BlueSVT13
Member
I feel it is something to do with the power steering system or steering rack. I didnt start noticing this till I installed an upgraded Lee’s power steering kit on the truck. Long backstory- I noticed the power steering start getting stiff and making noise around 38k miles so I decided just to go all out and get an aftermarket upgraded system instead of replacing with a stock one because i know these trucks are notorious for having bad power steering systems from factory. I did my research for a while and ended up going with the Lee’s power steering system specific for Gen 1 Raptors because i heard nothing but great things about them. So i made the order with RPG because they had one in stock ready to go. They shipped the system, i got it, installed it and here is where things started going sideways. The install went relatively smooth but when it came to fill the reservoir with fluid i filled it with Mercon V transmission/power steering fluid because i was told specifically by the guys at RPG to use this fluid in this system. Turns out it was NOT the correct fluid to be using in this specific power steering system. I have to use Lee’s own formulated fluid or one of the ones they suggest but i didnt know this because i just went off of what RPG suggested given they are experts when it comes to anything and everything Raptors. So i fill the system, bleed it, and test it out. All seemed fine for a few drives but soon the steering started to get really stiff again and the pump started whining. I thought it was trapped air in the system so i tried bleeding again, checked all hoses for leaks. Nothing unusual. Steering felt fine but only for a little while and then it started acting up again. So at this point i decided to contact Lee’s and they tell me to check hoses, check fitting, check fluid level, makes sure its bled correctly. Everything looks good but still having issues so i decided to drive out to their facility in Santa clarita and have them check the truck in person. One look in the reservoir and they new what was wrong. I was using the wrong fluid… without hesitation they give me a brand new pump and the proper fluid. (I will say Lee’s has exceptional customer service! One of the guys gave me his personal number and told me to contact him if i had further issues) Anyways they tell me to flush out the Mercon, replace the pump with the new one (send the current one back) and fill with the proper fluid. So i did, bled the system and finally the truck and steering was butter. All this took place over the span of a couple weeks dealing with the truck and steering. Needless to say it was quite a headache. I was finally happy with it. That is until i went on an offroad adventure up in the San Gabriel mountains (Lytle Creek, CA to be specific). All was going smooth until i was near the end of the trail. Suddenly i had absolutely no power steering. None whatsoever. I look under the truck and the return hose from the steering rack connected to the filter came loose off the fitting. Have no idea how, but it did. All the fluid drained out, the reservoir was empty and I couldn’t move the steering wheel. But i had to choice I couldn’t leave the truck blocking the trail so I wrestled the steering wheel and got it the rest of the way up the trail to a big open area where i could ***** the damage. Everything seemed “ok” so i plugged the hose back into the fitting on the filter and sat there contemplating my life thinking what i did to get to that point on top of a mountain in a 6000 lb truck with no power steering. After a few minutes i tell my buddy who was with me in his Raptor that we have no choice but to head back down and find and autoparts store to get some fluid back in the system. If you’re wondering why i didnt send my buddy to get some fluid, its cuz it would have taken multiple hours and it was getting dark. So the whole trail back to the road is a few miles of some very rocky, bumpy, slippery, boulder filled driving. Im honestly surprised i didnt break a wrist from how hard the steering wheel would kick from side to side when hitting a rock and or a tire would fall into a hole or go up a dirt mound. But after about an hour of agonizingly slow rock crawling without power steering we made it to the road and where able to find and autozone a few miles down the road and fill the truck with fluid. I jacked up the front, bled the system and much to my surprise everything actually seemed ok. The steering was smooth, there was no noise or anything. I say this because i was told by Lee’s that the pumps are very sensitive and if they run dry for a small amount of time let alone hours like it just did, it would damage it significantly. But it was working fine. A few days later I contacted Lee’s and told them what had happened. They couldnt explain how the return hose came off the filter fitting given there isnt much if any pressure in that line but they said to remove the pump and send it to them for a rebuild. I ship it out next day and i get a call from Lee’s after they received it and diagnosed it. Turns out the pump was fine. Either way they rebuilt it, sent it back along with some new fluid and a new return line. Here we go again(3rd time installing this thing). At this point i can do it with my eyes closed lol. So after this install is where i start to notice my steering wheel issues. Wheel kicking/bumpsteer. Every now and then getting slightly progressively worse over time till a few weeks ago when i posted on here that i went offroading and the truck was damn near undriveable. Could it be that the steering rack is the main culprit here and it got damaged during the offroad adventure mentioned above??
Sorry for such a long post but i wanted to be very detailed and give as much info as i can.
Also, i by no means meant to talk bad about RPG. I have absolutely nothing against them whatsoever. Just wanted to be as detailed as possible in my experience with dealing with the power steering system in my truck.
