Rawhide and The Burb

[454cid]

I remembered my grille is still off, so here is a picture of the ps cooler.

I popped the hood and I think a mouse scurried away in the dark.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Also, if you hit the brakes hard, instead of easing into a stop, like is a good idea with something this big, I can feel and hear the front pads grabbing a bit. Probably the caliper slides need cleaning and re greasing. This truck is very dirty underneath, the area of Texas it came from is dry sandy soil.
I have a work on the trucks day scheduled for in the morning, will look at the lines and stuff under the hood closer too.
I thought this truck was well maintained (that's what I was told!) But I haven't seen any service records except for the first several oil changes were done at the dealership and written in the owners manual. I think they took care of it, but maybe not as well as they should have. Especially after it got some age on it and grandpa wasn't driving it....

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I remembered my grille is still off, so here is a picture of the ps cooler.

I popped the hood and I think a mouse scurried away in the dark.

Yup that's exactly what the one I have looks like. I guess they were bare metal from the factory, so they surface rust fast.
Better get Tom after Jerry....

 

[454cid]

When the transmission gets a little low on fluid, it gets a little bit slower coming from a stop, like first gear is a little slower to react? But when it does that, we pull into a parking lot,pop the hood, I check the stick and it is low. Put 4 or 5 oz. in it, back to normal.

I'm more concerned about when you say you can't steer.... or is all this at once? I'm thinking you might have multiple issues.

I'll check about the power steering cooler(I have one that came off a dually on a previous U Pull And Pay trip, so I know what it looks like). If it doesn't have one, I know that one doesn't leak(cause it was full of fluid when I pulled it!). It's got surface rust on it, but I can wire brush some of that off.

You were posting when I was outside. My PS cooler is a bit rusty, too..... I guess they're steel???

I don't have a Tom, but I do have a Tigger, and if the mouse were in the house, she would be after it! She caught a mouse a few months ago. After she catches them she doesn't really know what to do with it, so I had to finish it off. Normally she gets dry food, but she got canned that night, for her mousing skills.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

The way it's being described makes it sound like pressure is exceeding normal working levels and a bypass is opening up, but I don't know that the system has one. I wonder if the hydroboost/steering is overheating.

HotWheelsBurban is the power sterring cooler still in place and connected? You should see a couple of lines disappear into the core support. The cooler is tall and narrow and fits between the headlight and radiator.

Something, I'm not clear on..... you say it gets slow and hard to turn..... the whole truck doesn't want to move forward, or just the steering is slow?

I talked to Mom(since she was driving it) and we decided that the "stiff steering" that happened Wednesday and Friday, was because the truck wasn't wanting to move very well, because the fluid wasn't getting where it should for a few moments. Bringing the level up makes it behave normally. These driveways are set up weird, and you have to come into them at an angle,on an incline, while turning tight(with something as big as this truck,21' long).

 

[Supercharged111]

Transmission fluid doesn't affect steering effort, but ps fluid does.

 

[454cid]

Transmission fluid doesn't affect steering effort, but ps fluid does.

If the PS assist is low, it would be more evident at low speeds, though. It could be two/both issues. The ATF seems to be going someplace, and I still suspect that wet pan.

 

[Carlaisle]

The front of that truck is heavy. When it's not moving it takes more effort to steer. I have noticed that the fluid level shown on the dipstick is not necessarily very helpful. I keep mine overfilled according to the dipstick, but it runs perfectly like that. At what the dipstick shows as the correct hot level I'll have problems on inclines/hills that seems like a sudden loss of power - similar to what Hotwheels seems to be describing. I suspect you have a fluid leak somewhere. If you can find and fix it you'll likely solve your problem. Until then, just keep some extra transmission fluid on hand and you should be in good shape.

 

[Pinger]

These driveways are set up weird, and you have to come into them at an angle,on an incline, while turning tight(with something as big as this truck,21' long).

So you are on full lock, the bypass valve opens (can be heard hissing) to contain system pressure - and then it doesn't recover in time for the next steering application - yes/plausible?
At that exact occurrence I'd check the steering fluid level.

Also - slightly leftfield - when you shut the engine down, do you get the stored brake application before a second application is without any assistance? (Test this rolling downhill). The accumulator that permits that is a volume where fluid can migrate to and from. Given that braking occurs before a full lock steering application there may be some cross play between the HB and PAS. The steering assistance going walkabouts sounds to me like it is momentarily lacking fluid.
From experience with my C2500, without the pump running (read, zero assistance) steering and braking are nigh on unmanageable at slow (parking) speed.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

So you are on full lock, the bypass valve opens (can be heard hissing) to contain system pressure - and then it doesn't recover in time for the next steering application - yes/plausible?
At that exact occurrence I'd check the steering fluid level.

Also - slightly leftfield - when you shut the engine down, do you get the stored brake application before a second application is without any assistance? (Test this rolling downhill). The accumulator that permits that is a volume where fluid can migrate to and from. Given that braking occurs before a full lock steering application there may be some cross play between the HB and PAS. The steering assistance going walkabouts sounds to me like it is momentarily lacking fluid.
From experience with my C2500, without the pump running (read, zero assistance) steering and braking are nigh on unmanageable at slow (parking) speed.

I think you hit the nail square on its head! I checked the PS fluid in the pump reservoir on Friday morning too. It was down some, so I bought a bottle at the quicky mart put some in. Filled it to Full Hot and the truck behaves more normally after that.
I will try @Carlaisle 's suggestion about putting a little more fluid in there,see how that does.
The scary thing about this issue, is that it doesn't do it often, but when it does, it's scary,and I don't want anyone getting hurt because of it. Or worse....