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Junkyard guys 2013 ram Electro power steering?

Johann

Johann

Red Skull Member
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
477
Messages
1,149
Loc
Triangle area NC
Help me solve a problem folks. Looking at a $2500 repair to replace the electronic power steering on my 2013 RAM. It cannot find the EPS on start up on cold days. Faults "Service Power Steering" on the display. Warmed up to operating temp and it finds it right away and drives normally. Took it to the dealer in the hopes they might find a bad wire or connector I missed but no joy. They say it has to be replaced. BUT also on National Back order. They would be glad to try and source it and have it shipped... for more $.

Ebay shows only a few remans out there and they are close to new price at $1899-1999. Dealer labor was only going to be $350. Which considering it will have to be aligned is not horrible. But it means their cost on a new EPS provided they can find it is not much more than reman. A year ago that reman was going for closer to $1100... and they say we are not having inflation!

I'm a poor museum person so no stranger to my own vehicle repair. I'd put in a used one but my Local go-to yards don't appear to have one. The usual parts houses don't seem to carry this. Even Rock auto is out of stock. Anyone with more Junkyard savvy have a connection to one of these in decent shape from someone you trust? Any help would be wonderful. I'm headed north camping in a couple weeks and I don't want to risk it not steering at the wrong time. Sure, I could heat it up with a mapp torch but really need to solve this eventually.

2013 Big Horn 4Dr extended cab 6.5' bed.

Here is my original thread: Electronic Power Steering can kiss my ass!
 
Ugh, how stupid.

I don't know anything about that system, but "warms up then works" does sound like a bad contact.

Or an unhappy electric motor...can you get to it at all? See if it's overheated/crunchy?

Quick google:
The 125amp fuse is located on the positive battery terminal. It has two little bolts sticking off of it that look like places you can put jumper cables. Consequently, people hook up their jumper cables there, blow the fuse and wind thinking they need a $1000 power steering system. Nope. You just need a $40 fuse. (Still ouch for a fuse.) There is a little 10 amp fuse for the EPS linked to the ECM but I think that has to do with a sensor of some sort. Definitely not the main fuse to the system. I found this out when I accidentally grounded my s**t out fixing a radiator fan. Its horse s**t. Engineers s**k.
Click to expand...

Clean/replace fuse?
 
OOH! That is certainly something to try.

It's a sealed system. Dont think I can get at anything without taking the EPS out.

It acts perfectly fine once it finds itself. No noises or other symptom.

Auto engineers suck. All of this to get rid of a pulley driven power steering in the 1500... which is still in the Ram 2500! I'm sure worth it is to save a fraction of one MPG... Fawking pulley driven PS unit is $250... one tenth the cost.
 
Johann said:
Auto engineers suck. All of this to get rid of a pulley driven power steering in the 1500... which is still in the Ram 2500! I'm sure worth it is to save a fraction of one MPG... Fawking pulley driven PS unit is $250... one tenth the cost.
Click to expand...
Boss comes to engineer saying :
Corporate says you need to reduce MPG.

Engineer goes :
But this will make the product shittier

Boss goes :
Does it reduce MPG ?

Engineer :
Yes

Boss :
Send it

Engineer and boss get a bonus at the end of the year for meeting MPG goals.
 
www.autoserviceprofessional.com

Ram 1500 Recall

This recall applies to 2013-2019 Ram 1500 trucks equipped with electronic power steering (EPS). Some EPS gear assemblies may have been built with a contaminated circuit card assembly...
www.autoserviceprofessional.com www.autoserviceprofessional.com
ram-1500-recall.png

February 25, 2020
This recall applies to 2013-2019 Ram 1500 trucks equipped with electronic power steering (EPS). Some EPS gear assemblies may have been built with a contaminated circuit card assembly that may short circuit.
A short in the control circuit components may result in an intermittent loss of power steering assist. The EPS gear serial number must be inspected and all involved EPS gears must either be exchanged or replaced with an EPS gear that is not contaminated.
EPS gear part numbers are specific to the vehicle build plant. Refer to the first digit of the vehicle VIN.
If the VIN begins with “1,” order EPS gear 68419897AB. If the VIN begins with “3,” order EPS gear 68419892AB. You will also need one steering column intermediate shaft bolt P/N 06508531AA and two outer tie rod end nuts P/N 06506557AA.
A list of the suspected contaminated EPS gears are as follows. The serial number of the EPS gear is found on a gear-mounted label, accessible with the skid plate removed. If the customer’s gear serial number is on this list, the gear must be replaced.
TIC2349A4153
TIC2349A4154
TIC2349A4170
TIC2349A4173
TIC2349A4192
TIC2349A5152
TIC2349A5155
TIC2349A5163
TIC2349A5167
TIC2349A5168
TIC2349A5171
TIC2349A5182
TIC2349C4109
TIC2349C5112
TIC2609A4211
Follow the service procedure in the service manual. Tools required include NPN wiTECH micro pod II, NPN Laptop computer, NPN wiTECH software, 9360 Joint Remover and NPN Steering Wheel Holder.
Click to expand...

