Intermittent Stiff Steering

[fernando.]

Hey y'all, I have a 2014 SR5 with 80k miles. Lately I've been noticing the steering will become VERY stiff intermittently while driving, especially after a longer drive and when the P/S system gets hotter. It requires serious effort just to do a lane change even. First thing in the morning it's buttery smooth. Fluid levels are OK.

Are there any common issues I should address first? Are pumps often known to go bad? Worn steering input shaft/u-joint?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BillsRunner]

Intermittent hard steering

Hi Fernando,
My 4th gens did this. I thought I was sunk but, if it's the same thing, there is a little u-joint on the steering column. It gets dirty, greasy and clogged up. I used WD-40 to spray clean it off and a bit of white lithium grease to keep in lubed. Others might have better product ideas but this worked on mine for tens of thousands more trouble-free miles.

Let us know what you find!

Bill

 

[Jeremy556]

98% it is the U joint in the intermediate steering shaft. You can try to spray it down with lube, but the U joint it already full of rust and crap and will need to be replaced.

 

[fernando.]

Cheers guys.

I kind of figured it was the steering shaft as it's common on 4th gens, and my dad's Ram 1500 had the same issue. But since the 5th gen 4R is new to me, I didn't know if anything else was common to go.

Shaft is on order, will update!

 

[fernando.]

Got around to changing out the shaft today. Man, was it ever rusted out. I had to air hammer both ends off. But judging by the condition of u-joint, I think we found the problem. I will keep this thread updated if this didn't solve my issue. Hopefully this thread helps other in the future.

 

[tpotnoc]

Did the new shaft correct the issue?

A lot of threads I see describe stiff notches in the steering, but mine is stiff from lock to lock pretty much and only when I’m stopped on the pavement. Was yours constant stiffness pretty much or only in certain positions?

 

[mofokid69]

Did the new shaft correct the issue?

A lot of threads I see describe stiff notches in the steering, but mine is stiff from lock to lock pretty much and only when I’m stopped on the pavement. Was yours constant stiffness pretty much or only in certain positions?

It did on mine.