About four weeks ago the power assist steering started failing again, pretty much at every startup. I found a rebuild rack available at Detroit axle for $2032.00 including freight. It arrived in a couple weeks and I installed it myself, took me three days. I made two mistakes, didn't disconnect the battery and didn't secure the steering wheel. Also I learned the hard way that the rack will not clear the coil springs and stabilizer bar without turning the steering gear all the way to the right to clear the left tie rod, then all the way to the left to clear the right tie rod. Doing that made removal of the rack relatively easy. With the rack installed I re-connected the two electrical connectors. The power connector clicked in place nicely. The control connector did not click, an d slid off without any resistance. (See attached picture) Local Autozone had a replacement connector , it was expensive (Dorman 645-943, $56.67) but in stock and I was in a hurry. I soldered the three wires and used marine quality heat shrink. The new connector clicked in place and I was finished! Started the truck, power steering worked fin e with no power steering light. However I was now getting a traction control light.
A friend convinced me to try our local Ram dealer, Clay Maxey Dodge, who had changed ownership about a year ago. They had no issue taking a look at my "old" 2013 truck and got me in the next day for an alignment and steering software check for a total charge of $290.31. The alignment needed very little change and the software showed I needed a new clockspring. Their quote for that replacement was $800.00 for parts and $347.50 for labor. They said that probably something I did while replacing the rack broke the clockspring. I later remembered that recently my left turn signal did not cancel properly and make a noise when activating the lever. Maybe that was the problem, but then why did the traction control light not come on until later? So later that evening I was on the internet lookin g at clocksprings and was shocked at the number available an d the variation in price. I made an offer on Ebay for $100.00 and ordered it, from China. THREE DAYS LATER FEDEX DELIVEFRED IT TO MY DOOR! I have not installed it yet as the truck is driving fine except for the traction control light.
I disassembled the problematic connector and found a very tiny plastic clip was broken. I think that possibly this was my steering problem all along. I also looked at the circuit board in my old rack and can see very little if any sign of corrosion. There was one area that I put under a magnifying glass but I did not see anything that would of caused failure.
Hopefully the new cloclkpring will solve the traction control light and my truck will be good for a number of miles.
