mrjonesnsa

I am a frustrated 07 Classic Crew Z71 owner. I have had a number of posts on this site concerning my power steering issues. To start off, I my power steering pump was replaced only after 1 month of ownership because it was whining bad. A month after the replacement, the pump started to hiss and the pickup began to have power steering failure with parking lot type maneuvers. This problem was frequent, at least a couple times a day. My dealer replaced my half ton pump gearing to a three quarter ton gearing and the pickup drove like a car for about two weeks and the hiss remained but was diminished. It then only hissed after it had warmed up to 200 plus degrees and was taken above 1000 rpms. I called GM direct with my frustration and I again went back to the dealer who just recently this last week tried a number of things (added a restrictor, used synthetic fluid, changed the pump again, re-arranged the lines, etc…) without success. The service manager is adamant about fixing the problem but we are scratching our heads at this point. A regional person from GM is supposed to be around in a few days and will hear my issue and make a determination.

My question is, does anyone have an idea on how to fix this problem? I still have steering failure, though infrequent (once a week) and the hiss is very apparent when the pickup is warmed up and running over 1000 rpm. I had an earlier post wondering if the power steering system (pump, lines, etc…) on a ¾ ton was larger than the ½ ton? There has to be some sort of restriction in the system causing the problem. When a restrictor was added, it made the problem twice as bad (hissed while idling).

Any ideas, thoughts, etc… would be greatly appreciated. I’ve driven GM all my life and am about ready to switch after all this frustration!!
Thanks in advance!

rob_rrt

What you are describing sounds like a problem with the steering gear box. The fact that you have changed the power steering pump and not corrected the problem also makes the steering gear seem like a likely culprit. I had a 2001 Z71 that had the steering gear box go bad and it would have good power steering when you turned the wheel left but intermittent power steering on a right hand turn. Might be something for the service guys to consider.