greasy

I got a kid in college, his 1991 CTD 4x4 seems to be leaking oil, or blowing oil out of the power steering pump and it's been hard to turn lately, if it's blown or cracked can it be driven 5 hours home to fix if there's no oil, worried about seizing? Is there a part that shears allowing it to safely seize up?

he said it was making a hissing noise and leaking oil when it parked it


having him check all the fluids, but since the truck has been getting harder and harder to steer (always been cold start hard to turn for a few minutes) I suspect it's the power steering pump

I'd like for him to get it home, but it's 5 hours 1 way

maybe368

I would try to bring a good supply of power steering fluid, try io put some in on the way and give it a go. The danger is, as you say, the pump seizing up and being stuck along the road. Is it an all freeway trip?? I ask because the pump generates the most pressure when turning...Mark

peckens

You are better off having him take it to a shop. A tow truck in the middle of nowhere will be expensive too.

maybe368

I believe that the 91 has the early style ps pump which is a little harder to change out than the later type. A press is necessary to separate the ps pump from the vacuum pump assembly. Peckens gives good advice...Mark

MrFusion

Check this website out:
https://www.fixinrams.com/

They deal with vacuum pump repairs and rebuilds but offer some insight into how the pumps connect. There is a part of the pump that can shear off if the PS pump binds up but will likely destroy the vacuum pump as well. There are some pictures of pump carnage on the website.
I tend to agree with Peckens to try to find a decent shop and have them fix it.

From experience: Be advised that most places in college towns like to rip off college kids.

Jim Lane

It depends on what is wrong with the unit,

I would not trust it, once the pumps rotation stop you loose your vacuum and your power brakes are gone.
When my vacuum pump went out it took all I had just to stop my truck and I was going slow, couldn't imagine being on the freeway.

When mine went out, the eccentric bearing fragmented and sent bearing parts though the timing case and could have been as destructive as a dowel pin coming loose, and it came loose without any warning.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...orking-165546/


Below is a link to the repair,
Good luck.
Jim

greasy

Thanks guys, I'm looking for a reputable shop

Any idea what I should pay? I know that's a tall order

thrashingcows

Have your son fill the reservoir up after it's been sitting over night. Run the truck and turn the wheels lock to lock....then check the fluid. If the fluid is all foamy....this is from air in the system. Probably a bad hose/seal or connection on the system and allowing air to be pulled in.

torquefan

If these systems get low enough to feel a change in steering, they have sucked in air, which is pretty tricky to bleed out on these trucks. If you top up the fluid without removing the air, it will just foam up and push the new fluid out. The cycle repeats itself and gets worse every time. If he was to top up the fluid and bleed the air out very carefully, the leak may not end up nearly as bad as it seems. Just a thought.

oliver foster

I like jacking up the front end up on stands, fill it up and turn it lock to lock many times with the engine off, checking and refilling as needed. THEN do it again with the motor running with some one there ready to refill it if it suddenly drops the level in the res.. That is my preferred way to bleed out the air and the way I did it when I did the Reverse Rotation steering box upgrade on my white crew cab.

greasy

OK so I got my hands on the truck, drove it home. The steering gear is bad and the drag link is shot.

It's getting a redhead steering box, new steering pump + hoses, new drag link and probably all new ends on the steering linkages. Also a new rag joint in the steering colum just because.

The steering column bar that connects to the steering gear has a coupler there has a lot of slop so I need to check into that spot.


I'm considering a better front end for steering, a crossover kit, I upgraded my 1995 to a way better system and I want to do that with this 1991

oliver foster

You may want to look into a Borgenson steering shaft like I used when doing my R.R. box swap.
That front coupler you speak of is a known sloppy steering culprit.

thrashingcows

You can still buy rebuild kits for that coupler.....I have done a few of them over the years. Sometimes I have to shim them a bit to take up the slop from the wear they suffer. Also adding a grease nipple near the bottom of the coupler is a great way to keep it full of fresh grease and squeeze out the water that always gets in there.

greasy

great thanks, I'll find a rebuild kit for it.

Not sure how much $ I want to dump into his truck so I think I'll let him do the cross over kit when he's out of college. I've been able to keep him from putting a lift kit on the truck and run it bone stock so he doesn't really need anything special for lifted with big tires. Like I say HE can do that on HIS dime once he's out of college and making more money than I ever will

So for now I think I'll price out a redhead if I send them my core, are they pretty good about accepting cores or is there a high possibility of a rejected core? Or I could stick a NAPA box on there, toss in a moog drag link, rebuild the steering shaft knuckle and hand it back to him.

thrashingcows

Your last statement is what I would do. I have been running the same steering box, reman unit for 8 years now, only had to replace the input seal once and it was a cheap E-bay unit. Check if NAPA has a lifetime warranty option on that steering box as well, I got one of their pressure hoses with a lifetime warranty, replaced it twice so far. I also have Rebuilt the steering coupler a couple times though...they do wear out especially without that grease nipple.....been much better since adding that.