I just put a new power steering pumpin my 1997 dodge cummins. did the whole hook it up, turn it on, jack it up and turn wheels for awhile thing. Drove around for a little while, it seemed good, had turning and all.
Drove it home, hit the brakes at a light and it pulled hard to the right and the brakes were super hard, next light was fine. When I went to make my turn onto the road to my house, at 65mph, I hit the brakes and the steering locked up, brakes were very hard barely stopping me and I had no turning, What the heck is wrong. This is my daily driver and my towing rig, now I am having to borrow a truck because I have zero turning. I have to rev it past 2k rmp to have any brakes and steering and with a manual this is hard to do when you are trying to both slow down and turn.
Can someone lead me in the right next direction to fix this please.


THANKS

 

Sounds like the vacuum pump. Your steering shouldn't be affected unless you switched to a hydroboost setup. Losing the vacuum to the brake would make them hard

 

This will give me no steering as well? I was just going straight, no ability to turn until I stopped just before taking out a stop sign and fence.

Can you rebuild those vac pumps or do you have to just buy new?

 

A bad vacuum pump wouldn't cause no steering. I think you may also have a bad steering pump. Can't rebuild either to my knowledge.

 

I just put in a brand new off the shelf power steering pump.

 

Yeah, but, these days, that doesn't mean squat. I can't count the number of times I have gotten dead parts, right out of the box.

Recheck your fluid level, and see what it looks like.

 

Amen to that

 

I'd be tempted to pull the vacuum pump and see if the drive gear is gotten loose. That would explain why you lost both, steering and brakes.

There are rebuild kits for the vacuum pump, just can't remember what it contained as it's twelve years when I rebuilt mine.

 

Thanks will pull it out when I get time this week.

 

It shows that the rebuild kit is a bunch of gaskets and o rings, does that sound right?