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No Power Steering on 1999 Town & Country

29K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  andyg 
#1 ·
Original owner of 1999 T&C Miniivan w/103K miles. This van has been extremely well maintained and I would like to keep it a few more years. It generally has been a reliable vehicle outside of a few nagging A/C and brake issues over the 11 years of ownership. It has been running well and there were no warning signs prior to a total loss of power assist in the steering which occurred late last night. I'd appreciate thoughts and ideas on: 1) the most likely root causes and 2) testing/diagnostic procedures to determine which component needs replacement.

Here are my initial observations:

- Power Steering Fluid Reservoir (on the passenger fender wall) is full.
- No obvious system leaks of any kind or fluid on the garage floor
- Serpentine belt itself is in good shape (~30K miles on it)
- Serpentine belt tensioner (replaced at ~50K miles) may be slightly loose
- Serpentine belt is aligned perfectly and appears to be driving all accessories
normally (no obvious slippage, no alternator light, no overheating, etc.)
- Absolutely NO power on the steering at all regardless of engine RPM
- Outside temperature here was/is about 12 degrees F in case it matters

Thoughts, comments, and diagnostic procedures to determine if this is a weak tensioner, blockage in one of the power steering fluid lines, defective power steering pump, defective steering rack, etc. are very much appreciated.

I usually do all mechanical work myself, but short of replacing a leaking PS pump, have never had to work on a PS system before. Thank you in advance for reading and responding to this post.

Bob
 
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#2 ·
When mine went, I suspected the pump so replaced it.
It was actually a blockage in the steering rack itself, probably a seal which degraded over the years.
Changing the rack is quite easy, the only challenging bit is removing the fluid lines from the steering box (that's the actual rotary valve assembly). you will need an 18mm crowfoot / flarenut wrench to get them off. After the lines are off, the whole rack can be dropped out the bottom.
 
#3 ·
I would say to follow the same steps as Renegade. Make sure the pump is working first, then the rack may need replacing. Did the pump ever make groaning sounds when you would turn the wheel sharply?
 
#4 ·
There were no warnings at all. Definitely no groaning sounds. Everything was working fine and it went out all at once.

If it is a blockage in the rack is there any way to flush it? Also, how can I verify it is the rack and not the pump? Thanks forthe advice received. Any other thoughts?
 
#5 ·
Disconnect the fluid pressure line from the rack and place it in a bucket. Then have somebody pour fresh fluid in to the resevoir while the engine is idling. If fluid pumps into the bucket, it's probably the rack.

Steering racks are not a DIY job to repair/rebuild as they need specials tools to work on them and a clean environment to do the work in.

I just got a used rack from a wrecked van that had been smashed in the rear, had no problems since fitting it.
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
Renegade,

Thanks for the diagram of the PS pump and rack. The labeling on the hoses agrees with what I had assumed (the high pressure outlet is the one with the 18mm flare nut pressure fitting).

Based on your suggested diagnostic procedure and the diagram, I am 99% sure that our issue is a total PS internal pump seal failure. I'll pull the old pump and replace it with a remanufactured unit tomorrow or Tuesday when I get some down time.

I can't thank you enough for the great information and guidance you have provided here in this forum. I hope others also come to benefit from this if they experience the same problem. I am pretty confident I can replace the pump without too much trouble getting at it from below the vehicle. (I just wish it were a bit warmer here since I am working in my unheated garage. Why do these things always fail when it is 10 degrees F outside?)

I do have one last question though. That is in regard to the PS fluid itself. What fluid should I use and should I try to blow out the old fluid in the steering rack using my air compressor or should I just add to the old stuff that is in there already?

I've read conflicting information on the fluid itself ... one source says that a TSB says to replace the steering fluid with (synthetic) Mopar ATF+4 transmission fluid (which I have used in Chrysler PS units previously without any poroblems). Another source says to definitely NOT use ATF+4 and to use Mopar PS Fluid Only. I can honestly say that I had never added to the original fluid in the 10+ years I owned this van and it never dropped below the full level. BTW, I've already drained the old fluid from the steering pump when I tested the outlet flow.

