Power steering Pump

[Big White Raptor]

Hey everyone, this is most likely a common thread post but I haven’t seen one too recent so I wanted to check the community and market for any new parts/replacement to the power steering pump and of reservoir.

I took the raptor off-roading this last weekend for the first time to find my power steering go out on the second day. I’ve done some research in the forums and found out that the reservoir is not the best design and that it’s a common replacement for our trucks. I don’t off-road too much but DEFINITELY am hooked and want to minimize this issue going forward as well as get the truck fixed ASAP.

What do you recommend for a solid replacement of

1) the pump, is OEM ok for occasional off-roading?
2) the reservoir, ( looking at the GJ motor sports one but it might be overkill)
3) Is it an easy DIY if I have access to a lift?
4) anything that I missed

Thank you!
- 14, Screw

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

lot of talk about power steering pumps here. a lot of people say its a fault of the gen 1, however i dont believe this is all true. i have ridden with countless people and i see almost all of them do the same thing...... they are fighting their steering wheel around every turn. that will cause excessive wear and stress on it. not saying people dont know how to drive, but there are better techniques to steer the truck that wont stress the pump as much. granted i replaced my pump at 175,000 miles due to a hose failing and losing all my fluid, but with the amount of offroading i do, never have an issue. i replaced mine with an aftermarket oem replacement. i have a history of drifting and rally and in doing so, i learned how to control my truck without straining the power steering..... at the cost of rubber...... pick your evil i guess.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

I got the @RPG reservoir and it works great, power steering pump is still original on my '10 and I've spent lots of time in the dunes and offroad. Like @The Car Stereo Company says learn to drive and dont lock the wheels to the left or right.

 

[alex zopp]

I have rpg reservoir.
it is very important bleed the power stearing in correct mode, is the only solution for remove the noise after have changed the pump

 

[Big White Raptor]

Thank you for all of the reply’s, unfortunately it sounds like it may have been a user error on my part.

For the time being should I look into an aftermarket reservoir and keep the OEM pump or go aftermarket for both? I’m only going to go off-roading occasionally so definitely not trying to overbuild but want to make sure it’s ready...

 

[Big White Raptor]

lot of talk about power steering pumps here. a lot of people say its a fault of the gen 1, however i dont believe this is all true. i have ridden with countless people and i see almost all of them do the same thing...... they are fighting their steering wheel around every turn. that will cause excessive wear and stress on it. not saying people dont know how to drive, but there are better techniques to steer the truck that wont stress the pump as much. granted i replaced my pump at 175,000 miles due to a hose failing and losing all my fluid, but with the amount of offroading i do, never have an issue. i replaced mine with an aftermarket oem replacement. i have a history of drifting and rally and in doing so, i learned how to control my truck without straining the power steering..... at the cost of rubber...... pick your evil i guess.

I appreciate the help! Any tips on how to not strain the truck for future trips off-road?

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

I appreciate the help! Any tips on how to not strain the truck for future trips off-road?

dont fight the wheel. this can happen if you are in a rut around a turn and trying to get out of it. if you are in sand, you sink a little and steering becomes harder the more you sink down. have to have a little momentum before steering. if you are at higher speed and trying to swing the back end, you need to adjust your speed before getting into the turn. if you are going too fast and trying to drift your tires will grip and you wont drift, but your truck will want to go straight and you will be fighting the wheel. if you slow down slightly ahead of the turn and accelerate to the entry speed you want, the tire spin will allow you to slide the truck around. quick steering movement to start the slide. not big, just quick. as you get comfortable with this then you can keep a higher maintained speed and use throttle to steer more. and keeping on the throttle during the turn is just as important. dont get scared and back off when you start to slide. or you will catch traction and have bigger issues. theres so much but it comes with experience just need to get out there and do it more. if you feel the wheel getting hard to turn, you arent doing something right.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

Thank you for all of the reply’s, unfortunately it sounds like it may have been a user error on my part.

For the time being should I look into an aftermarket reservoir and keep the OEM pump or go aftermarket for both? I’m only going to go off-roading occasionally so definitely not trying to overbuild but want to make sure it’s ready...

I would get an aftermarket reservoir and stick with an oem pump.

 

[Big White Raptor]

dont fight the wheel. this can happen if you are in a rut around a turn and trying to get out of it. if you are in sand, you sink a little and steering becomes harder the more you sink down. have to have a little momentum before steering. if you are at higher speed and trying to swing the back end, you need to adjust your speed before getting into the turn. if you are going too fast and trying to drift your tires will grip and you wont drift, but your truck will want to go straight and you will be fighting the wheel. if you slow down slightly ahead of the turn and accelerate to the entry speed you want, the tire spin will allow you to slide the truck around. quick steering movement to start the slide. not big, just quick. as you get comfortable with this then you can keep a higher maintained speed and use throttle to steer more. and keeping on the throttle during the turn is just as important. dont get scared and back off when you start to slide. or you will catch traction and have bigger issues. theres so much but it comes with experience just need to get out there and do it more. if you feel the wheel getting hard to turn, you arent doing something right.

Thank you so much I really appreciate the tips! I’m going to get a new pump and hopefully get that sorted out in the next couple days

 

[jondle]

lot of talk about power steering pumps here. a lot of people say its a fault of the gen 1, however i dont believe this is all true. i have ridden with countless people and i see almost all of them do the same thing...... they are fighting their steering wheel around every turn. that will cause excessive wear and stress on it. not saying people dont know how to drive, but there are better techniques to steer the truck that wont stress the pump as much. granted i replaced my pump at 175,000 miles due to a hose failing and losing all my fluid, but with the amount of offroading i do, never have an issue. i replaced mine with an aftermarket oem replacement. i have a history of drifting and rally and in doing so, i learned how to control my truck without straining the power steering..... at the cost of rubber...... pick your evil i guess.

I agree 100%. I pretty much exclusively off-road my truck. I have the stock pump and reservoir. I had no issues at all until I put 37" General Grabbers (very heavy tires) on. 50k off-road miles and I'm on my second pump and I'm still running those heavy tires.

I will say I've had hoses blow off three times, but unless you are changing the front end around the stock will work fine. Replace the reservoir if you want a little extra safety.

A stock pump is $200, the Howe is $1000. I just carry a spare pump with me. I can swap it out 3 or 4 more times before I would have paid for the Howe. I also have a belt I carry that fits the 6.2, bypassing the PS pump. Worst case, I'll go without PS to get off the trail.