bveatch

Hello All,<br><br>I wanted to see if any of you might have some suggestions for me. I recently bought a repoed 92 CTD Extended Cab. It has ran great until recently when I started to notice that the steering was stiff until you got down the road a bit. The fluid is good and not decreasing, so I don't think it is a leak. Thoughts?? Any other things I might should check out on the truck besides the steering?? Thanks for you help.

Jeeper

Mine does that for a few seconds on a really cold start in the winter. You might want to change the fluid. Or maybe the pump is getting weak?

bveatch

How bad is changing the pump??

Jeeper

Maybe someone else can offer more help here. Luckily, the previous owner had a new PS pump put on my truck, so I haven't done it. Have heard it can be tricky because of the way it is combined with the vacuum pump. <br><br>Seems like BushWakr's brother had some &quot;fun&quot; with this if I remember right. Maybe he'll read this thread and offer some info.

Bushy

&quot;.......Seems like BushWakr's brother had some &quot;fun&quot; with this if I remember right.....&quot;<br><br>Oh brother you're not kidding,... fun as in 9 of them in less than a year... no BS, 9 !!!<br><br>The PS pump is driven by the vacuum pump. There is a &quot;dog&quot; that engages in a slot between the two. You MUST be careful when reassembling them or you can knacker both if it's done wrong, or with too much force, or missaligned.<br><br>I'd change out the fluid and see if you have any improvement, although I don't think that is likely. It's still the cheapest effort to start with though.<br>The PS pump may have a worn pump internally making it hard due to low pressures. <br>I believe the inlet/outlet pressures can be tested by a competent mechanic/dealer. That will tell you if you're on the right track.<br>Here is the check list from the manual:<br>1) Tires not properly inflated<br>2) Low fluid level<br>3) Lack of ball joint lubrication<br>4) Low pressure pump (verify using Pump Test)<br>5) High internal leak gear (beats me what that is??)<br><br>The PS pumps are not cheap, and the vacuum pump is flat out nasty for cost....trust me ....<br>Us a cheap tranny or diff siphon and draw out all the fluid you can then fill it.... cycle the PS from endstop to endstop. Drain again, and add fresh, repeat and test drive it.<br><br>I hope that is SOME help for you...<br><br>Bob.