[itasor]

I had my 4th Chrysler/Mopar steering box replacement (they all have problems...remanufactured junk) and now it's really hard to turn. This box has too much play just like the other piece of junk ones, but what I mean is that it's physically hard to turn the steering wheel. Almost like I only have 1/2-power power steering.

I am thinking maybe there could be air in the power steering system? The fluid level looks OK though. I don't think they bled the air out though...I think they just put it all back together and filled the reservoir.

I read that I should jack up the front axle, take the power steering reservoir cap off, and turn slowly back and forth. Is this correct? Should I have the engine started or off?

Thanks


EDIT: I thought of another question. It says in my manual to NOT use ATF for the power steering. I think the first 3 times they replaced my steering box, they used ATF, because the fluid that I watched come out the 4th time was red. This last time, they used Mopar power steering fluid (clear-ish). I doubt the steering box replacement gets all the fluid out, so now they are probably mixed together. Is that bad?

[RavenCorax]

engine on
back and forth hold it on full lock for a few seconds then other side full lock repeat about 20 times fluid will bubble up and froth a lil. i bought a $20 honda external transmission filter fo mine works geat as a power steering filter. and yes lift up the wheels makes likes easier

[itasor]

Originally Posted by RavenCorax

engine on
back and forth hold it on full lock for a few seconds then other side full lock repeat about 20 times fluid will bubble up and froth a lil. i bought a $20 honda external transmission filter fo mine works geat as a power steering filter. and yes lift up the wheels makes likes easier

Ok thanks! I have no clue how the power steering system works, so I didn't want fluid to come shooting out of the open cap or anything.

[Stu Olson]

Originally Posted by RavenCorax

engine on
back and forth hold it on full lock for a few seconds then other side full lock repeat about 20 times fluid will bubble up and froth a lil. i bought a $20 honda external transmission filter fo mine works geat as a power steering filter. and yes lift up the wheels makes likes easier

nope....engine off while bleeding air.

With the pump running, you are just churning the large air bubbles (if there are any) into tiny little bubbles and it won't help.

If the pump isn't howling, it is not likely there is air in it. Air trapped int the system as a nasty habit of making the pump sound/run like crap....at least it has every time I've had air in mine.


EDIT: From one of the steering write-ups on my site.....

With the reservoir filled, it was time to bleed the power steering system. First, I let it set UNDISTURBED for a few minutes while I rechecked my work (hose fittings, clamps, mounting bolts, etc.) Now is a great time to discover that you neglected to tightening that one fitting....better now then after it is under pressure and spraying down your engine compartment with high pressure power steering fluid! I wiped down the pump body, reservoir, and all the fittings so that any fluid leak could be easily detected.

Using a floor jack under the center of the front axle, I raised it until one of the tires cleared the ground. WITHOUT STARTING THE ENGINE, I slowly began turning the steering wheel lock to lock. The word SLOWLY is important....it means about 1 revolution of the wheel every 8~10 seconds. Continue to add fluid to the reservoir as necessary. As I slowly worked the steering wheel back and forth, the fluid level rose and fell a bit as the bubbles worked their way out of the lines. After about a dozen lock to lock turns, I checked the reservoir level. I added 6 oz. of fluid to bring it back up to the same point where I initially filled it. I did another half dozen lock to lock cycles. The fluid level barely changed compared to before. Time to check for leaks.

There were no signs of leaks on the new fittings I had installed. Satisfied that no obvious problems existed, I pulled the wire that connects the ignition cable to the distributor. (for you distributorless TJowners, you will have to skip this step). With the engine guaranteed not to start, I switched on the ignition key and let the engine crank for about 10 seconds. After cranking the engine, I did another half dozen lock to lock cycles with the steering wheel. I then checked the level in the reservoir. It had not changed. Looks good....time to start the engine.

There was a NO noise from the power steering system. I let the engine idle while I checked the reservoir fluid. Using a bright LED flashlight to illuminate the inside of the reservoir, I made certain that there was no small bubbles or foam showing up. Nothing....crystal clear the fluid was. Just what I was hoping for.

With the engine at about 1200 RPM, I slowly cycled the steering wheel in both direction, lightly contacting the wheel stops. All still sounded great. If the pump begins to get noisy (whines or growls), turn the engine off and let the system set for about 15 minutes. Air in the system will cause the pump to groan and the fluid level will rise when the engine is turned off. Lots of tiny bubbles in the reservoir is a good sign of trapped air in the system. Repeat the above steps until your power steering is operating normally.

With the engine now turned off, I spent a few minutes putting some of my tools away. Another check of the power steering fluid indicated no change in the level, which was good. Since the reservoir has no dipstick attached to the cap (like the stock reservoir does), I wiped a small screwdriver clean and used it. I wanted to make certain I had enough fluid in the reservoir but not so much that it would overflow when the fluid came up to operating temp (or more when the day was spent playing on the rocks and trails). I set the level in mine to about an inch below the baffle plate. This makes for several inches of fluid over the top of the filter and the AN fitting that Troy welded. You don't want the pump to ever suck air and you don't want it to overflow from expansion either.

[itasor]

Thanks Stu! I did read your steering box write-up and see that engine is supposed to be off. I already read to have it on on another site, so I figured I would double check. I will leave it off while I do it.

My pump is not making any odd noises or sounds. I figured I try the air thing anyway just to see if it did anything (can't think of how it would hurt).

I don't think they are going to keep putting steering boxes in my Jeep, so now I will have to figure something out. Maybe I can talk to Mopar and get some sort of refund or something and then get a PSC box. I already tried 4 of the Mopar reman ones (1st was loose, 2nd leaked, 3rd the output shaft was loose, 4th has play and is too hard to turn).

[mrblaine]

Originally Posted by RavenCorax

engine on
back and forth hold it on full lock for a few seconds then other side full lock repeat about 20 times fluid will bubble up and froth a lil. i bought a $20 honda external transmission filter fo mine works geat as a power steering filter. and yes lift up the wheels makes likes easier

You do know that if you have a stubborn steering gear and do this, you just smoked your pump, right?