Any ideas on what may be the cause of having the power steering momentarily fail when turning right at slow speeds, such as in a parking lot? Only happens when turning right.

Van has the 3.3 V6 engine, 96k miles and has the p.s. fluid changed at 50K and just recently when we experienced this issue.
It is an intermittent issue that may only do it a couple times in a day. The last couple days when turning to the right for the first time after the van has sat overnight it will act like no power steering assist but then will be fine.

Is this a sign of the rack & pinion assembly going bad?

 

Hi WiRik, We certainly understand why this may be concerning. We kindly recommend having your dealer inspect this concern for you as they are in the best position to assist. If you do work with your dealer, we would be more than happy to provide you with additional support.
Rob
DodgeCares

 

Possibly. Are you hearing noise from the pump when it happens, similar to when you turn the wheel all the way and the pump starts to whine? Any leaks?

Have you heard any noises, such as clunking, when it happens? If so, the steering linkage or column could be binding, or a wheel bearing, tie rod or ball joint could be loose.

Has it been pulling when braking or when trying to drive straight?

What’s the condition/age of the belt and tensioner?

Start with a general inspection on the front end steering and suspension. Grease any components that have zerks. Restrictions can be identified by getting the front wheels off the ground and starting the van. If the wheel begins turning on its own (more than 1/2 turn) there’s likely a restriction in the rack.

 

Thanks for the reply GumbyRT & DodgeCares,

We haven't heard any noise from the pump, no leaks and the van doesn't pull when driving straight or under braking.
Belt & tensioner are original.

I will have to get the van in to have them do an inspection as you recommended above to see if there is any restrictions or binding, or movement of the wheels on their own.

 

Without any accompanying noises, the pump or rack is most likely at fault. The only suggestion I have is to try revving the engine when the power loss occurs (though I don’t know if you’ll be able to do this safely - maybe find an empty parking lot) - if the power returns, suspect the pump. If not, suspect the rack.

 

Hi WiRik, thank you for following up to provide this update. I'm glad to hear that you are working with your dealer on this. Please feel free to keep us updated regarding your situation.
Rob
DodgeCares

 

I'll see about trying to rev the engine while turning (in a parking lot), will also place the trans. in neutral prior to increasing the engine speed.
I'll let you know what happens, most likely tomorrow sometime.

 

I tried a few times when first starting the van and got the van rolling forward, put it in neutral and revved the engine while turning the steering wheel to the right.

There was a feeling of the steering being stiff but quickly went easy (like it should with power steering).

As I mentioned that the issue is intermittent and seems to only occur when the vehicle has sat for a while. The van is kept in a heated garage at night (about 40 degrees F) and when parked outside yesterday the temps were in the 20's. After it had been parked for about an hour yesterday afternoon it acted up. It will do this usually just the one time when first starting to drive it for the day, or if it sets for an hour or more before driving again..

Would a repair shop be able to test the power steering pump for this intermittent condition, and can it be done without removal from the van?

 

The proper way to diagnose it is to use a PS pressure gauge/gauge set (sometimes a scan tool can be used if there’s a pressure sensor on the PS line, but that’s only useful if it’s actually a sensor that reads pressure and not just a switch that opens or closes when a minimum pressure has been met).

It’s hit or miss if a shop will have one. I’d recommend searching locally for a shop that specializes in steering and suspension work.

It doesn’t have to be removed, but the gauge has to be hooked into the hydraulic circuit, so system bleeding will have to be done. Expect to pay a diagnostic fee (varies) if nothing else.

Make sure to give them specifics on when you’ve noticed it. If sitting out in the cold overnight increases the chances of it happening, that’s useful information.

 

Update-had the local shop do a complete flush of the power steering system including cleaning the reservoir. They inspected the front suspension & steering components and everything appeared to be fine.
Not sure what they did for the pump but they feel the issue is the rack.

We haven't went any further at this time but curious if it could have anything to do with the steering column joints?

Today I noticed when the steering is stiff and then released there seemed to be a "pop" down near the floor. I will try to observe this more closely in the next few days as it only seems to happen occasionally in regards to the steering problem.
I presume if we can pinpoint the issue to these joints, replacement of the assembly would be the only option?