Jeff Harrington
April 22, 2021
According to my dealership there is no recall on these
Click to expand...



 

2014 Power steering failure (intermittent)

Seems to happen when it's cold outside (below 40), when I start the truck I get a message "Service Power Steering" on the panel and I have no power steering. When the weather is warmer, I have no issue. Mine is a 2014, but I saw there was a recall on the 2019 Rams for an intermittent power...
www.ramforum.com www.ramforum.com

BTW, this should be where the steering electronic controller is located (see img below). You might inspect the wires and the pins to make sure they aren't corroded, pinched, burnt, corroded internally, shorted, etc. Make sure the controller is getting the signal it needs. (after you've cleaned the batt connections and grounds ..and wiggled all the fuses/relays). Run a ground wire from the body right to the rack.
If that makes no difference, you might also apply some heat underneath the board area to warm up the board on cold days and see if that helps. If it does, then you know you've found the culprit -- an intermittent issue at the controller that changes due to temperature. (which is what I suspect is your case).
If it seems to be temperature related at the actual control module, I would suggest removing the board and take it to someone you know who has a pretty good understanding of electronics. Hopefully it isn't encased in epoxy or resin. I doubt it is. While they may not be able to test it off the vehicle, the majority of electronic issues can be determined by simple inspection (bad/cold solder connections, corroded traces, dried or popped capacitors, failed resistors, burnt circuit board, etc), and basic component testing with general electronic tools. Main IC's and processors are very robust, 99% of the time the problems are what I listed above. Intermittent problems sort of point to solder connections (which expand/contract due to temp changes), or have failed after an estimated 5000+ heat/cool cycles (7yrs x 365 x 2-est ave starts per day) ....or failing transistor/capacitor issues which are also affected by temperature. Outright electronic component failure is generally more difficult to pinpoint ..which isn't your case (one positive you have going for you). Heck, you might find 1/2" of water at the bottom of the housing and the board may be corroded. Then you have your answer.
469266-695e7a8265b41b61a47cd141e59a75d5.png
Click to expand...
 
www.ram1500diesel.com

EPS -Electric Power Steering Problem

Been getting the service power steering message the last couple of mornings and had no power steering. Turning the truck off and on again seemed to fix it. Thought it was the Troque app and OBD bluetooth reader. Disconnected those and thought I had it solved. Started this morning, no message...
www.ram1500diesel.com www.ram1500diesel.com
There is actually 3 fuses off the battery post, aside from the 125 amp power steering, there is a 100 amp for the cooling fan and a 250 amp that feeds the truck.
You can order them online for about $7 each from here: Littelfuse ZCase Single MEGA/Starter Fuses : TheElectricalDepot.com!, Electrical Connectors and Much More!
I have one of each as a back up. Other people have accidentally blown the fuses trying to jump start the truck or another vehicle.
Click to expand...
 
www.ram1500diesel.com

Lost the Power Steering , so I ripped mine a part.

www.ram1500diesel.com www.ram1500diesel.com

Hey guys, Just bought a 1500 ecodiesel in Sept, used 2015 Laramie with 95K km . Truck runs well enough other than that throttle lag ( I noticed when I have tow/haul on I don't have the lag). I first noticed the power steering issue in Oct, we had a cold night ( - 10c) and I didn't have power steering when I went to take off in the morning. After restarting the truck a few times it came back on. I wrote it off as a bug because It didn't come back. Fast forward to November and I was getting power steering failures daily. Yesterday being the worse, I restarted the truck , ripped the connectors a part and took off the fuse over a dozen times. I drove it in as is and got a nice arm workout. Called the dealer, they were not going to do anything for me except charge me $4700 ++++ to put a new one.

I called my local scrapper, fate would have it, he just pulled one out of a rear ended 14 Sport that morning. $500 later and I had the new rack. 45 mins later it was in my ram ( I have a hoist :) ) and no more power steering headaches. This morning was the real test, -18c and power steering was perfect. So Now I have a good rack with a shit board, and yes these boards ARE serviceable. 5 connectors and 7 screws.

I noticed one feedback solder point looks like a cold joint. When I have a bit more time I will re-solder it test it out. For now here is a photo of the board, I've never come across one in my googling, so figured i'd post it.


bad-connection-jpg.jpg

power-steering-board-jpg.jpg
 
you might also apply some heat underneath the board area to warm up the board on cold days and see if that helps. If it does, then you know you've found the culprit -- an intermittent issue at the controller that changes due to temperature.
Click to expand...

It absolutely is affected by heat. My harbor freight heat gun warms it up in about 10 min and its good to go! :flipoff2:Problem will be in a primitive campground where I would need an alternate heat source.
subybaja said:
I noticed one feedback solder point looks like a cold joint. When I have a bit more time I will re-solder it test it out. For now here is a photo of the board, I've never come across one in my googling, so figured i'd post it.


bad-connection-jpg.jpg

power-steering-board-jpg.jpg
Click to expand...
Great pictures to have SB! I didn't realize that cover plate was accessible. I'll get it back from the dealer and crawl under there this weekend.
 
