Power steering gone on '00 T&C

Hi All,
The power steering on my 2000 Town and Country stopped working this
morning. The van had been running fine but all of a sudden the PS was
gone, there were no strange noises when it occurred. Didn't get a
chance to check the fluid yet but I thought there'd be a shrieking
noise if it were out of fluid. Any thoughts on what else might be
causing this?

Can damage be caused by driving the van w/the PS like this?

Thanks for any info!

Daniel G. wrote:

> Hi All,
> The power steering on my 2000 Town and Country stopped working this
> morning. The van had been running fine but all of a sudden the PS was
> gone, there were no strange noises when it occurred. Didn't get a
> chance to check the fluid yet but I thought there'd be a shrieking
> noise if it were out of fluid. Any thoughts on what else might be
> causing this?
>
> Can damage be caused by driving the van w/the PS like this?
>
> Thanks for any info!


Don't drive any further until you can verify that the BELT is still in
place. The belt likely also turns the alternator and (on many engines)
the water pump, so if the belt is broken you may overheat the engine
and/or drain the battery. If its not the belt, then its a hydraulic
problem and you can continue to drive without any immediate damage. But
something may be damaged if you continue to drive it too long this way.
(PS pump running dry, for example)..

pump bad or belt flung off

"Daniel G." wrote:

> Hi All,
> The power steering on my 2000 Town and Country stopped working this
> morning. The van had been running fine but all of a sudden the PS was
> gone, there were no strange noises when it occurred. Didn't get a
> chance to check the fluid yet but I thought there'd be a shrieking
> noise if it were out of fluid. Any thoughts on what else might be
> causing this?
>
> Can damage be caused by driving the van w/the PS like this?
>
> Thanks for any info!