Power Steering?

[Blanco]

I seemed to of developed a Power steering issue & wonder if its connected to my 37" tires?

Driving down the street seems ok & it don't make any noise but when I try to do a hard left or right or parallel park Its a pain.

I checked the power steering fluid level & seemed high enough but add'ed some more anyways.
I must say the fluid in there seemed sorta muddy..
& I was told when I bought the truck about 6 months ago that he just spent a bunch of money on the power steering. :(

I'm gonna be heading out to AZ for an off roading trip in a couple weeks & must have this corrected before I hit any off road trails..

Do the '96 F350's have PS issues?

[2005F250]

I have noticed when you put 35's or larger tires on our trucks they become very hard to steer while stopped. I'm pretty sure this is a common issue. Just bring the RPM's up a bit while your foot is on the brake.

[Blanco]

I have noticed when you put 35's or larger tires on our trucks they become very hard to steer while stopped. I'm pretty sure this is a common issue. Just bring the RPM's up a bit while your foot is on the brake.

I've not tried that but it did cross my mind..
This seems like it might become an issue off road. :o

[Blanco]

Are there any up-grades to help correct this?

[Raul @ Stealth Automotive]

Are there any up-grades to help correct this?

Ram assist steering.....

[Blanco]

Ram assist steering.....

Oh Come on........ I shouldn't be at that point with a simple 90% street/tow rig & once in a while off roader.

[2005F250]

It's easier to turn in dirt than asphalt.

[Blanco]

It's easier to turn in dirt than asphalt.

This is true, But I'll also being asking alot more of the steering system while dealing with off road trails..

[hotstik]

Oh Come on........ I shouldn't be at that point with a simple 90% street/tow rig & once in a while off roader.

Yes, you are at that point.

35's are far more than stock steering system was ever meant to handle. Going with 37's pushes things past the breaking point.

[Blanco]

The thing is I just noticed this & it's getting worse in the past few days.

[Blanco]

The pump is not making any real noises or anything but someone told me maybe the pumps going out..

How can I check the pressure the pumps putting out

& if I went with a ram-assist, how much should I expect to pay?

[Raul @ Stealth Automotive]

The pump is not making any real noises or anything but someone told me maybe the pumps going out..

How can I check the pressure the pumps putting out

& if I went with a ram-assist, how much should I expect to pay?

what size tires are you running? price on a ram assist will vary but anywhere from 500ish to over 1k... you will need to do some welding too

[Blanco]

what size tires are you running?

37x12.50x17 on a 9" rim.

[K5Cruiser]

It's time for ram-assist now that you've got 37s. Either that, or don't do any sharp turning while stopped, etc. Until you actually get ram-assist, you may want to flush out the entire power steering system and put new power steering fluid in it since you noticed that the fluid looked "muddy."

[Blanco]

When I bought the truck around 6 months ago, they guy said he just spent a bunch of money fixing up the powersteering..

Makes me wanna go back to 35's :o