I just wanted to report back and let you all know, I've been running my new steering gear for a couple of months without any problems. No more steering wander. My truck seems to drive like it did when it was new.
I think my old steering gear failed due to water contamination from engine washes. The old fluid was milky and clumpy. I found that the PS pump fill cap doesn't use a rubber gasket, therefore it doesn't seal water-tight. I now use a 1-1/2" Fernco Qwik Cap, with a clamp, on the PS pump fill neck in place of the fill cap during engine washes. Qwik Caps are available in the plumbing section at hardware stores.
Power steering fluid changes will now be part of my truck's maintenance schedule.
I found a good way to do a fluid change:
<HR>(1) Pull the return line from the coupler at the gear box (cut off the OEM clamp) and quickly attach a piece of 3/8 tooling hose to the coupler. Have the other end of the tooling hose in a drain pan and allow to drain. Position the loose end of the return line up high so that it doesn't drip all over everything.
(2) Raise the front of the truck until the front wheels are off the ground.
(3) With the engine <b><u>off</u></b>, turn the steering wheel lock-to-lock until all the old fluid is forced out of the system.
(4) Remove the PS pump fill cap and fill the reservoir with new fluid.
(5) Attach compressed air to the PS pump return line so that you can slightly pressurize the PS pump reservoir. I do this by sticking an air nozzle in the end of the return line. Pressurizing the reservoir will prime the pump and gear.
(6) Place your left hand over the fill hole then give the PS pump return line light shots of air. Be careful not to over pressurize which may blow seals in the pump. Use your left hand to help regulate how much you are pressurizing the reservoir. The system is primed when new fluid slowly comes out of the tooling hose.
(7) If you want, repeat steps 3 through 6 as many times as needed to flush the system.
(8) Remove the tooling hose and reattach the return line to the gear box coupler with a small worm-gear type clamp.
(9) Top-off the reservoir, run the pump with the engine on, then recheck the fluid level.
(10) Test drive and recheck the fluid level again.
(11) You're done!
Notes:
You shouldn't need to do the "PS pump initial operation" procedure (in the service manual) because you didn't generate foamy fluid and the system is already primed by step 6.
Don't worry about the hydraulic brake booster return system. It doesn't hold much fluid. I found that it returns a very small amount of fluid only when you let off of the brake pedal, otherwise it returns nothing.
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