I was towing a trailer with a 1000lb UTV on the interstate today. It was a 35 mile run at 60-65 mph. As I slowed down on the exit ramp, I noticed the steering wheel was hard to turn. I muscled the steering to make my turn at the light, and then the power steering seemed to return, and was fine for the rest of the day, except it did the same exact thing on the way home. When I got off the highway, the steering was hard, but after the first turn, it was fine again. I checked the fluid when I got home and the pump has plenty of fluid. It is a 2000 GC 4.7 V8. Does the fluid fail? To my knowledge it's never been changed. Any ideas what's going on? Thanks.
CF Veteran
Make sure the belt is tight. I think the power steering pump also powers a hydraulic driven cooling fan on the WJ. There may be an issue with the hydraulic cooling fan motor or the pump.