Lost steering

[MBrawley]

06 Ram CTD 2500 4X4 AT



Lost power steering on a dirt road, middle of the night. Steering wheel spins from left to right with no resistance. Turned wheel to the right and the horn started blowing, turned it off. Tried to move a little more off the road and it started up but died when put into gear. Could not restart. Had towed to dealer and left it. Got there after hours.



At the dealer I found the pinch bolt fell out of the lower steering joint and the joint fell off the steering gear. Expect it will be an easy fix but have questions. Why would the steering wheel trun with the ignition off and the keys out of it? Would this steering problem cause the computer to throw an error and keep it from starting?



Thanks

Mike B

 

[rbattelle]

Why would the steering wheel trun with the ignition off and the keys out of it? Would this steering problem cause the computer to throw an error and keep it from starting?

Good questions. I suspect you've got more than just a joint problem here. It would be nice if the engine wouldn't run without a properly connected steering shaft, but I doubt that's the case.



How many turns did you crank the wheel after the steering shaft came apart? If you went more than 3 turns or so, you probably broke the clockspring, thereby severing most of (all of?) the electrical connections within the steering wheel. That means the ignition won't work, which means the truck won't start.



That's a guess, but it seems plausible.



Ryan