Power Steering Shut Off On Highway

[gerky18]

It happened to me a few years ago too. I couldn't figure it out but ultimately I replaced the batteries and it's never happened again.

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[jac04]

A couple of other people have reported the same thing. One of the easier things to check for is the ground on the chassis for the power steering. Either paint or some corrosion could be causing an issue. .

I checked the grounds near the battery and the one over near the driver's side footwell. Is there a dedicated power steering pump ground?

 

[Rusty PW]

I checked the grounds near the battery and the one over near the driver's side footwell. Is there a dedicated power steering pump ground?

I believe so. It's on the frame somewhere under the fuse box.

 

[DylanM]

I checked the grounds near the battery and the one over near the driver's side footwell. Is there a dedicated power steering pump ground?

The power steering pump is grounded at G908A, located at the right front of the engine compartment.

 

[jac04]

The power steering pump is grounded at G908A, located at the right front of the engine compartment.

That ground is a PITA to get to with the air box installed. I was able to get a box end wrench down in there and tighten it up a little. It wasn't loose, but it certainly wasn't fully tightened.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

During my 4 year ownership of the 21 JTR, I replaced 3 power steering pumps due to them quitting. The final 4th pump was fine.
The first two, when they quit, were smoking hot to the touch but then when they cooled down would start right back up. No stored or active codes and the tech had no ability to actuate it.

The 3rd pump quit about 6 hours into a trip to Vancouver for a wedding. Dealership in Kamloops couldn’t get a pump and we couldn’t leave it so I, the wife, the Great Dane and a truck load of good ol’ Alberta sauce for the wedding in the back of the truck endured the entire trip there and around and back to Calgary with no power steering.

That pump was determined to be internal electrical failure and replaced.

When you pull the air box out and examine the harness on the pump, you can trace it up from the pump then forward to the ground body bolts behind the passenger headlight to check out. The other possible culprit is the connector to the pump itself as perhaps having water ingress or seal breach and contamination at the pins. I did not attempt pulling that connector apart to study.

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