2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission '02 3500 2WD No power steering or brake assist this am, Drove 50ft and it worked??

[Motorhead]

I have a neighbor that has the 2002 3500 Dually that I maintain for her. This AM she called me and said that she had no power steering or power assist on the brakes. It hasn't been that cold at night, maybe low 40's. I went to her ranch and checked the fluid first. It seemed over full and some had leaked past the PS pump cap. NO leaks anywhere else. I started it and drove it to my place. NO assist. After about 50 feet or so of driving, the power assist kicked in with NO noise. I checked the fluid level at my house and it was now at the normal level.
I DID search the threads about this issue and found a few similar issues. This truck has about 90,000 miles on it. This truck is driven only by a 70 year old "young" lady. I don't want to throw a bunch of parts at it un-needlessly.

 

[GAmes]

More than likely the system just needs to be flushed. Red Line makes an affordable synthetic power steering fluid that I have been using for several years and a few hundred thousand miles. Prior to draining a flushing you could also clean the pressure side screen. https://www.turbodieselregister.com...ering-assist-fix&highlight=low+power+steering

 

[dknoch]

Had a similiar issue with mine a few years back. Got it out of the driveway and muscled the steering wheel and everything started working again. Changed fluid but nothing else. Asked a mechanic about it and he said it could have been a small piece of crud blocking the lines that I forced through. May happen again, may not.

 

[Motorhead]

My little horse lady got back from a 2 day camp trip with her horse/living quarters trailer and everything worked as it should. One thing that was good to see when I checked the little screen on the piston was that it had no metal or other debris on it.
THANKS FOR THE HELP... . AGAIN! The TDR has been one of the BEST monies spent as far as my and the other trucks I work on!