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Power steering-It's harder to turn right than left

pblaze725

pblaze725

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After a hard weekend of abuse I went out to drive the JIMMY & it was harder to turn the steering wheel to the right than it was to turn left.
So I changed my power steering pump, filled up the resistor and tested it out.
It it now even harder to turn right but left is easy breezy.
What is the issue?:dunno:
 
I say your steering gear box has some issues.

I recently had a similar issue after porting my box for hydro assist. Plugged the box after porting it and hooked everything up without the hydro assist and had the same problem as you but a little more exaggerated, as in it would turn left by itself and was like fighting a horse to turn right. Turns out I messed up the spool valve when I ported it.

Also had the same problem a few years ago with a stock gear box. Was driving one day and all the sudden the truck took off to the left by itself and it was a fight to get it back straight. Luckily I was in the parking lot of my college campus on a holiday so I parked the truck there while I found another gear box.

You might have air in the system after changing the pump but the issue started before the pump and I dont see how you could get air in the system without opening the lines.
 
I have the hydromatic booster. I recently changed my master cylinder and break lines. I didn't notice air in the system after the break job. The problem came about after a weekend of moderate with a little bit of hard wheelin'.
How do I get air out of the steering system now?
 
Definitely the steering box. That's the only place that differentiates between left and right. Everything else would present itself in any turning condition.
 
Time for a new steering box eh?
Do you guy's know a good link for step by step process for installing Hydraulic steering assist?
I used the search button but most of the links were old & not available anymore.
I figured when the gear box goes out I would upgrade to Hydraulic assist.
 
pblaze725 said:
Time for a new steering box eh?
Do you guy's know a good link for step by step process for installing Hydraulic steering assist?
I used the search button but most of the links were old & not available anymore.
I figured when the gear box goes out I would upgrade to Hydraulic assist.
Click to expand...

Just use a ported cap on the end, port your sector shaft cap, and run hoses to a ram that's centered with your tie rod. Only issues you might have to address are if your shaft yokes bind before your box reaches it's max...if that's the case you will need to limit the throw on the ram (internally is the preferred way).
 
I have some good pics in my build thread of How I did mine. The JKW end cap is the easy way. Then you just have to drill and tap the top cap on the box.

Get the ram, fittings and lines at Surplus center.com

Kidjethro has a Hydro assist on the cheap thread with lots of step by step and pictures.

I have $150-$175 into mine.
 
Thank you MTBLAZER89 you are Da mang!
I have seen that one before but could not find it.
 
MTBLAZER89 said:
Kidjethros post

Lots of good info here.

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159921
Click to expand...

this is the thread where I got all my info for hydro assist. tons of good info. Ive got less than $100 in my setup but my dad runs a shop that builds hydraulic hoses so I built my own hoses for free and I tapped my own box using a write up from this thread. the only thing I actually had to buy was the cylinder.
 
Thanks guy's. I will be going Hydro assist soon. One thing I didn't see very clear was how the ram was mounted. I saw a diff cover mount but I'm not too sure about that one.
 
pblaze725 said:
Thanks guy's. I will be going Hydro assist soon. One thing I didn't see very clear was how the ram was mounted. I saw a diff cover mount but I'm not too sure about that one.
Click to expand...

Diff cover is fine for strength, although I don't like that it's in your way every time you pull the cover off. I cut off the stabilizer mount and welded in two tabs there instead.
 
I found some more links that show great pics of different ram mount options.I must have had 10 links open at the same time!
I think I will weld some strong tabs to the axle instead of the diff cover.

With regards to the reservoir, I'm thinking of getting a second one and Y the tube that drops down to the pump.:thinking:
I wonder if I can find a single GIANT reservoir about twice the size of the stock one :dunno:.
we'll see...Thanks again guy's for the awesome links, I have enough information to get started.
 
pblaze725 said:
I found some more links that show great pics of different ram mount options.I must have had 10 links open at the same time!
I think I will weld some strong tabs to the axle instead of the diff cover.

With regards to the reservoir, I'm thinking of getting a second one and Y the tube that drops down to the pump.:thinking:
I wonder if I can find a single GIANT reservoir about twice the size of the stock one :dunno:.
we'll see...Thanks again guy's for the awesome links, I have enough information to get started.
Click to expand...

Check out your local junkyards. Izuzu Rodeos and any hydroboost Astro Van/truck/etc have some pretty nice little reservoirs. I used the Chrysler boot for the top of my pump can to connect my additional reservoir to the stock pump one. I've pulled those boots off some Chrysler minivans and even a LeBaron once. The pumps are the same ones as our trucks use, but they end up buried under the firewall in some Chryslers (probably others too), so there's no way to get to the cap to check the PS fluid level. The way you can spot the rigs with those boots easily is to look for a Chrysler with a PS fluid dipstick.

Or you can just use some old radiator hose like a lot of guys do. You don't really need a huge amount more for capacity. I went a little overboard with mine and it holds close to a gallon and has a small tube/fin tranny cooler. I had to cover up the cooler in the winter because it had trouble reaching operating temperature.
 
I saw the ol' radiator hose trick, pretty clever.:waytogo:
I will come up with something kool. I'll put a little "creative ingenuity" into it.
 
The boot says 4333475 and 62243 on it. For my tabs, I just ordered 4 of the 3/8" tabs on diy4x when I ordered my ported cap from Kert. I made a note to make the holes 3/4".

For the ram I used the same surplus center ram everyone talks about and just cut the end off and rewelded it. I was in a hurry and did it with a little 90A flux core and it has not leaked at all or anything.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1301085515.255369.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1301085535.889321.jpg
 
I have a different reservoir: The one separate from the pump.

57.jpg

I was thinking about just installing a second one right next to it.

57.jpg
 
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