My wife can barely turn the steering wheel when parking her 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 4/7 L (165,000 miles)

The pump is not noisy and the belt and tensioner are both good.

Anything above idle is fine.

Is it pump time?

Thanks! Ben

 

If it's the original pump then it should definitely be checked closely. Is it hard to turn all the time, or only in certain intances?

 

Periods of low engine RPM or slow/zero speed making the wheel hard to turn does seem to be signs of a pump getting weak, is the fluid level good?

 

Yes. Full and cherry red.

 

Only when parking.

 

She hasn't been rude to the truck has she? Newer vehicles tend to be more sensitive to comments made when driving. Nothing like a pouty truck to make one driver life miserable.

On a more serious note, I've seen pumps with improper fluid used in the past have problems with the pressure valve. Does this truck have a steering gear or rack and pinion? If it's 4wd, is the steering damper in good shape or getting stiff from dirt intrusion? this is assuming the idle speed is normal.