Drove the truck over 100miles today, hasn’t done any kind of distance in awhile.  After about 30 miles, started to feel gravelly pedals, both brake and clutch felt weird, when pressed felt gravelly under my feet.  Braking seemed a little weak too and power steering more intermittent than normal.  At about mile 40 had to brake hard compared to normal braking and the truck pulled left...  not sure where to start my chase, any thoughts?

As @Blue-Top Steering told me about my 350k mile steering box. The Walmart SuperTech fluid did an awesome job and there was ZERO wear in my box just the seals failed from rust and dirt. Just change the fluid every 30k miles. No issues with cold all the way to -40*F. Still running my factory OE pump yet. 

 

Edited June 30, 20195 yr by Mopar1973Man

How hot is too hot?

 

Use the graph that I posted in the transmission discussion.  It was for ATF but all oils (we use in our vehicles) fall under basically the same umbrella of thermal breakdown.  Synthetics tend to move those temperatures up the curve (they handle more heat with less lubricity loss)

 

But basically under 200f you are fine, as you go over that temp you are damaging the fluid. 

 

I am adding a ford 6.0 oil cooler to my power steering as a cooler.  Since I don't have a slush box and its related cooler I have a great mounting place on the intercooler already.    I live in the south, so I really don't worry about getting it too cool, but you guys up north may want to use a smaller cooler.  Look on GM suburbans and silverados next time you are in the junkyard.  they all had them. (2005 up)

They are about $60 new from dorman  (for a 2005 silverado).  just add it into one of the return lines. (steering return is probably the best and easiest.)

 

Not sure why Dodge didn't add one to begin with.....  GM has use power steering coolers on most of the heavier car chassis since the 60's (my 66 Toronado had them, and all of the early front wheel drives.)  I don't remember one on the 60 Buick, but Cadillac had them back in the 50's.  GM Trucks from the late 60's got them when you got power steering AND the towing package.  

 

HTH
 

Hag

 

HTH

 

Hag

so its all back together (remember this project was really about rebuilding the vacuum pump, and I had a wet/dripping hydroboost line from the hydroboost to the steering box)  So looks like there is some success as I am not seeing any oil dripping, YAY!!  BUT, last night I went out to water the plants and I have a small puddle under the PASSENGER side.  I tracked it backward a little and it is running down the track bar.  The track bar sits RIGHT under the ps reservoir.  I climbed up in there and all of the lines coming out of the rear of the ps reservoir seem dry and clean.  I did find that I think my son (have to teach our youth to be mechanical) filled to the HOT line and not the COLD line when we did the final fill on it the other night.  Is it possible that it is boiling over (if ya will) when being driven?  

 

Haggar, thank you for the power steering cooler thoughts.. I will give it some thought.

Just keep an eye on it.  It was possible that it pushed out (temperature related volumetric expansion).  Not to mention you could have pushed out an air bubble that took it over the top.  (especially if you didn't fully bleed the system after re-install)  (the ps reservoir cap is a "vented cap"  allows for the fluid to expand and contract without building air pressure in the reservoir)

 

Wash it down with brake cleaner and keep an eye.

If you get a leak again, clean it up really well (and i mean squeaky clean) cover the pump in flour.  start it up and watch closely for where the flour starts turning colors.  That will get you closer to where the leak might be.

 

HTH
 

Hag

so I cleaned it all up last night, under there for 20-30 minutes.  Wiped it all down, everything dry.  set the cold level perfectly on the dipstick line.  have my wife come out, fire up the truck, crank the wheel back and forth 5-10-15 times and nothing, I don't see anything leaking anywhere.. SWEEEET!!!  I park it for the night, go out this morning to drive it to work, and there is the small puddle again under the passenger side shock mount (running down the track bar to the passenger side).  So it seems like it is maybe running back down from somewhere after shutting it down?  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated..

 

 

Is this, may be, fluid from the shock due to a bad seal and it gets pumped with the up and down action of the front suspension?

I can see the fluid running down the track bar to the area where it is dripping, it has to be a return line or something....  Its driving me crazy though!!

