help!! steering & brakes went out

[TMorris]

My truck's power steering and brakes went out on me on saturday evening. I was backing out of my garage and the steering wheel wouldnt turn, and i couldnt press in the brake pedal hard enough to stop my truck. At about the same time i noticed a puddle of fluid in front of me coming from my truck.



I have a 2001 Ram, and i bought it used with 39,000 miles on it in september of 2001. It currently has 43,000 miles on it.



I did a quick search on here and the few similiar posts i read they seem to point towards my hydroboost or steering box/pump going south.



Is this something that a cummins shop can fix, or do i have to take it to dodge to fix? I have a local cummins shop and also a local dodge dealership.



Also, how much do you think this is going to cost me? I'm just worried its going to cost me a $1000 or more!



Also, any chance you think i could get it fixed under warranty?



Thanks,

Tim

 

[Extreme1]

Open the hood and take a look. It could be a hose popped off or a loose fitting. Worst case would be a seal on the pump or the steering gear.

 

[SS]

Same symtoms

Mine did exactly the same thing. Parked it overnight and when I started it the next day - no steering/brake assist. No indications before this happened. If you don't have it running again, rev the engine to 2000 rpm and work the steering wheel back and forth. I've been driving mine for several weeks since this happened, but now when it's cold the pump whines (but still have most assist). I plan to take it to the dealer this week under warranty. PM me later this week for results and dealer cost if you're interested.

 

[TMorris]

Just a little update... .



Got my truck repaired at Joliet Dodge in Joliet, IL. Delt with Mitch. Great guy to deal with btw. It was towed in on wednesday late morning and they had it ready by thursday late afternoon.



Well, $600 plus a $110 towing fee (which my ins will reimburse me for) later and my truck is fixed. It turned out to be the power steering pump. Cost about $300 parts & $300 labor.



I could have saved about a hundred dollars getting it fixed at another local shop, but the soonest they could get me in was friday, and then god knows how long it would have taken them to order the parts. So i went the quickest route instead of the cheapest route in this situation. But i didnt have much of a choice as i needed my truck fixed asap.



Tim