First Trip

[cgallamore]

hauled a load 79,000 to mcpherson,ks. 500 miles. load of salt back 79,800 from lyons,ks.540 miles. have not fueled yet, but i do know she likes it!

the only problem is the steering is starting to bind up intermiten,felt it a couple times on the way out,but became more frequint on the way back, checked fluid,over full, belt seems tite and in good condition, noticed steer axle spring showing a slight leak of some sort, wet spot under steering box. had to drop off load today about 10 miles from home,scared me a little a couple of times, getting bad enough i have to fix it. it did it maybe 15 times there and back today, now it is even doing it empty.

anything a dummy can check before i take it to the mack store????

thanks in advance.

[cgallamore]

this truck had a power steering hose leaking, one of the long ones that goes from the firewall to the pump and steering box. both of these hoses weree replaced.

could this make a difference if they were hooked to the reservoir backwards? is there and in and out on the reservoir?

[fjh]

hauled a load 79,000 to mcpherson,ks. 500 miles. load of salt back 79,800 from lyons,ks.540 miles. have not fueled yet, but i do know she likes it!

the only problem is the steering is starting to bind up intermiten,felt it a couple times on the way out,but became more frequint on the way back, checked fluid,over full, belt seems tite and in good condition, noticed steer axle spring showing a slight leak of some sort, wet spot under steering box. had to drop off load today about 10 miles from home,scared me a little a couple of times, getting bad enough i have to fix it. it did it maybe 15 times there and back today, now it is even doing it empty.

anything a dummy can check before i take it to the mack store????

thanks in advance.

Grease the ujoints! And get the leak checked likly a return hose clamp or crapy hose .also If it has a steady bearing in the shaft before it goes into the box check and see if it runs smooth!

Preasure from the pump!

one return line to the tank unless it has dual boxes!

[cgallamore]

i have allways been a grease fanatic i have a power luber like at a truck garage 30 gal. barrel and i use it at least every 5000 miles, till clean grease comes out and then wipe it off, had them greese every thing before i left va.truck center, wasn't satisfied (didnt do it my self) so i greased entire truck before this trip and checked for leaks. its a pet piev i could probably save some mony if i let someone else greese it,then i wouldn't be under there nit picking everything.

[Gambi80]

i have allways been a grease fanatic i have a power luber like at a truck garage 30 gal. barrel and i use it at least every 5000 miles, till clean grease comes out and then wipe it off, had them greese every thing before i left va.truck center, wasn't satisfied (didnt do it my self) so i greased entire truck before this trip and checked for leaks. its a pet piev i could probably save some mony if i let someone else greese it,then i wouldn't be under there nit picking everything.

Unfortunately, no matter how much grease you put into it...it's only as good as how much the previous owner used. I learned that when I bought my ancient unit a couple years ago...and not the good way either.

[BAD DOG]

Sounds like it could possibly be a sticking valve in your steering box. Rough winter roads and sharp bumps will flip o-rings out of place that would make you steering tighten up going down the road requiring a bit of a reef of the steering wheel to make it turn, but once you turn it's ok till you go to turn again. Winter frost heeves an holes can be murder on steering boxes. Your dealer should come good for that if you just bought the truck.

[cgallamore]

after further investigation it does it only when i turn left, and not every time. some times smooth as silk next time like the belt has come off.

[Mackpro]

hauled a load 79,000 to mcpherson,ks. 500 miles. load of salt back 79,800 from lyons,ks.540 miles. have not fueled yet, but i do know she likes it!

the only problem is the steering is starting to bind up intermiten,felt it a couple times on the way out,but became more frequint on the way back, checked fluid,over full, belt seems tite and in good condition, noticed steer axle spring showing a slight leak of some sort, wet spot under steering box. had to drop off load today about 10 miles from home,scared me a little a couple of times, getting bad enough i have to fix it. it did it maybe 15 times there and back today, now it is even doing it empty.

anything a dummy can check before i take it to the mack store????

thanks in advance.

Does it have motor oil or ATF in it? You really need to change the fulid to ATF and change the filter. Also look at the P/S dipstick it should have a upside down cup/washer shield on the indicator/shaft, right above the twisted part of the shaft. If this is missing it is down in the resivore somewhere. Have seen this happen before.

[Mackpro]

Does it have motor oil or ATF in it? You really need to change the fulid to ATF and change the filter. Also look at the P/S dipstick it should have a upside down cup/washer shield on the indicator/shaft, right above the twisted part of the shaft. If this is missing it is down in the resivore somewhere. Have seen this happen before.

