TJAR66

So I hop in the truck and feel the power steering buzzing like it is low on fluid.
I pop the hood to find the fliud is very low and my steering shaft and the side of the frame are wet but the reservoir is dry. I refill the fliud clean up the mess and try to see where it is leaking from. No luck and it has stayed clean for a couple days now.
A day or so before I was working it pretty hard pulling my RV on the sand turning the wheels back and forth in 4wd under acceleration to get unstuck.
Is there some sort of pressure release valve that released at some point or...... I hear there is an o-ring that lets go.
Any Ideas???????

vzdude

I had a very similar problem. I had a leak that would show up whenever it wanted to, but neither hot nor cold could I ever see it leak. It was wet on the side of the fram and the bottom of the gearbox, but never did leave a puddle. After a lot of searching, and refusing to replace any parts as a guess, I found a thread where a guy cleaned or replaced his cap and his mystery leak was fixed. Guess what? I took mine off and spent 15 minutes cleaning it top and bottom with brake clean and haven't seen a drop since?!! Worth a try at least!

TJAR66

Took my rig in and the power steering pump is where the leak is. New one at the dealership will be done tomorrow.

cameroneod

I've got a power steering gremlin also. I'm on my 3rd pump now.

butti

i know this is an old thread but im having the same problem with my 03.im on my 3rd pump in 3k mi!!!....***! i dont know what to do next.i cant just keep feeding this thing pumps.also my parts guy doesnt want to replace it again.of coarse he thinks there is something else wrong with the truck

bigdave

Do you get a new cap with each new pump or do you still have the orginal cap.

J Banning

What does the dealer want for replacing the pump? Parts cost? Labor?

Barney

Same thing here. Twice during the last couple of months, there has been a small puddle on the floor under the power steering pump. Couldn't tell where the leak was.

So today I cleaned things up and put about 70 miles on it. You guessed it . . . after I got back, there wasn't any sign of a leak anywhere. Everything was bone dry. So I will be watching things closely.

Things haven't changed much over the years with these pumps. I bought this truck new in March, '98. Right off the lot, the power steering pump was leaking. It was replaced two or three times under the 3/36 warranty. Fortunately, it has been a good one until now.

wreedCTD

how long has the power steering pump design been the same on these trucks?

xrattler

First post on this web site,so hang in there.
Been looking and reading on these sights for a couple of years now.
About these power steering pump caps,I've read that they (some)
will not vent.So I remedied that situation without going to the (eeler)
Put vent cap in vice and drill and tap 1/8" barb fitting into cap.
Buy 2' of 1/8" hose slip on barb and zip tie it to the brake fluid
tank.Oh, I almost forgot to say to put a rear end breather cap
on the open end of hose.
My Dodge was two years old when the gear box started to sweat.
No problem since.
Remember when working on hydraulics, that they have to be vented
or something will either leak or blow.

N.Johnson

Excellent first post there pal. I also found the same thing when my rig was new, had the top of the steering box showing wet, no drips? Went to check the fluid level and upon loosening the cap it popped with pressure. Your are totally right, it needs to vent pressure at the pump to atmosphere ( Basic hydraulics 101). My remedy was to soak the cap in brake clean . If you look at the center stem above the dip stick there is a small hole, that runs up inside past the oring into the top disc which locks in the cap. This is the vent but it is a poor design that is easily clogged. Another good practice is to change the fluid, ATF4 is what is called for.

soulezoo

Range Rovers, being notorious for their leaks because of poor seal design in general, has a famously flawed power steering pump that likes to leak incessantly. A couple bottles of Lucas power steering fluid fixed all the gremlins in the sucker. It is worth a try for that Lucas stuff before you spend on a new pump.

BlackPuff_Gone

My reservoir was holding pressure in the system. I started experimenting with the cap and that is just what this is: AN EXPERIMENT
I had put a new cap on it about 20K ago and when I had tires put on, the tech told me the gear box is leaking at little.
Started reviewing some of the posts here and came up with what I think is a fix for the cap.

Took cap off and washed it with soap and water.
Put stem in mouth, seal top part of the stem with lips and pressurized. Air did not pass through the cap. (abnormal.. i think)
Pulled a vacuum on it, did NOT allow air to pass. (normal... i think)

Used a flat screwdriver, gently pried the cap from the stem at the slots. (see attachment). Used soap and water to clean again everything again.

Used a Dremel to grind down the center part of the cap that puts pressure on the seal. It took several times of taking just a little off and snapping it back together to get the correct amount of pressure on the seal to make it pass pressure. The final result was what appears to be about 1/16" left in the bore.

I ran it for a little while and turned the wheel, hit the brakes a few time and it didn't have any pressure on it when I took the cap off.

I figure the worse thing I could do is ruin a $10 cap vs. the cost of gear/booster.

Okay , let's have it... is this a fix or do I need to go get a new cap???

vzdude

Looks like a heck of a good fix to me! Mine was good with just a cleaining with brake clean, but if it happens again, I was taking it apart! Now at least I'll know what to look for! Good work puffer!

BlackPuff_Gone

The cap mod I did apparently works. I basically made the cap work the way it was intended to begin with. Looks like DC needs to test the caps before they put them on our trucks!

I drove the truck today and no sign of fluid around the cap and it didn't pop off in my hand when I took it off.

Hopefully, my gearbox will stop seeping fluid out the seals now.