Chrysler Repair: 01 voyager: power steering not working, cold start, fluid flow


Question
I have a 01 voyager that had p/s noise on cold start and was hard to steer from time to time. so i flushed the fluid, the noise was worse and the steering was a little better so i replaced the p/s pump and reservoir with all new fluid. now the noise is gone and steering is so hard i feel like im going to break something, i have checked all the lines no kinks and no leaks. when u look in the reservoir u can see the fluid turning/so pump is working. i have jacked up the front end and turned the wheel back and forth with cap of for total of 1 hr. still too stiff to drive what can it be.

Answer
Hi Luke,
It could be the power steering gear itself. Does the fluid seem foamy? Is it maintaining level with no leaks? Is the pump drive belt adjusted properly (not slipping)?
There are a set of tests that can be done using a special tool (Chrysler no. 6815) which can measure fluid flow and pressure, both). I can copy the pages that describe the tests if you can get a hold of the test tool, and I can attach those pages to an email. But I need to know your email address. When you tell me that don't use the @ symbol but instead use 'at', otherwide the address gets erased automatically.