My PW just ejected all of the power steering fluid onto the snow. I had driven it for about 15 minutes when I suddenly needed Herculean strength to turn it. It has 6,900 miles on the odometer. The temperature has been hovering at around minus 22 degrees F. Since there is no dealer in my corner of the world , I took it to the local mechanic. He stated that the OEM spring type clamps weren't up to the task for extreme cold weather and he's going to reattach the hose with oetiker clamps. So if you're operating in sub-zero temps then you may want to keep that in mind.
dimrod
I think I want to hear more about living in Western Alaska!
I heard even gassers up there need block heaters? How does everything else hold up?
I heard even gassers up there need block heaters? How does everything else hold up?
Currently, after several mild winters, we're experiencing a lingering cold spell down into the minus 20s F. These newer gasoline vehicles seem to have no problem starting at those temperatures compared to the rigs made before 2000. Yet most people still plug in their block heater to take some of the chill off of the engine. You know that the oil is like molasses at those temperatures. It can't be good for the engine. I have no experience with diesels.
We have no roads in Western Alaska that connect with any roads nationally, just a local road system. It's better this way- it keeps all of the riffraff out or in, however you want to look at it. All goods must arrive by air or barge. I bought my PW in Washington and barged it up in the summer. It takes a month to arrive once the boat departs. It's almost as bad as waiting for Christmas when you're a little kid.
Naturally when you need some type of servicing you can't take your truck back to the dealer. It would be cost and time prohibitive.
The thing that seems to be hardest on the vehicles is all of our gravel roads. With the exception of a few paved city streets, every road surface is gravel. Your truck is constantly subjected to vibrations and jarring. All parts including the engine are coated in dirt and dust. Tires commonly are destroyed by rocks penetrating the tread. Suspension parts and shocks have short life spans. Gravel "customizes" the paint on the lower panels and will also spider your windshield if you're unlucky. With that said, I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. Just the price you pay to live in paradise.
We have no roads in Western Alaska that connect with any roads nationally, just a local road system. It's better this way- it keeps all of the riffraff out or in, however you want to look at it. All goods must arrive by air or barge. I bought my PW in Washington and barged it up in the summer. It takes a month to arrive once the boat departs. It's almost as bad as waiting for Christmas when you're a little kid.
Naturally when you need some type of servicing you can't take your truck back to the dealer. It would be cost and time prohibitive.
The thing that seems to be hardest on the vehicles is all of our gravel roads. With the exception of a few paved city streets, every road surface is gravel. Your truck is constantly subjected to vibrations and jarring. All parts including the engine are coated in dirt and dust. Tires commonly are destroyed by rocks penetrating the tread. Suspension parts and shocks have short life spans. Gravel "customizes" the paint on the lower panels and will also spider your windshield if you're unlucky. With that said, I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world. Just the price you pay to live in paradise.
Blackgoat,
I looked through my photos and only see one of my truck! I'll have to take some more. I can post lots of Alaskan photos- mostly of large, dead mammals. But after all, this is a Ram forum and that might not be appropriate. So I have included three photos.
The first one was taken in July about 70 miles north of town at a site that hosts a few cabins near a river. You'll notice the lack of trees. It's mostly tundra. The auxiliary lighting on the front of my PW is not needed then due to the almost 24 hour daylight.
The second was taken the first week of May last year. That's my son resting on his snowmachine (they're not called snowmobiles in Alaska) while we're out grizzly hunting. You can observe how the snow is beginning to melt on the hillsides. That's when the bears start to come out. Some creeks will begin to thaw at that time and there will be some open places on the river ice. The transportation department will start to plow open the local roads that are snowed shut all winter. Spring in Western Alaska means long days with temps usually in the 20s at night and 40s during the days. We call that warm. The rivers will be running freely by late May. Snow in places can linger until next winter.
The last one was taken the first week of September 2016. It's a tradition to go get your family's annual supply of meat. It is preferable to tote your camping gear and the 500 plus pounds of meat that a bull moose yields out on an ATV rack vs. your back. You can see the tundra starting to take on its New England style colors that time of year before turning just brown.
IMG_0376.jpg
IMG_0014.jpg
IMG_0455.jpg
I looked through my photos and only see one of my truck! I'll have to take some more. I can post lots of Alaskan photos- mostly of large, dead mammals. But after all, this is a Ram forum and that might not be appropriate. So I have included three photos.
The first one was taken in July about 70 miles north of town at a site that hosts a few cabins near a river. You'll notice the lack of trees. It's mostly tundra. The auxiliary lighting on the front of my PW is not needed then due to the almost 24 hour daylight.
The second was taken the first week of May last year. That's my son resting on his snowmachine (they're not called snowmobiles in Alaska) while we're out grizzly hunting. You can observe how the snow is beginning to melt on the hillsides. That's when the bears start to come out. Some creeks will begin to thaw at that time and there will be some open places on the river ice. The transportation department will start to plow open the local roads that are snowed shut all winter. Spring in Western Alaska means long days with temps usually in the 20s at night and 40s during the days. We call that warm. The rivers will be running freely by late May. Snow in places can linger until next winter.
The last one was taken the first week of September 2016. It's a tradition to go get your family's annual supply of meat. It is preferable to tote your camping gear and the 500 plus pounds of meat that a bull moose yields out on an ATV rack vs. your back. You can see the tundra starting to take on its New England style colors that time of year before turning just brown.
IMG_0376.jpg
IMG_0014.jpg
IMG_0455.jpg
Attachments
Wow, kinda surprised to hear about this... especially on new trucks.
Is there something we should be looking at or doing? Are the clamps faulty or just not tight?
Is there something we should be looking at or doing? Are the clamps faulty or just not tight?
That’s good to know, I’ll have to look at mine. The power steering pump is part of my hydro boost brake system.
Took it to the dealership today,(keep in mind I live in an area where winters get very cold),there was another Ram HD in with the exact same thing!:158:
Their fix was to replace the factory spring clamps with worm gear type clamps,they wanted to refill the system with factory type steering fluid,which looked like regular trans fluid to me.
I insisted on keeping the synthetic fluid(which I had refilled it with myself just to get mobile),between the 2 fixes,I think it should hold up better in the extreme cold.
I doubt those living in hotter climates have anything to worry about as the steering fluid flows fine when it's warm.
Their fix was to replace the factory spring clamps with worm gear type clamps,they wanted to refill the system with factory type steering fluid,which looked like regular trans fluid to me.
I insisted on keeping the synthetic fluid(which I had refilled it with myself just to get mobile),between the 2 fixes,I think it should hold up better in the extreme cold.
I doubt those living in hotter climates have anything to worry about as the steering fluid flows fine when it's warm.
Link to the Power Wagon section where a member had the same issue.
http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=242786
http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=242786
Funny thing is it doesnt howl in the morning anymore when I start it when it's -25,makes me doubt it was synthetic fluid in there from the start.
I used to have a 1995 Tahoe that would blow lines in the winter as well,then a mechanic from GM told me to use synthetic fluid,never had trouble after that.
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