Hello all,

I have an '05 2500 4x4 (just hit 38,000 miles)... When I got home today I noticed PS fluid on the driveway and sure enough she's leaking all over. I have searched the forums for leaks in the power steering system and found a few answers. However, none of the posts I found were recent. From what I read it could be a few different things:

1 - Faulty Cap that doesn't release pressure in the reservoir (It was indeed pressurized. Does the cap need holes in the top?)

2 - Leak in the pump shaft (Not likely, the pulley is dry)

3 - Leak under the jam nut for the adjuster (Maybe- is there an o-ring or gasket under there?)

4 - Loose cap nuts (No - they were all tight)

Any information is greatly appreciated. I'd prefer not having to make a trip to the dealer since it's on my dime now rather than theirs. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Probably the O-Ring that seals the reservoir to the pump. That's where mine started leaking. $.38 O-Ring, new ATF+4 and about 1 hour...good to go!

 

Check all fitings at the pump and the gear box. There are also seals at the Stub shaft and Pitman shaft on the gear box that could be leaking but highly doubtful since your truck is fairly new.

 

My HP hose is leaking. Look there.

 

Thank you, I appreciate the replies. I'll get out there this morning when the sun comes up and check it out. Have a great day!

 

My hoses were leaking on my power steering, and I took it to the dealer today to check out and to see if they could fix it. They could, and, it costs quite a bit(due to 2 new hoses). The tech told me that dodge replaced the hoses with ones with check valves in them, and that mine more than likely did not have the check valves in them, and they're going to replace them next week.

 

I posted a few weeks ago about a power steering leak and the search for an o-ring to fix it. I did not find a procedure, so here is my offering. A little background first. I noticed my truck dripping fluid and upon further inspection discovered it to be power steering fluid. The steering box and pump, along with any other components near them, were drenched in fluid making detection of the exact source difficult. I cleaned things up and checked and it appeared to be coming from the space between the reservoir and the pump. After a brief search, I discovered that a few other folks had the some problem and tracked it to the O-ring between the pump and reservoir.

Following is my procedure to fix this problem:

1- Disconnect the hose from the reservoir to the fluid cooler at the cooler to drain the system.
2- Remove the 2 T-24 Torx fasteners that hold on the reservoir. They are not very tight and I was able to easily remove them with a hand held screw driver style driver.
3- Slide the reservoir out of the pump and raise it up high enough to access the 2 O-rings. The hoses will still be attached, but this is fairly easy to get to.
4- Remove the small, 5/8” O-ring and replace. Leave the large O-ring alone, it will not be worn.
5- Replace the O-ring with a Weatherhead 4629X10 O-ring available from many sources, but I found mine at NAPA. More on that later.
6- Reassemble in the reverse order and fill with ATF+4.
7- Start the truck and turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times to purge the air out of the system.
8- Top off the reservoir with ATF+4 to the mark indicated on the dipstick.
9- Clean up.
10- Celebrate with several adult beverages for just saving yourself at least $130.

Upon inspection, the O-ring exhibited a worn side. This is easy to feel rolling it between your fingers. Unfortunately, it looks like this is a design flaw that will cause the ring to wear out again and I expect to have to repeat this chore every 60,000 miles or so from here on out.

BTW, my dealer does not list this O-ring in his catalog; only the $131 power steering pump assembly. The nice lady at NAPA did not bother to charge me for the one I installed, but I have seen them for sale for $0.27 .

As a bonus, this looks to be WAAAAY easier than replacing the whole assembly.

I hope you find this helpful and save a ton of cash. If so, you can buy me a beer when our paths cross.

100 Proof

 

Thank you 100 proof.... looks like this is the exactly what's going on with mine. I really appreciate the procedure, it'll make this chore a hell of a lot easier. Y'all take care now, G.N.Gates

 

And if you're ever down here in Charleston, SC let me know.... there's plenty of cold beer!

 

I think the cap on my gearbox is leaking fluid - there's a mess on top of the cap, and on the sides of the gearbox. I can't find any other leaks near the hose connects, CP3, or steering pump.

Does anyone know approximately how tight the cap nuts should be? I suppose it might also be leaking from the adjuster - Im a little afraid to mess with that though, as Ive heard you can damage the internals of the box if it's overadjusted.

Thanks for any info..

 

Belive it or not my 03 leaked some PS fluid and I quickly found out that it had NOTHING to do with the PS. My left outer U joint was drying up and seizing witch in turn was heating up the PS and overflowing it! Ever since I replaced my U joint it has never leaked again! Just something to look at! Good luck!