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SB414004

Date: 02/13/06

Model: CXN, CHN, CXP

(Also applies to Mack Trucks Australia)

Change to DEXRON® III in the Power Steering System

Effective December 12, 2005, DEXRON® III became the factory fill for the power steering system on all CXP, CXN and CHN model chassis. Chassis using DEXRON® III in the power steering system can be identified by the label affixed to the power steering reservoir (refer to figure 1 below).

Any DEXRON®-type fluid can be used in the power steering system.

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When adding fluid to the power steering system, always check the label on the side of the reservoir and be sure to use the correct fluid.

[Mackpro]

This is the first thing we do when we get a weird power steering complaint.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SB414005

Date: 08/10/06

Model: CV, CT, CL, LE, MR, DM

(Does not apply to Mack Trucks Australia)

Failure of the Power Steering Pump to Prime at Cold Start-Up — CV, CT, CL, LE, MR and DM Models

Certain CV, CT, CL, LE, MR and DM model chassis equipped with single or dual steering gears and high volume TRW power steering pumps (part Nos. 38QC4141, P2, P3, P5, P7, P8, P10, P12, P13, P14 and P16) may experience a failure of the pump to prime at cold start-up. To eliminate this condition, the factory-fill 15W40 engine oil should be drained from the power steering system and replaced with a DEXRON®-type automatic transmission fluid. Procedures are as follows:

Operate the vehicle until the engine coolant reaches normal operating temperature.

Shut the engine off.

Secure the chassis for service, apply the parking brakes and block the rear wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving.

Raise the front of the vehicle so that the front wheels are off the ground and the wheels can be steered manually. Place jackstands of adequate capacity under the front axle to support the weight of the vehicle.

Do not work on or around a vehicle supported only by a hydraulic jack as the jack can fail suddenly and unexpectedly, resulting in severe personal injury or death. Always support the vehicle on jackstands of adequate capacity.

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Place a suitable drain pan under the hoses to catch the draining power steering fluid.

Clean the pressure and return hose connections at the main steering gear, and the suction hose connection at the reservoir. Disconnect the hoses from the gear and reservoir and allow the fluid to drain into the catch pans.

Steering System Schematic Diagram

With the engine shut off, steer the front wheels several times from left to right steering stops to purge the remaining fluid from the reservoir and hoses.

Replace the power steering reservoir filter element.

Reconnect the pressure and return lines to the main steering gear.

Fill the reservoir with a DEXRON®-type automatic transmission fluid.

Completely flushing the engine oil from the power steering system is not necessary. As long as the oil is completely drained, DEXRON®-type automatic fluids will mix with any residual oil that may remain in the system.

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Lower the chassis to the ground.

Start the engine and steer the wheels several times from the left steering stop to the right steering stop to bleed the air from the system.

Do not allow the reservoir to go dry during the bleeding operation as air will be drawn into the system.

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Recheck the level in the reservoir and add fluid as necessary.

Remove the existing "Recommended Oil" label from the power steering reservoir, and then clean the area where the label was applied to remove all oil, dirt and grease.

Apply a new label (part No. 4MR3420AM) to the side of the reservoir.

Apply Label to Power Steering Reservoir

This label advises to use DEXRON®-type automatic transmission fluids in the power steering system.

DEXRON® I, II and III fluids are all backward and forward compatible. Any DEXRON®-type fluid can be used in the power steering system.

[Rob]

This is the first thing we do when we get a weird power steering complaint.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SB414005

Date: 08/10/06

Model: CV, CT, CL, LE, MR, DM

(Does not apply to Mack Trucks Australia)

Failure of the Power Steering Pump to Prime at Cold Start-Up — CV, CT, CL, LE, MR and DM Models

Certain CV, CT, CL, LE, MR and DM model chassis equipped with single or dual steering gears and high volume TRW power steering pumps (part Nos. 38QC4141, P2, P3, P5, P7, P8, P10, P12, P13, P14 and P16) may experience a failure of the pump to prime at cold start-up. To eliminate this condition, the factory-fill 15W40 engine oil should be drained from the power steering system and replaced with a DEXRON®-type automatic transmission fluid. Procedures are as follows:

Operate the vehicle until the engine coolant reaches normal operating temperature.

Shut the engine off.

Secure the chassis for service, apply the parking brakes and block the rear wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving.

Raise the front of the vehicle so that the front wheels are off the ground and the wheels can be steered manually. Place jackstands of adequate capacity under the front axle to support the weight of the vehicle.

