how can you tell if the power ram in the steering system is bad? not sure when the last time it was replaced. if it is worn/bad would it cause slop or excess play in the steering wheel?
A bad power cylinder should not cause play in the steering. If it is very weak, it may keep the power assist from coming in strong, but there shouldn't be any play.
Other than the obvious checking for leaks at the rod seals and hose fittings, the way to check if the cylinder itself is in good shape is to disconnect the hoses from the cylinder, remove the rod end from the frame, move the rod in and out of the cylinder, and pump all the fluid out.
Cover both hose ports with your finger tips, then try to pull the rod in and out. On a good cylinder, you should feel strong suction on your fingers and the rod should barely move. A fair cylinder will let the rod go in and out a bit, but very slowly with the ports closed off. If the rod moves in and out with little resistance,then the piston inside the cylinder is worn and the cylinder will have to be replaced. It is a welded and sealed unit, so this can't be easily repaired.
If you have to get a replacement, try for a quality rebuilt original. If not, get the new repro from Stainless Steel Brakes. Don't recommend the other USA made repro. Don't bother with the Flaming River import.
I always thought they just failed catastrophically -- no working or gushing fluid. Someone may know better, but I would look elsewhere for slop.
Stanger has a good site (www.stangerssite.com) for power steering issues, and he rebuilds various steering components.
There are a lot of opinions in this forum as to what can be expected out of the power steering. Some people give up on them and go with a rack and pinion, the best of which are quite pricey. Others say that you can get acceptable performance with good parts and installation. But how acceptable?
I'd very much like to hear from someone who really likes their stock or near stock power steering system.
One guy I know really likes his stock setup. I pulled mine off and went to manual because I was sick off all extra hoses and junk. My setup was leaking and needed to be refreshed. I decided that if the integral power steering box ever comes out, I'll go back to back to power steering then and put a hydro boost on at the same time.