i have read through the forums and i am still in a slight state of confusion.
My 2000 -when cold- has had very stiff steering accompanied by howling when the wheel is turned and a pulsating brake pedal. actually, it seems that you really need to push the pedal hard to get it to stop when this is happening and wheel is much harder to turn.
once it is warmed up some, the problem seems to mostly go away.
the truck has at minimum 160k- bought as an "R" title so only God knows how many miles are on each of the parts. i do not know alot about the steering and braking systems but understand that the brakes are run from the steering pump due to a lack of engine vacuum. i am confused as to whether or not i should be replacing the power steering pump - or the vacuum pump that bolts to the rear of it---or what.
if its the front power steering pump, should i be doing anything else like replacing some seal between the 2 pumps???
my power steering fluid seems to leak somewhat- like alotta other peoples and gets topped off like once a month with Lucas fluid.
from what i can tell, it is doing the leaking thru the cap.
should i be seeking a new cap as well? or is it leaking because something is wrong with the pump?
i dont know if its an issue but the engine itself could be as old as a 98 1/2. would/could that create an issue when seeking replacement parts?
if it helps, the reciept i have from cummins for a vp44 replacement shows the engine as an ISB-230 ENCORE with a serial# of 56637271 and a cpl of CPL266200.

 

First thing to do it try this, available at most autoparts
http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/p...rotectant.html

Works wonders.

 

ok- if i can find that, i can try that. any idea how much it holds? also, should i worry about a new cap yet? or do you think that this may be ok.

 

Not sure if you are having the same problem but this is what happened to me. I went to leave the house one cold morning and had no power steering or brakes. After doing a search on here I discovered that people changed their power steering fluid to synthetic. I couldn't find synthetic but I suctioned the old out and put some Valvoline synthetic blend in and haven't had a bit of trouble since.

 

There is an O-ring between the reservoir and the pump that shrinks over time and starts to leak. If you look at a pump that is out, like in a parts store, the seam is easy to see. The o-ring is about 6 inches in diameter. O-reillys sells a seal kit for about $18. You may as well replace the vacuum pump seal at the same time. About $10 from Cummins, $50 from Fixin-rams.

The hard steering/lack of pwr brake assist is probably the small screen that is inside the pump where the pressure side hose is attached. If you have to replace the o-ring you will have to remove the fitting that holds this screen and spring in. Here are some pictures. You will only be able to get page one of this linkhttp://www.turbodieselregister.com/f...ssist-fix.html

 

 

Ok, I'm bringing this one back. My oring is leaking between the resevior and pump and was wondering if Lucas stop leak would do anything. Its not a horrible leak but is annoying and I figure it'll get worse as time goes on. Also, what affect does Lucas have on the hydoboost system? The thought of yanking it out....again, is just heartbreaking. But if I have to do it, I have to do it.

 

i ended up trying the lucas fluid i believe but since it still acted up, i changed the p.s. pump. i havent had a single issue with it since (no growling, lack of assist, spewing fluid from the cap).
its been amost 3 years since i asked that question and after changing the parts i didnt even remember that this issue once plagued me- all fixed.
the truck is happily chuggin along with 208,000 on it now.
ive come across an online retailer called rockauto.com if you care to look there for prices. ive performed some Major work on a couple of my vehicles this year and i have saved substantially on all the name brand parts i bought!!
as a matter of fact, i put an a/c condensor on the ram for 90.00 with free shipping on the parts (google for coupon code). the local advance auto store wanted 50 bucks more plus a longer wait to get the same part.

 

For what it's worth, the engine serial numbers on the 98.5 engines all started with 564, so your engine could be original. The data plate should have an engine build date too.

 

I put a bottle of Lucas stop leak in yesterday and so far so good.