Do not work on or around a vehicle supported only by a hydraulic jack as the jack can fail suddenly and unexpectedly, resulting in severe personal injury or death. Always support the vehicle on jackstands of adequate capacity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Place a suitable drain pan under the hoses to catch the draining power steering fluid.

Clean the pressure and return hose connections at the main steering gear, and the suction hose connection at the reservoir. Disconnect the hoses from the gear and reservoir and allow the fluid to drain into the catch pans.

Steering System Schematic Diagram

With the engine shut off, steer the front wheels several times from left to right steering stops to purge the remaining fluid from the reservoir and hoses.

Replace the power steering reservoir filter element.

Reconnect the pressure and return lines to the main steering gear.

Fill the reservoir with a DEXRON®-type automatic transmission fluid.

Completely flushing the engine oil from the power steering system is not necessary. As long as the oil is completely drained, DEXRON®-type automatic fluids will mix with any residual oil that may remain in the system.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lower the chassis to the ground.

Start the engine and steer the wheels several times from the left steering stop to the right steering stop to bleed the air from the system.

Do not allow the reservoir to go dry during the bleeding operation as air will be drawn into the system.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recheck the level in the reservoir and add fluid as necessary.

Remove the existing "Recommended Oil" label from the power steering reservoir, and then clean the area where the label was applied to remove all oil, dirt and grease.

Apply a new label (part No. 4MR3420AM) to the side of the reservoir.

Apply Label to Power Steering Reservoir

This label advises to use DEXRON®-type automatic transmission fluids in the power steering system.

DEXRON® I, II and III fluids are all backward and forward compatible. Any DEXRON®-type fluid can be used in the power steering system.

I wasn't around with Dexron was introduced but have always ran Dexron II, and Dexron III in my power steering systems without problems. I also use it in new vehicles at a 36,000 mile drain interval of the reservoir along with all other fluids.

Rob

[cgallamore]

wowee, so used to every little hicup being major bucks with the 04, i was afraid it was going to be a steering box,

clutch cable clamp slid down radiator support and was binding against steering shaft, the leak was a loose clamp.

actually made a trip without spending anything on repairs!!!! yipeee!!!!!!

[cgallamore]

it is trans fluid in resavoir, very clean and over full, i think it is so clean, because leak purged the system, my fear was it had been run low on p.s. fluid alot from the amount of oil on chassi when i first saw truck, at the first sign of trouble i assumed the worst.

[Mackpro]

it is trans fluid in resavoir, very clean and over full, i think it is so clean, because leak purged the system, my fear was it had been run low on p.s. fluid alot from the amount of oil on chassi when i first saw truck, at the first sign of trouble i assumed the worst.

Glad every thing was OK, Keep on trucking! I too assume the worst when I cant figure something out in the first 30 minuites of working on it.

[cgallamore]

the steering shaft has a slight bend in it every time i was looking it had clearance, i was going to replace ujoint in shaft when i found it.

[cgallamore]

the steering shaft has a slight bend in it every time i was looking it had clearance, i was going to replace ujoint in shaft when i found it.

could the bend in the steering shaft cause problems?????

[JerryB]

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SB414004

Date: 02/13/06

Model: CXN, CHN, CXP

(Also applies to Mack Trucks Australia)

Change to DEXRON® III in the Power Steering System

Effective December 12, 2005, DEXRON® III became the factory fill for the power steering system on all CXP, CXN and CHN model chassis. Chassis using DEXRON® III in the power steering system can be identified by the label affixed to the power steering reservoir (refer to figure 1 below).

Any DEXRON®-type fluid can be used in the power steering system.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When adding fluid to the power steering system, always check the label on the side of the reservoir and be sure to use the correct fluid.

Thanks for posting the update MackPro. My manual says to use the same 15/40 oil in steering as we use in engine so I've always used Delvac 1300. I've always had a slight bind on left turns but with the Dextron it's smooth as glass again. Thanks again Jerry.

[fjh]

Thanks for posting the update MackPro. My manual says to use the same 15/40 oil in steering as we use in engine so I've always used Delvac 1300. I've always had a slight bind on left turns but with the Dextron it's smooth as glass again. Thanks again Jerry.

Wohoo progress on a all fronts, Charlie You need to tone down your going to jinks your self.

[JerryB]

Wohoo progress on a all fronts, Charlie You need to tone down your going to jinks your self.

Yeah I thought the binding was just part of life and it's never been real real bad so when I caught this post I tried the Dextron. If you and MackPro keep posting I might get my mess in shape to make a round trip one day without another bank loan thanks guys.