Hey all. I have a 2000 V6 2WD Dakota. Yesterday when i started it in the morning i had what seems to be no power steering. The wheel is very hard to turn. The fluid level is good. The belt is fine. There are no visible leaks. My first guess was maybe the ujoints in the steering column were binding. So i sprayed them both with penetrating lube... No dice.
The power steering has been fine up until now. No strange noises or sensations.
It was rather cold when i started it. Did the pump just crap out overnight?!
Thanks!
Nick

 

Hi and welcome to the forums.

Define "cold."

It could be the pump but it can also be the rack. Sometimes the o-rings shrink when it gets really cold. Is it any better once it warms up?

 

It wasn't ridiculously cold. Perhaps 10-15 degrees. It has certainly been colder this winter. I drove it for perhaps 30 minutes twice and the ambient temps rose throughout the day. It made no difference. Still very very hard to turn.

 

That's not that bad.

If you turn the wheel from lock to lock, do you hear any "hiss" from the pump?

The only way to really diagnose this is to get a pressure tester for the power steering pump and go from there.

 

Doesn't seem to make any noise at all. Even at full lock. No whine, no nothing.

 

i thought my ps was growling so i bought some lucas ps fix and put it in. it was thicker than what i was using. in the cold the wheel was super stiff at first so i had to take the stuff out and got my ps back. i used amsoil trans fluid, good to -50 or so.

 

You're not building pressure. It could be a problem with the pump or a seal failure in the rack. I hate to just change parts. You may be able to pick up a pressure gauge at your local parts place, some have "loaner" tools.

The pump should be able to make 1500 psi.