O.k . guy's this is the first time I have actually NEEDED a tip from the help forum.......

I have suspected that I may have a front end issue for a while now. I put the front end up tonight to check the movement of the linkages, ball joints, tie rod ends etc. Also am checking the wheel rotation as well. Anyway, I had my fiancée sit in the truck while I held a flashlight to look at things, she is turning the wheel left and right and all of the sudden power steering fluid shoots out of the reservoir cap and runs down the engine…… did we build up pressure and is this normal? The truck was not running. I am going to finish my inspection, let the front end down and restart it. The problem I have had is a bit a “drift” when driving. I suspected the stabilizer but have read about the ball joints and all. Please tell me that if you rotate the wheels back and forth, up on stands that this is normal.
Thanks a 1,000,000.

Tom

 

Very normal.....now go clean up your mess!

 

When you turn the steering wheel with the eng off, the oil flows back in the return but it takes pressure to refill the gear. Happens all the time. Start it up and turn the wheel from stop to stop, and shut it down and refill the pump res. Now clean up the mess.

 

Mess cleaned up!

Actually overfilled it a bit but sucked some out so back to normal........


Thanks again guy's. I think that it is the stabilizer...that O.E.M. stuff just cannot handle 35s and the off road

Man, how you bite your nails when you see fluid dripping down......worse than human blood!


Tom

 

I've found that it's mostly rigs with oversized tires that puke fluid while turning with the engine off. Never seen stock sized tires do it.

 

My 1994 ran power steering fluid all over the place when I had to push the truck into and out of the garage while I was working on the fuel system and it wasn't in running condition, I had a buddy cranking on the steering wheel while we pushed, it was dripping a big puddle when I got it back into the garage.

Big Mess, it also took forever to get the air out of the system. It actually felt like it was in 4WD for quite some time before the air worked its way out. Probably had to drive it a couple hundred miles before it starting feeling normal again.

Normal sized tires also.