1999 Dodge Ram Sport with the 318. I bought a hydro assist system from AGR. Their ratings were low but it was all that was offered for a 1/2 ton truck. Now, the truck has great steering, but no re-centering and I fight her to keep her between the lines because she wanders. Do hydro-assist rigs need something special? Like a specialized alignment place?

 

No you have something wrong with your ram or the setup. Did you look at PSC and other companies that offer kits?
The ram shouldn't affect the return to center and it should make the truck track straight down the road. I have it on my Jeep on a Dana 44 with 38" tires and mine drives GREAT. The ram is made to take the strain off the steering box and frame.
And yes AGR has kind of gone down hill in the past few years. If you had called PSC they could have put a kit together for you.

Did you bleed the system good? How did you bleed the system after you installed the new steering box and ram? Is the ram centered? What type of fluid are you using? Do you have a cooler in the steering system?

Lets go thru what you have done and se if we can't figure this out.

 

Okay, here goes...

Yes, I have bled the system and have no foam or bubbles. I've had this kit installed for over a year. I jacked the front axle up and turned the wheel back and forth about 40 times, then started the truck for about 10 seconds and shut it back off. Once the foam subsided, I topped it off and cranked it again. I kept it up until the level remained constant.

The snap ring on the output shaft fell off, and I had to replace the gasket on the plate on the top already.

The ram is centered, with the solid end mounted to the cross member and the moving end mounted to the drag link. I know it's better to mount the solid end to the axle, but I couldn't figure out how.

I'm using regular power steering fluid and it has a small cooler.

I had it re-aligned after replacing the front control arm bushings, and I wonder I need more caster? I heard somewhere not to be afraid to ask for a few extra degrees.

 

Let's get pictures up showing your setup.

1. The need special attention only for having all the geometry setup right.

2. You having mounted to the drag link would immediately cause the problems you are describing. This is b/c the ram line of action is not in line with the drag link, since the drag link is at an angle. Mounting the ram on the factory cross member is good, however, the ram then needs to be mounted to the pitman arm location. Like the following:



3. Caster governs return to center behavior. People with hydro assist that drive on the road do have constant feedback from the ram. Castor helps to reduce that, but the compromise is that it will impact pinion angle.

4. Other factors contributing are the tolerances on all the rotating components e.g,. steering knuckles, TREs, wheels, tire condition, spacers, etc.


5. The biggest complaint on a DD vehicle for assist is constant correction. Part of that is the right sizing of the ram, with the pump, and stroke. These things translate to variables in the system back at the steering wheel. Understanding all this in the end....isn't a complaint anymore, it's how it works.

 

I used my diff cover as a spot to mount my ram.



I am with WK on thinking a ton of your problem is that you have it mounted to your drag link. You need to move the ram and mount it to the tie rod assembly.







I would go back and start all over again. Move the ram down to your axle. You can mount the ram to the axle near the spring mount. Then get a clamp like I have and mount it to your tie rod. Once you have done that see what you think.

Did your truck return to center like it should before you installed the ram?

You can mount the ram like I did when I first started with the hydro assist.

 

Wildman, where did you get the removable mount? I had to weld mine on, and when the bar wears out, I'll have to figure something out.

 

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...mp_p_1474.html

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...bs_p_1476.html

Or

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/...bs_p_1598.html

 

Okay, here's my setup:



This is the end mounted to the cross member.



This is the end mounted to the tie rod end.



Frankly, I kinda suspect an imperfect gearbox. But tell me honestly if I did a bad job...

 

I would go back to square one and start over. Like I said I think you need to move the ram down to axle & tie rod. Once that is done then tell us how it is doing and acting.