hydroboost and ram assist steering

olejunky

olejunky

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Location
knoxville
i tapped a guys steering box yesterday for ram assist steering he took it home put it all on and said that it doesn't work and that he read something that if you have hydroboost brakes on your truck that you need another power steering pump to make the ram work has anybody heard this before
 
Yeah they have talked about it on CK5.From what I understand it's a 50/50 deal some can get away with it and some cant.There is a company called Vanco that modifies the hydraboost to work with the assist but it's $280.I have the hydraboost and am going to assist,so I'll have to deal with the same thing.They have also talked about dual pumps as well,but I have changed to serp belt and dont think it will work for me.
 
I've been running this setup for a while now also with no issues. It's just a bitch to get all the air out. I'm running a 1.75in. ram and have an inline cooler. I may mod my ps pump for more flow at some point.

Maybe tell him to swap his lines going to the ram around, they may be installed backwards.
 
they were backwards to begin with but he also had other problems like the cap on the end of the box kept leaking, so last night he switched his hoses and i tapped another piece for the end of his box and he got it to quit leaking the test will be today thanks for the iinfo
 
He's really just putting alot of work on the PS pump.. When I am using the brakes, I find it more difficult to turn the wheels even on my Dodge, bone stock...

Definately mod the pump though...
 
It's so very simple to add a saginaw or other steering pump to the system--esp with v-belt engines, I don't really see what the problem is. Besides, why tax a single (likely stock) pump so much and with your two most critical systems.
 
beating a dead horse....hydroboost gurus pls help

Update.

My friend drove his truck this last weekend. the ram moves very slow and somewhat jerky. What he said is that hydro boost brakes hinder flow and are restrictive. hydro rams need good flow and pressure.

so options were:

new racing pump (doesnt really fix the problem of the restictive hydroboost) $160
or
get hydroboost modifed for flow by guy on pirate4x4
$180
or
junkyard pump $25 hose $20 and new belt $11

He chose the last item.
What he did was make a bracket and mount a second power steering pump that is bone stock to power just the hydroboost brakes and the exisitng modified saginaw is going to run the gearbox and ram. This worked good in theory till today when he went to get the hose made to go from bone stock pump to hydroboost. He realized that since there is two high pressure lines and one return he doesnt know what to do with the high pressure out line. He was going to cap it but was told at the hydraulic place that if you cap it it will blow the seal.

Sooo...what does he do with the high pressure out that usually goes to the steering gearbox? He likes the idea to run dual power steering pumps and has been on that bandwagon ever since. But is there a way to vent off pressure on the high pressure out and return it to the return line?

Basically here is his setup now (or the way he wants it)

saginaw pump#1 (modified for flow and pressure) > gearbox > ram

saginaw pump #2 (bone stock) > hydroboost

But hydroboost has the high pressure in and high pressure out and return.

thanks for listening.
 
can he not run it back to the reservoir? might just need to tig weld a fitting into the tank & run it as a return line
 
I agree that cavitation would be an issue, but a small baffle with holes in would probably solve this issue also go to the next size up hose to help slow down the oil
 
well isnt the return line on the hydroboost incase the powersteering or booster isnt being applied, and just pumps the extra fluid to the resevoir.... so maybe you could block off outlet?....

or maybe run the outlet back into the inlet somehow?
 
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