Ford Truck Techs...advice??
 

OK...I fix boats, but leave the truck stuff to the pros...my local dealer has not been any help, but I can't blame him because he can't re-create the issue when he has the truck. 08 F250 PSD, 31K miles, 6" Pro Comp lift, 37"'s on 20"s: Maybe once or twice a day, I lose all power steering assist. When this happens, no noise, pump howling, nothing...just loses all assist. I'll stop, put the truck in park or reverse, back into drive, and the assist is back as if nothing has gone wrong. Fluid is full, looks/smells normal, and there are no know leaks or suspension issues.

Any ideas?

could the assist pump be shorting out? just a thought, but in reverse could the pump turn off?

The assist pump is mechanically driven. No electronics envolved. 1 thing that comes to mind. some of the newer reservoirs have filter screens inside of them . They will sometimes plug with debris and cause a lack of supply fluid to the pump. I would need to run out and look at one to be sure. Also, on your truck the brakes and power steering are ran by the same pump on a hydro-boost system. Do the brakes feel fine when this happens? Brake system is feed first in that system. steering is secondary. The crappy part about that scenerio is the intermittent part. Could be the hydroboost acting up, could be a pump issue, or possibly the gear. I hope that it gets worse for you....... That way it will be much easier to diagnose. Only other option would be to hook a power steering anylizer in line and monitor what happens when the concern presents itself. I know we have replaced a few gears assemblies for lack of assist.

I've never noticed any unusual reaction from the brakes. Should I anticipate Ford mentioning the oversize tires if this becomes a warranty issue? The lift and tires were dealer installed by the Ford dealer i bought the truck from.

BY A TUNDRA PROBLEM SOLVED!!!! HAHA sorry I had to ... I'm done being a jerk

Pete has no problem with the steering, its the gas pedal that he has a little trouble with from time to time.

I sould suspect not. We sell cookie cutter lifted trucks. We always stand behind them if something should arise. Ford really has no idea of knowing what is done to your truck unless a field service engineer is called to look at the vehicle. That usually only happens when there are problems trying to get it fixed. My best shot in the dark would be at the steering gear itself.
Can't say your dealer would do the same, but I would have a major issue with them if they don't handle it. I find it odd that changing gear posistion has anything to do with it also. Maybe just a coincidence?

Is it just hard to turn when sitting still? Mine is also really hard to turn sitting still but if I just let it move a little it is easy. I think it is just the heavy diesel engine.

Meathead, I don't know if this is possible but it might be worth a try. I had a problem with my F150 while under warranty that it would make some kind of crazy noise like there was marbles in the CAT. This isn't the same as your problem, but I kept taking it in to the dealer and I never got it resolved because they could never replicate the problem, and when I had an adviser in the truck I could never get it to do it. Not like an adviser is worth anything though. I was probable about their worst customer they had for a couple months, basically just a big pain in their arses. They didn't even know what the problem was but they always blamed it on my aftermarket lift, which is the same lift they have installed at the exact same place. I finally got them to allow me to take an tech out with me if I agreed to pay his hourly wage if we didn't uncover the problem. I knew when I towed my boat the noise would happen constantly so I showed up with the boat in tow and took the tech out. He heard the noise a few times and had me take him back. A couple hours later the truck was fixed. Try to pinpoint a time or situation when it happens and see if you can get a tech to go for a drive with you. Be persistent and don't give up. Be there worst customer until they find the problem and fix it.

I had this issue (sort of) in my 02 f350 power stroke. Power steering would randomly cut out while driving and I would be left trying to steer the big thing into a parking lot with minimal success. I replaced my steering box and never had the problem again.

That's what I am thinking also. I tried to think back and think about how many steering issues we have had on the 05 and newer superduty's. They changed the steering gear in 05. And the more I think about it, the more I keep remembering how many times we have replaced steering gears for various issues. There have a few times we have had have odd deals like that and the gear assembly seems to have corrected most of the issues.

Thanks for all the tips....my Dealer is a good guy, and my Service Manager there is a customer of mine, so we have a great relationship. I will take it back in and let them have another swing at it. It did happen 3 times yesterday, so it is possible it is getting worse and will eventually fail completely, making the diagnostic and repair easier.

Update....Truck was getting a bit worse, so I took it back to the dealer. They still couldn't replicate the "no assist" symptom, but did concede that there was far too much play and slop in the system. They replaced the tie rod ends, drag link and ends, steering box, etc...basically the whole steering system. Truck now is back to "like new" steering. Unfortunately, I just was under it looking things over and it has a pretty severe leak somewhere in the system, so back to the dealer i go right now. They did note on the warranty paperwork that the truck had "oversize tires", but there was never any issue with getting the work covered in full under warranty.

it was the steering box, all the rod ends, drag link ends etc. will not cause what you experienced. I have been though a few steering boxes in 4x4s, they are built strong enough for stock size tires. 37s will put alot more strain on the pump and the box at low speeds, and when you hit bumps will put more force through the box to the wheel then the stock tires would. Glad to hear its all fixed, plus you got all new rod ends etc. out of the deal, if they didn't align it also you need to get that done when you replace the tie rod ends. That's why most trail rigs have to go to ram assisted steering like on bigger trucks. Just make sure you are moving a little when turning at low speeds, that will help save all that stuff.