are not even working when the brakes loose pressure. I have changed fluid many times running lube-gard, (havent been able to get synthetic yet). The power steering fluid gets really bubly and frothy but never does leak out. I am out of ideas on what it could be or what to check. Oh and I have 96 steering and brakes by the way, not 98. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. I think it might be the pump because I no longer have enough vacum for the actuator to kick in the front end. The pump whines at all times as well. If you brake or turn it whines extremelly loud. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Give this guy a call, he's very good with this type of problem and happy to help http://www.fixinrams.com/

 

the power boost on your brakes works off the power steering hydralic system i'm sure you know.

it "piggy backs" or shares the hydralic pressure via a diaphram.

chances are you have a power steering system problem that is causing your brake woes.

 

Yea I am pretty sure it is a power steering problem that is causing my brake problems because they go at the same time. I just dont know what to do with it. I really dont want to just start throwing parts at it, like a new pump or anything.

 

if it's getting bubbly, your sucking air somewhere.

 

Sounds like low fluid or low pressure ... If you were closer to me I have a few old ones sitting around you could have one .
Your main concern is when you do that steering pump you should do the vacume pump main seal ...it will most liklly leak if you don't !
Greg