What should powersteering feel like?

This is the point where someone opens his wallet.......

Good Luck!

 

Yep. He wishes I was like the old driver, who never needed work ordered.

Apparently, he didn't need headlights, just fog lights! He didn't even need a starter, or batteries that hold a charge!

He also mysteriously quit before any work to be done was found.

I like to think I'm doing a better job.

 

I thought you were a company driver?

 

If you can move the tensioner 1" by hand...I'd look closer at that The tensioner is just that....it needs to hold tension, especially when the steering gear / pump come up on pressure. Does the belt squeal at all? If you grab the belt and apply some force it will move...but not just poking the belt.

 

The tensioner pulley will generally move a little when you tug on the belt. Belt shouldn't be singing tight but it should be relatively tight. A lot has been mentioned on this thread about the pump but a failing power steering box could cause hard steering as well. There is a procedure to test those components but its been so long since I last did it.

 

It's a family farm, and the employees are not in the family.

We have 1 semi, 5 straight trucks, and God knows how many pick ups and vans that aren't allowed on the roads.

Essentially, I live in the truck, have to make all the maintenance requests, do all the inspections, and get yelled at when someone feels anxious.

As far as the tensioner, it doesn't move when it gets poked.

 

I think your power steering pump is powered with a gear inline with the oil pump? not a belt.
Possible problems. Filter in reservoir, bad pump, bad steering sector(gear box the steering shaft hooks to)
Wouldn't wait until it freezes permanent. That would be an Oh ####zle moment.
You sure have had your hands full with this truck.
Good Luck.

 

The boss should give him the company, after what he's been through with the truck, company and boss.

 

I see this as valuable experience for when these headaches belong entirely to me.

I have aspirations of being an O/O one day. Keeping a record of maintance costs, fuel costs, my pay, time on the road, etc. is important.

Plus, I can make my mistakes here, without much recourse, so that I'm properly cautious when I start at a real company. (That poor fence in the driveway never saw it coming....)

I've learned to drive everything from a 14' box truck to a 53' 'reefer here now, just flying by the seat of my pants. This truck deserves proper respect though.

 

The PUMP is run off of the engine directly, NOT by a belt.

No one is asking the important questions;

what surface is this on when it is difficult to steer?

How is the truck loaded?

what kind of steers do you have?

and when was the last time you checked the air pressure?