Bob
 
#8 ·
If you've never done a minivan PS pump before - IGNORE what it says in the Haynes/Chiltons manuals. They tell you to remove the PS pump pulley, drop the exhaust from the cat backwards, and then manouvre the pump around the engine and out past the headers.
To do that you need to be an ambidextrous, double-jointed midget with access to a plastic surgeon to replace the skin on your knuckles !
My method was to remove the belt, remove the Crankshaft Pulley, jack the van up on the right side and remove the wheel. Then you can twist/turn the PS Pump out through the side without removing the PS Pulley.
 
#9 ·
I don't know if it is possible, but can the shaft in the pump shear? Or can the pulley just spin in place without turning the pump, like a loose nut holding it on? I don't know if there is a key on it or it is just a torqued connection.
 
#10 ·
I got the old pump out and it was definitely bad since the shaft had sheared off (the shaft with the pulley still attached was easily pulled completely out of the pump housing.... but strangely it was not leaking any fluid!)

I have purchased a NAPA re-manufactured PS pump and a new pulley, but given the pump back is made from a fairly light weight steel (it is not cast iron), it appears that I now need some type of "special tool" to press the new pulley onto the pump's shaft. (There is a hex key shape recessed into the exposed end of the shaft and the shaft also appears to be threaded inside. I suspect the special tool allows a threaded bolt of some type to go through the hex key and press the pulley onto the shaft as the threads tighten. (The hex key is likely used to secure the shaft and keep it from turning while the bolt gets tightened forcing the pulley down.)

Unfortunately, I do not currently own this special tool! Does anyone know where it can be purchased or offer any alternatives for assembly that will not damage the new pump. (I am thinking that as a LAST RESORT I could call the local dealer and see what they would charge to press the pulley on for me.)

Thanks again for all the advice. This job has been a royal PITA. Other than the great information I have received from Renegade, the only other positive thing here is that I can say with near 100% certainty that the loss of PS was definitely caused by the pump failure.

Bob
 
#11 ·
Well I'm not sure about NAPA but at Autozone and Oreilly you can borrow tools like that. A pulley puller and a pulley press. Might ask Napa if they loan tools.
 
#13 ·
I used a bolt nut and some washers to pull the pulley onto the shaft when I did mine on my old '93 Caravan. I think it was a standard thread maybe 3/8-16 or so.
Hank
 
#14 ·
UPDATE: I was able to use a loaner tool from Autozone to press the new pulley onto the shaft. I also was able to pull the drive pulley as Renegade suggested, but also needed to pull the power steering pump bracket too which required removeal of the alternator and the tensioner assembly! This has turned out to be a fairly nasty job due to the location of the PS pump.

Tomorrow I will try to get it all put back together. I still need to determine what fluid I should use though. Anyone have a definitive answer? The guy at NAPA said there was a Chrysler TSB issued in 2003 that applied, but he did not have the content of the TSB so could not tell me aht to use.

Thanks again to everyone for the help.

Bob
 
#16 ·
Thanks for posting a link to the actual TSB! based onthe original factory fill, it appears my vintage (1999) vehicle still uses the old MS5931 fluid and is NOT supposed to use the newer MS9602 (ATF+4).

Now I have all the information I need and just need to get it all re-assembled when I get some time.

Bob
 
#17 ·
Just wanted to close out the thread to let everyone know I finished the job earlier this week without encountering any additional issues.

In summary, the entire job took me about 8 hours effort (5 to pull the old pump and 3 more to install the new one). I was able to get the pump out through the front of the engine (passenger side wheel well) by removing the crankshaft pulley as Renegade had suggested. I will note for others contemplating this job that it also required the complete removal of the power steering pump bracket, tensioner, and alternator (which mount to the same bracket) too. It also required a large number of various (metric) wrenches (for instance, an offset 15mm box end is a must to get the power steering pump off the bracket), sockets and adapters as well as a two jaw gear puller and the special tool for removing/pressing the pulley on the pump.

In hindsight if I had to do it all again and knowing what I do now, the job would probably take me about 5 hours, 2.5 to remove and 2.5 to re-install. (Most of this is due to the location which makes access extremely difficult.)
Let's hope this pump lasts another 100K so I never have to do this nasty job over!

Thanks again to all the contributors for the great information and help they provided.

Bob
 
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