Does the hole to the left of the "M" on the sticker with the freen plug in it need to be plugged?  My reservoir has nothing there.  Nothing seems to come out under pressure (Truck running turning wheels back and forth) but once shut off and parked on an incline nose in, it seems to want to leak (not saying this is the leak point, but I haven't figured out where the leak is yet).  If it should be plugged, is it just a plastic plug?  or maybe threaded could take a bolt and o-ring?  

 

Edited July 3, 20195 yr by portlandareae28

where does your hydroboost return?

here is a picture i captured.  It looks like a bolt.  the FSM shows a bolt in one view too.

 

I don't see both those return tubes on the picture you posted.

 

This is the picture from the FSM showing a bolt also (or bolt head, could be a plug)

 

 

I hope someone has been here more recently than I have.   PS is 5 years behind me.... I just don't remember.

 

GL

Hag

 

 

it all looks very similar to the Mopar power steering pumps from the 60's and 70's and IIRC wasn't the reservoir held on by a bolt at the back and the can sort of sat/sealed on a large o ring or am I talking rubbish

That's what I remember that's the bolt that holds the reservoir onto the pump.  With out it the fluid leaks down to that point.

 

Michael :- )

Any thoughts on how to track down what the spec is on those bolts?  

this is it without the reservoir

Looks like the exact same pump from ram to 69 charger, according to Rockauto but the  front is/was different as charger had a pulley

If you have no bolt then I'd say your old pump was a crimped together thing and not bolt together, I have a funny feeling that the bolt was UNF but can't remember the size,

Just remembered there was actually 2 used on earlier Mopar stuff one was definetly Saginaw, pretty sure the other was Federal Mogul, Sag res was bolt on, there's a good chance Federal was crimped but It is over 15 years since I touched one so not 100%

Edited July 3, 20195 yr by wil440

seems something like this is what is supposed to be in there.  the description of what these fit is very vague.

 

https://www.jegs.com/i/OER/691/1253573/10002/-1?&mrkgcl=1239&mrkgadid=3328193743&adpos=1o4&creative=330726016730&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&jegspromo=nonbrand&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpPHoBRC3ARIsALfx-_Llytekw-K7g5RSNdWcxq4UfOK3sI_lFepLzMRh8Y14-Gm8XYGNf6YaAv2pEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Yea that's it, it is a thin headed bolt or a stud depending on the application.  440 used one configuration and the small blocks used a different one.  Same pump different accessories / Bolts / Studs.  Still used through 2002 cool.

 

Michael :-  )

I'm pretty sure that is for the mounting brackets on mopar pumps, I'd say take it back off and pull that plug out and see what you can see, the bolt that holds the reservoir on is not in the centre where you expect it should be, I used to rebuild loads and I'm also sure there used to be a filter in there somewhere

2 minutes ago, int3man said:

Yea that's it, it is a thin headed bolt or a stud depending on the application.  440 used one configuration and the small blocks used a different one.  Same pump different accessories / Bolts / Studs.  Still used through 2002 cool.

 

Michael :-  )

Now I'm not sure   memory huh  where did that go. but thinking about it there wasn't a lot to mount these pumps with so a double stud would make sense

Edited July 3, 20195 yr by wil440

looks to be 3/8 x 16tpi, I will grab some at home depot and see if they fit, than maybe just get a pump rebuild kit for the o-rings.

 

Just now, portlandareae28 said:

looks to be 3/8 x 16tpi, I will grab some at home depot and see if they fit, than maybe just get a pump rebuild kit for the o-rings.

 

Just be careful you are probably fine in this application but I remember they were thin head for automotive applications.

 

I just dug out my Challenger, to make a driver out if her.  Having to beat he kids back with sticks.  Paint has faded of the last 15 year but she is still there.  340 Auto with Power steering.

 

Michael :- )

what would the benefit of "thin head" be?  I am not following...

4 minutes ago, int3man said:

I just dug out my Challenger, to make a driver out if her.  Having to beat he kids back with sticks.  Paint has faded of the last 15 year but she is still there.  340 Auto with Power steering

I used to imports Mopar parts and cars/trucks into the UK, was the UK dealer for FBO Systems from Oregon for 10 years until the banking crash in 08

1 minute ago, portlandareae28 said:

what would the benefit of "thin head" be?  I am not following...

very little clearance on the back of the pump to other stuff If I remember right