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Opinions needed - Performed Optical Bump

Wow @ak diesel driver I just read through your thread on your new truck! I have to say that's a really nice truck! One of the things on my wish list is finding a tall camper like the one in your first photos. I really like your upper console gauges. I think I'm going to follow you and do the fuel pressure and ether drive pressure or a trans temp gauge there. I think I'd want the boost, EGT and such somewhere I'm looking at them while driving. I haven't figured that one out yet since I have already threaded a ram mount stud into the pillar for my phone mount where I wouldn't be able to do the pillar gauges. for now I just have my boost gauge sitting on top of the dash in that area, it works for now!

toward the end of your thread you were talking about the EVO steering and the issues with it, I know my truck doesn't have EVO but it has some issues I have tried to deal with but no luck yet with. my steering is stiffer than normal or stiffer than I'd like plus the brake pedal is harder than I think it should be. I get so used to the brake pedal in my truck that when I get in my wife's little car and step on the brake, everyone tries to go through the windshield!!

While trying to mess with that issue and fixing all the steering slop back when I bought the truck, I've gone through two pumps, two boosters and three gear boxes, mainly due to leakage, but none have had any effect on improving or giving an easier to steer condition. I think it's pump or fluid flow related, but I'm too damn cheap to buy a pressure tester for a one time use!!
 
for the PS hoses, I have been reading up on the ported boosters and was actually considering replacing all the pressure lines with the male AN-6 adapters and using hydraulic hoses between the pump, booster, and the gear. then I could try isolating the booster out of the system just to see if the steering changes in the driveway. If it did, I was thinking if trying to tee off the two pressure lines on the booster with a smaller 1/4 hose across essentially creating a little more flow to the gear, but I don't know if that will do any good or make things worse for the booster by having 3/8 hose running through it with the smaller hose bypassing some fluid to the gear. I'm not that well versed in hydraulics. But with the standard AN fittings I would be able to experiment with and still put everything back.
 
Thanks for the comment about my truck, still a work in progress. Don't have much help for you in the power steering issues my first thought would be power steering pump but you've already changed that
 
ak diesel driver said:
Thanks for the comment about my truck, still a work in progress. Don't have much help for you in the power steering issues my first thought would be power steering pump but you've already changed that
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I've been reading a lot on the different pumps on the larger trucks and it seems there was two different pumps made, those that had convex end caps and concave caps. both of the pumps had concave caps on the housing. from what I have read, the convex ones had more flow and are now almost impossible to find. all the auto parts have been using the convex style for all light and heavy duty vehicles. not sure if this is the case but I did make sure the opening in the port on mine had the larger hole where the pressure line connects on the pump I have now. I found this info over on a jeep forum where they were using these pumps when adding a steering ram along with hydro boost.
 
I Get not wanting to buy a tool for a ‘one time use’. But how much money and time did you spend on all those parts and still something isn’t right. Buy the tool and diagnose properly, or fir the parts cannon and it and still not right is often the issue.

It could be, a hose is coming apart inside and restricting flow. That hose coming apart means low performance and contamination that puts tiny rubber particles at the seals and causing leaks. I am not saying replace your hoses- i am saying proper diagnostics is the lower cost answer 95% of the time. If you don’t have the tools and or skills, find someone with a stellar reputation (which means they will charge more then others) and pay them to do it, so it is right the first time.
 
Will L. said:
I Get not wanting to buy a tool for a ‘one time use’. But how much money and time did you spend on all those parts and still something isn’t right. Buy the tool and diagnose properly, or fir the parts cannon and it and still not right is often the issue.

It could be, a hose is coming apart inside and restricting flow. That hose coming apart means low performance and contamination that puts tiny rubber particles at the seals and causing leaks. I am not saying replace your hoses- i am saying proper diagnostics is the lower cost answer 95% of the time. If you don’t have the tools and or skills, find someone with a stellar reputation (which means they will charge more then others) and pay them to do it, so it is right the first time.
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your absolutely right. I wanted to take care of the fuel issue first. this was just something that came to mind while reading about @ak diesel driver's new truck. new hoses are on the list and then I'm going out to talk to a couple of the local shops in the area and see if they can test my pump at least. it's something I get the feeling it isn't right but then again this is the biggest truck I've owned plus my first diesel on top of that. it might just be this way and I'm not used to it. it stops and steers so I haven't put much effort into this part other than fixing all the leaks lol.
 