Replacements were hard to find at junkyards at the time. A rebuilt one off of ebay was close to the price of new ones. The recall of later models had made them scarce.

I paid a bunch of money to have it replaced at the local dealer who had a hard time finding one. I found they did not replace the Tie Rod Ends like the TSB requires. Found them in the box when I double checked that my Serial number was not on the recall listMade them do that.

Drove it happily for about a year and a half... Had an accident that totaled the truck. Which sucked for many reasons. It was paid off and they didn't really give me enough to buy something newer. Didn't want to go into debt on a vehicle again

So I bought a 2012 with a cap on the back and a conventional power steering rack! Cap has been really handy for hauling camping stuff. Pocketed $2k to put towards a good mpg travel/commuter car.

FAWK those EPS racks. :flipoff2:
 
75cruisin said:
FIFY

My buddy has an f150 with electric steering that went out and was about $2500 to replace as well I believe.
Click to expand...
I did a rack job on a Fusion, I paid like $900 for a reman rack from the dealer, then I think I even had to program it.
Yeah… these newer vehicles sure are expensive to fix.
 
Bebop said:
Boss comes to engineer saying :
Corporate says you need to reduce MPG.

Engineer goes :
But this will make the product shittier

Boss goes :
Does it reduce MPG ?

Engineer :
Yes

Boss :
Send it

Engineer and boss get a bonus at the end of the year for meeting MPG goals.
Click to expand...

Reduce mpg? :flipoff2:
 
Gdogg said:
I did a rack job on a Fusion, I paid like $900 for a reman rack from the dealer, then I think I even had to program it.
Yeah… these newer vehicles sure are expensive to fix.
Click to expand...
One of my concerns with my 22' F350, all the electronic crap. I need a good old beater truck in the back yard for the end of society.
 
Gdogg said:
Note to myself; don’t ever buy a Ram with EPS.
Click to expand...
IIRC you have to stay 2012 or older in 1500s. 2500s go later but not sure how far.

Or when looking be sure it has had the EPS replaced if it is subject to recall. The SNs of the EPS is on the bottom of it and visible from under the truck
 
I don't think any Ram 2500 or 3500 has electric power steering. My '18 certainly doesn't and I don't recall much without a rack and pinion steering having the electric nonsense. 2500 and 3500 are still solid front axle and old style steering box with linkage.
 
A 2500 truck doesn't have that junk but my 2017 RAM eps went out a few months back and it cost the same. The truck is nearly impossible to drive when the steering goes out, it almost pulled me off the road twice. I was floored at the cost because of how simple a regular power steering pump is.
It will be a huge consideration on my next truck, I hope they figure out how to make exhaust manifolds correctly too.
 
subybaja said:
Bummer about the wreck. Sounds like you came out of it good, though. :beer:
Click to expand...
Came out OK.

Its a less fancy model. The original was a Longhorn. So there has been some regression in features. Most of which I really didnt need. It's got a crappy aftermarket stereo that does not talk to my phone. I kind of liked that for music and talk on long trips. But it does have a CD player!!! :homer:I may try to swap in one of the lower end stock radios. Lots of people upgrade from them on Ram Forum and sell them cheap.

But it had 20k less miles on it. I actually like the remote start feature on the new one. It is nice to get into a vehicle that is already climate controlled. Especially in the Carolina summer heat!

At least I didn't have to deal with the 5.7 rod knock that was starting to get loud on the first one! :lmao:
 
mrshaft696 said:
A 2500 truck doesn't have that junk but my 2017 RAM eps went out a few months back and it cost the same. The truck is nearly impossible to drive when the steering goes out, it almost pulled me off the road twice. I was floored at the cost because of how simple a regular power steering pump is.
It will be a huge consideration on my next truck, I hope they figure out how to make exhaust manifolds correctly too.
Click to expand...
Yeah, me too! Went from a $250 part to a $2500 part! Just nuts.

You could not drive it when it failed. Fortunately mine was failing at boot up so it was either go/no go. I was worried it might konk out on me at speed one day as I had read that happening to others.

I wonder what fraction of an MPG they saved with that one?:clown:
 
Johann said:
Yeah, me too! Went from a $250 part to a $2500 part! Just nuts.

You could not drive it when it failed. Fortunately mine was failing at boot up so it was either go/no go. I was worried it might konk out on me at speed one day as I had read that happening to others.

I wonder what fraction of an MPG they saved with that one?:clown:
Click to expand...

When a regular power assist fails you can still drive the vehicle with some muscle, when the eps fails the harder you turn one way the more it tries to pull back the other way. Mine was intermittent while driving so it was crazy.
 
mrshaft696 said:
When a regular power assist fails you can still drive the vehicle with some muscle, when the eps fails the harder you turn one way the more it tries to pull back the other way. Mine was intermittent while driving so it was crazy.
Click to expand...
Glad you lived! :eek:

Guess I was lucky to have mine act up as it did.
 
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