My cap was on. Must have pushed fluid past the dust flapper and the cap seal. Hell, I need a new one then.

 

Hahahaha --- did some more "bleeding" today. Jacked it up, turned slowly lock to lock while watching that it didn't push fluid out. Every time I turned to the right, it wanted to push fluid out and there was one or two big bubbles. Every time. It HAS to be sucking air in somewhere! ARGHHH hahahah weeeeeeeeee hahahaha

Also put new bushings on the T steering to avoid roll over (hey you knows this) but haven't driven far enough to know if it helped.

Stay tuned for more on AS THE WHEEL DOESN"T TURN

sighhhhhhhh

 

Nope, bushings made it worse. There's definitely wear on my barely four year old Moog tie rods. DON"T BUY MOOG. Get T steering they said. It'll be great they said. *&^%^&@#@

And the Redhead is also definitely sucking in air. Somewhere. I loosened and re-tightened the connections for in and out on the box. Both were fine. The box is sucking air. You can hear it everytime you cross the center. DON"T BUY REDHEAD. I'm about ready to blow up the truck. What an absolute nightmare this has been. Anybody want to give me 50 grand so I can have good steering again?? Cause there's no way in hell I'll ever afford a truck that can actually steer properly ever again. $%^&*()(*&^%$#$%^&*(*&^%$#@$%^&*(

Yes, I'm pissed off. I've done everything you're supposed to do multiple times!! I've been living the definition of INSANITY for over a decade!!

 

A Ram group I bring to on Facebook has been having issues with redhead. The currently good ones that people have ran are Blue Top, Burgeson, and PSC (only two running these)

 

Did more bleeding yesterday and was successful in not spilling fluid out the reservoir. Seemed like it wasn't making a "sucking" sound either. Started it to drive into the garage and it made noise still when turning. So no improvement. Still can't get the air out.

 

So I know some of the posts are old but on ANY Ford, Dodge or GM I've had on the lift it'll force fluid out of the reservoir if you shove the wheels around much when the pump isn't running, ie vehicle off.

Why are we considering this abnormal?

I've just run +4 or standard Dex/Merc in several of these trucks for years. I know there's some internet arguing about needing MS-spec ps fluid but IME any ATF works fine.

If someone can cite specific documentation showing there's something different about the seals? or something else? in these Sag pumps and steering gears from a Sag pump and steering gear in a Ford or GM (which successfully use Dex/Merc), my mind is open and I'd love to learn. "I heard" or "my cousin Zeb says" doesn't count and won't sway my opinion -- opinion which happens to be backed by experience in my case....

 

Also not sure this helps but the one time a p/s system kicked my *** was on my dad's old '94 Caravan. If you've never R&R'd a pump on a 3.0 Mitsubishi in an early '90s Caravan....it's fun and you'll be thankful for all those thin head, low profile, flex, indexing and ratcheting wrenches you should be acquiring with every opportunity

ANYWAY, got it back together and would have assist for awhile, then it would just drop out --- no assist. We bled and bled the standard way: tires in air, vehicle running, cap off, turn almost lock-to-lock slowly

Finally, I needed to move on so took it to one of the better indys in town. They claimed the O'Reilly reman pump was just too weak, but they also "pressure bled" the system while they had it. Now I honestly don't know how you "pressure bleed" a ps system, but it was cured. Best guess, there was a stubborn air pocket in there and their bleed forced it out..

However, I've R&R'd at least 3 boxes and 2 pumps on these 2nd Gen Rams and never had a problem bleeding. And used ATF every time (shrug). But to be clear I think actual "power steering fluid" would be just as successful. The system is old tech and just needs a light hydraulic oil, which is basically the definition of ATF. I'm betting you could use tractor hydraulic fluid -- not that I'd ever try!!

 

Not that ATF can't be used, it just isn't the "recommended" fluid for these pumps. Don't know why. I do know that ATF was noisier than PS fluid and costs more, especially when flushing and bleeding numerous times. Plus I hate the smell of ATF and how any spill makes the ground a skating rink.

I don't know if pushing fluid out of the pump is abnormal but it makes it impossible to BLEED THE SYSTEM!

Anyway, yes, gonna have to go find a shop. I visited several a month or so ago and they either a) had no clue or b) blamed the steering gear. The one shop swore that no fluid should push out.

Apparently, nobody knows the solution and I'm the first to ever have this problem. If I had a nickel for everytime I've been told that. . . .

 

I thought you were only puking fluid from filler when vehicle was off? You should bleed with vehicle running and then you should not see fluid from filler. So yeah, if you do....somethin' ain't right.

I prefer ATF because I tend to carry a bit of extra fluid, esp in my trucks. The more things that use the same fluid, the fewer individual bottles I need to have.

Apparently WJ's used a hydraulic cooling fan? (a system with which I am COMPLETELY unfamiliar) and need the actual MS-spec for that system. But I've yet to see compelling documentation on why a Sag pump and steel steering gear can't run ATF like every other system in the 70s, 80s and 90s

 

On my daughters car, I went through three pumps before I got one that actually worked...... and even that one was noisy.