just curious, how would they test flow? the testers I've seen online are just a Tee fitting with a gauge and a screw type valve. I'm guessing there's another flow meter that the shops would connect inline?

lol I'd be the one redneck hillbilly to try clamping a hose on the reservoir to a large bucket filled with fluid and drop the pressure line in another bucket just to see how long it takes to fill it at idle!! 😆😂🤣
 
We had a flow meter at my old work. I for the life of me can't remember who made it. But we got it from napa. It wasn't that expensive at all. Somewhere I have a training booklet that talked about it. I will see if I can find it. It just hooked up inline with the supply line. Made diagnosing low volume pumps super easy.
 
dbrannon79 said:
it has some issues I have tried to deal with but no luck yet with. my steering is stiffer than normal or stiffer than I'd like plus the brake pedal is harder than I think it should be. I get so used to the brake pedal in my truck that when I get in my wife's little car and step on the brake, everyone tries to go through the windshield!!

While trying to mess with that issue and fixing all the steering slop back when I bought the truck, I've gone through two pumps, two boosters and three gear boxes, mainly due to leakage, but none have had any effect on improving or giving an easier to steer condition. I think it's pump or fluid flow related, but I'm too damn cheap to buy a pressure tester for a one time use!!
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Vacuum booster brakes are a completely different hair-trigger feel vs. any hydrobooster. RAM Diesel pickups, 2500 GMC Vans with a hydrobooster, your truck all act the same and different than vacuum boosters.

Quick and dirty test to see if the steering box is leaking: does it turn one way easier than the other? Can't feel a difference: use a beam indicator torque wrench.

Before you fire the parts cannon at hoses, STOP! X2 on what Will said. You throw more parts at the damn thing and said parts can cause more problems. The Power Steering Pump is one of the worst things you can toss at a vehicle because there is so much krap out there. So I think you missed the advice by wanting to toss hoses at it. Rather it's either fine or you got a typical weak pump with fresh low quality paint. In depth:

There are two parts that are a royal PIA to change on these trucks. Starters and PS pumps. Cardone is #1 on my $hit list for painting power steering pumps and doing little else to them. They are DOA out of the box, low pressure, or the one that put them at #1: last 30 min, leak, and debris glitter bomb the entire system requiring a replacement hydrobooster, pump, steering box, hoses and a flush of the PS cooler. The local parts store ate all the parts, but, I ate the labor while the vehicle was down.

There are only two ways to reliably change a PS pump: Virgin NEW or pull one from a known wreck: because it was likely working before impact. Remans are cores that were "broken" and hopefully patched by the vendor.

One other thing I did was run a filter on the return line from the steering box. Doing so on the hydrobooster line can hold the brakes on: so no restrictions on the hydrobooster return line.

https://magnefinefilters.com/

30K miles on this PS filter. See the nice silver color on most of the filter? Did it's job well and shoulda changed it sooner. Do you think anything smaller is going to last long enough to be worth the install trouble before it plugs and bypasses?

ps_filter.jpg

Even with a new pump the shop I had do the PS pump on a 2002 used the wrong fluid as GM had come out with a revised fluid for the problems we suddenly had.

So what PS fluid you using?
 
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using regular power steering fluid, the clear stuff from the auto parts store. @WarWagon, where did you get that inline filter with changeable cartridge? all the ones I've seen are just a metal can that you can't open.

Edit: I missed the link!! sorry.
 
something that caught my attention yesterday that I'm not sure if it's normal but yesterday when taking my wife to to the dr's office I pulled in the parking lot and shut the truck off while my foot was still on the brake pedal. after the engine was off the pedal fell to the floor! 😑 I stepped on it again with it off and it was hard and stiff like I would expect without the engine running. is this normal for a hydro boost to just fall to the floor when shutting off the engine?
 
dbrannon79 said:
something that caught my attention yesterday that I'm not sure if it's normal but yesterday when taking my wife to to the dr's office I pulled in the parking lot and shut the truck off while my foot was still on the brake pedal. after the engine was off the pedal fell to the floor! 😑 I stepped on it again with it off and it was hard and stiff like I would expect without the engine running. is this normal for a hydro boost to just fall to the floor when shutting off the engine?
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No, not normal.
That would be a good idea to start a thread on the steering/brake/pump issues. It would catch a lot more attention to those that are in the know on such matters.
 
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