2001 Ram 1500 4x4, fully rebuilt front end, lifted 3" with adjustable control arms, y-steering, RedHead steering gear. The only thing I haven't upgraded yet is the track bar.

My steering was never very good but somewhere while I've been fixing and upgrading my truck it really fell off, to the point where I have to REALLY crank the wheel to turn at low speeds. It's especially difficult off road when I have a wheel up on a rock or something and it feels like I have no power steering whatsoever.

Now when I did the lift and control arms, I brought it to Les Schwab for an alignment. This was a mistake. Now I know this seems like I'm veering off but this is important and comes in later. They told me that I had done a perfectly good job at alignment in my driveway and they couldn't get it any more dialed in, also they didn't give me the measurement results. I don't think they checked at all.

I have replaced the power steering pump and lines, that made no change. Yesterday I did a good flush and purged the air out of the system. I also bored out one of the valve pieces for higher flow. This mod made me realize something, that the steering is sometimes very light, and sometimes very difficult and you can hear the power steering pump really straining. This has led me to think the steering is binding most of the time, and it loosens up when the truck is pointed nose-down on a hill. So I crawled under the truck and poked around, I found that the nuts for my axle caster were loose and one lost its adjustment. I blame this on the dopes at Les Schwab because I torqued them to spec. I also found that the drag link assembly is somewhat loose, as I can roll it forward and backward with my hands, this doesn't seem right.

Unless there's something else I can check at home, I'm going to bring the truck into a 4x4 shop that does proper alignments on modified rigs.

 

So long as there isn't any slop in the joints on the drag link, it's fine. You SHOULD be able to roll it a bit.

Still the stock steering box?

I went thru FOUR powersteering pumps before I finally got one I was willing to live with... not that it was 'good', it whined constantly, but, you actually had power steering... which is more than I could say for any of the others.....

If your steering is difficult, but the pump is straining, kinda points at the steering box. Has anything been done to THAT?

 

I have a RedHead steering gear. Haven't played with the adjustment screw. With the front wheels off the ground and engine off, the wheel is decently easy to turn lock-to-lock. Idk if that means anything. Like I said, steering is difficult most of the time. There are times where it is very light and easy, usually when the truck is pointed nose-down on an incline. But 85% of the time it is difficult.

 

On my 96, when the p/s pump shaft snapped..... I had zero power steering, and simply turning a corner was a frigging workout.... And that was with 285's..... I had to approach any kind of corner VERY carefully, or I wouldn't make the turn.