Getting ready to replace the power steering pump in my 01 Dakota. Any tips or anything before I start? I have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing but more advice never hurts!

 

Remove the battery first. It will give you a lot more room to work. Pick up a set of stubby wrenches if you don't have them already. It was easier for me when I did my ps pump to remove the hoses by working from underneath my truck and the stubby wrench came in very handy because there was not as much room to swing a normal size wrench. I think it was a 14mm. Also if you have a lot of miles on the truck it may be smart to replace both hoses and your pump together at the same time. On mine I first saw a puddle on my driveway, found the high pressure hose was leaking so I replaced just that hose by itself. A month later the pump failed so I had to basically do the whole job over again. I think it is best to do it all at one time and save headaches from coming up later on.

Jimmy