[Mountpac]

Hello everyone,
I have had a nightmare with my R/T. The steering went tight, real tight. like no power steering.
Step 1 - disconnected tie rod ends and felt the steering wheel tighten in places - like it was binding.
RELACED THE RAC AND PINION - had it aligned after & asked tech to check ball joints.
No change - still goes tight when driving.
Step 2 - Only thing left was the power steering pump, maybe low pressure?
REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP Changed a bit, but after driving a bit, tightness came back. Like no power steering.
Only change was how much tighter it got. Easier to PULL around.

Will step 3 be change the upper and lower ball joints? What else can cause the tight steering? Anyone have an opinion. The Durango only has 320,000 Kilometers on it and one lower ball joint has been changed already.

 

[Vice-White]

I would say the problem is with your steering column and most likely the u-joint/union is binding.
Ball Joints have nothing to do with steering effort, they simply hold your suspension together.

 

[Chase300]

There is a steering coupler that will go bad...its easily replaced. It connects from the steering rack to the steering column. It has 2 u-joints which over time the grease wears out and they will bind. Replace that.

 

[Gonzo Norway]

Agreed. Put WD40 on them and see if it has effect. Did you manage to get the pulley gently on the new steering pump? Best use special tools. If you hammer it on you'll ruine the pump and it doesnt work. Been there done that.

 

[GT_Plus]

If everything checks out with your steering column & coupler, one other possibility I've seen. After replacing a rack & pinion and/or power steering pump after a failure, there can sometimes be metal debris still trapped in lines/hoses. If not flushed/blown out before installing new parts, contaminants can cause premature failure of new parts.