greenwing

Went out w/ wife and my buddy (also a fellow 24v driver) for a couple beers and when I got back in the truck to come home I had to do like a 30 point turn to get out of the parking space and when I got home I heard a fizzing! Popped hood and saw Power Steering fluid seeping out around fill cap! Enough that there's a pretty good puddle on the ground. Earlier in the day I moved the truck so I could shovel driveway and truck was fine, came back to park in driveway and had zero power steering and not much brakes. Then later on I had power steering and brakes but they just howled really bad! But they howl any time its cold out... So..... time for a ps pump??? And fill w/ synthetic??? It's weird because it's like I have power....... then don't......... then do..........then don't...........leak ..............then don't ......??????????????

Doj Dewd

flush the conventional fluid and replace with synthetic. the conventional is too thick at the cold temps and creates pressure causing a leak at the cap.

i'll pay for your synthetic fluid and flush if this does not work for you!!

greenwing

How exactly do you guys "go about" flushing the system? Do you just suck out what's in the reservoir and re-fill? Or do you do that, plus crack all the lines loose and drain the lines too? Or what????

hamilton71801

You could do it either way but I used my Mighty Vac to suck out the resevoir and then jacked up the front end and turned the wheels back and forth to get the rest of the fluid back in the resevoir. Then just refill with new fluid and turn the wheels back and forth (while on jack) until the air is out and the level is what you want.

greenwing

Just came back from Autozone... Purchased 2 quarts of Valvoline synguard power steering fluid and a new suction gun. Sucked out reservoir... waited a minute or two and sucked out some more. Re- filled w/ syn. and drove around block. At first it was as if I still had no power assist.... then the more I drove, the power assist came back but so did the howling.... I stopped @ quick shop cause they have free air and topped off my tires and let truck run the whole time and then drove home and the howling is still there when you bump the wheel or hit the brake pedal..... So when I got home I checked the fluid level and it was off the dip stick so I topped it off again (didn't appear to have leaked out cap anymore) so maybe that's why it was howling??? I HOPE! I'll drive it to work later and see...

hamilton71801

I bet you fixed it. Just keep checking the level for the next few days just in case you need to add more.

greenwing

Thanks guys!! So far, so good! No more puking fluid around cap, no more whining and groaning from steering or braking either!!! Now I just need to fix that vacuum pump shaft seal!

Barney

The Synpower should take care of the howling. You most likely will still have to deal with the fluid leakage at the reservoir cap.

N.Johnson has a good remedy for this here:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=161640


"" . . . . I also found the same thing when my rig was new, had the top of the steering box showing wet, no drips? Went to check the fluid level and upon loosening the cap it popped with pressure. You are totally right, it needs to vent pressure at the pump to atmosphere ( Basic hydraulics 101). My remedy was to soak the cap in brake clean . If you look at the center stem above the dip stick there is a small hole, that runs up inside past the oring into the top disc which locks in the cap. This is the vent but it is a poor design that is easily clogged. '' . . . . .