e21pilot

I just completed a 1500 mile road trip in my 2002 Express 1500 passenger van when I got off the freeway, went to make a u-turn on a surface street and noticed that my power steering was almost not there. This continued for a few more turns until I got into a gas station. I popped the hood and checked for leaks, belt issues etc. but found no problems and the engine running quiet and very smooth. I opened the PS reservoir and could see the level was a little low so I shut off the engine, and got some generic PS fluid at the station to top if off to the hot line — I barely put anything in. I started the engine up, checked for leaks again and found none. Tested the PS steering and now it worked fine and hasn’t given me trouble since. Now I am scratching my head wondering what happened? Is there more to these PS pumps than the simple pump? Should I replace the pump? I think it is original with just over 100K miles on it but again it has no leaks and makes no noise.

I do run lower profile tires with wider than stock wheels and I sometimes notice the pump struggles a little when I am steering at low rpm. If I replace the pump, is there an upgraded performance pump for a 5.7v8 1500 Express?

William Kisselstein

Pump is a bear to replace, the pulley is pressed on and may have to come off to get the pump off.

The 2500 and 3500 have some extra cooler lines that run under the radiator on the support, plus they have hydroboost brakes. If yours has any of that those are places the fluid could leak that you won't notice from above.

e21pilot

Do you know if the 2002 1500 Express Vans had the variable assist steering that a lot of the pickups and SUVs did of that era?

William Kisselstein

Yes, they do, or they should, you can probably verify by decoding the vin on this site or checking the RPO codes.

Whether or not that means a different pump, you'd have to check the interchange on Rock Auto.

I do know my 3500 had a bad pump and it leaked from the front bearing. Anything leaking on that part of the engine compartment is blown back into the crossmember and manifold, so if it's only leaking under pressure the puddle wouldn't be so obvious.

e21pilot

I will check underneath for any signs of a leak this weekend. I have heard of people replacing the variable assist valve with some kind of repair kit. If my pump is not leaking, then I might look to see if I can fix the problem this way. When I lost the power steering coming off the freeway, I almost couldn't make the turn at the end of the offramp so I really want to get this fixed ASAP.

William Kisselstein

without power assist is rough but it shouldn't be that rough, unless you're of small stature or something. I would consider inspecting all the joints to make sure there are no other issues. Something like a bad ball joint can also cause stiff steering.

In fact, on a 1991 G20 I had steering issues where it would be stiff kind of intermittently. The 95-back vans have two U-joints in the lower column shaft, about 12" apart, and save the last few years they are open under the hood. On mine one of those joints began to fail, got water or whatever in it. It must have been a known issue because starting 92 or 93 they slightly redesigned the column to use a boot over the lower end of it.

I don't know how the 97-up column runs, despite having had a couple I never looked into it, but I wanted to use that as an example of other issues causing hard steering. .

Triaged

I had an old Ford E150 way back in HS when I was strong. The throttle got stuck open and I had to kill the engine. It was quite hard to stop and turn that thing just to get off the road. I thought I was going to break the back of the seat off I was pushing so hard on the brake pedal with both feet and I was glad the steering wheel was so big. I can understand how it could feel locked up at slow speed with no assist especially while braking!

I have nothing constructive to add but I pray this never happens to my wife with the kids in the car.

William Kisselstein

Drove a 1984 Buick Electra, rear wheel drive, without power steering on a couple of occasions. It was difficult to turn at a standstill but on the road only required moderate additional effort.