Steering box mods?

[CherryK5]

I know this has been discussed before but i couldn't find anything.(search functions is useless)

What is the easiest way to add more power to my steering without ram assist? a buddy of mine has a k5 and his steering is ridiculously easy, you can literally spin the wheel like it isn't connected to anything. I'm absolutely dumbfounded, he doesn't know what the previous owner did to it but i cant figure it out. Its a stock pump and gearbox. but he had to have modified it somehow.

Any ideas?

 

[4X4HIGH]

There are standard ratio boxes and also variable ratio boxes so maybe your buddy has a different one than you do. There isn't anything that you can do to the steering box BUT there is to the steering pump. WTO (West Texas Offroad) has a write up on their website about what and how to do the mod to the pump.

Here's a link. http://westtexasoffroad.homestead.com/powersteering.html

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

IME, a good working pump is MUCH, MUCH more worthwhile than modifying what you have. I tried modifying my relatively new pump years back and while it was better than what it was, I eventually went to a new OEM spec pump and it blew both out of the water.

 

[454 blazer]

Check the size of the pulley on your steering pump........small means easier steering as the revoutions are more than a big pulley.

Cheers.

 

[Fordum]

I posted this somewhere here before, but here goes again.

When you turn the wheel, the force you feel is not exactly the force turning the wheels. What you are feeling is a spring, actually a torsion bar, that is "between" you and the steering.
When you turn the wheel, that bar transfers your force to the part that turns the outside arm.
If the force needed to move the arm is less than the torsion bar's strength, then the arm moves, and the wheels turn.
If, however, it takes more force than the strength of the t-arm, which is most of the time, then the t-arm begins to twist slightly.

This lets the two pieces of the steering which normally would move at the same time to get slightly out of alignment.
This opens a valve which allows the pressure from the pump to assist with the turn.

As soon as the pieces realign, the valve closes. As you continue to turn, the valve "chases" your turn staying open just enough.
So, up to the limits of your assist, you never feel more than the t-bar.

If your system is having problems with being strong enough to turn your wheels, then upgrading the pump, pulley, or installing a steering unit with a bigger cylinder will help.
But, you will never get totally effortless steering, you will always be twisting the bar.

What happened to your friend's truck is the same thing that happened to a service truck I used to drive.
The t-bar has cracked. This lets the valve open as soon as you start to turn the wheel. Its like driving a video game.

The downside is, you get no feedback to tell you when something is hung. With enough assist, you can snap parts if the tire is hung solidly.

There are companies that will modify a box by installing different thicknesses of t-bars to give you more or less feel.

I said that in my other post, but had no links to offer. Only a memory of calling a shop up 25 years ago and getting a quote on doing a box for my truck.
Never did, don't remember why now.

So, I started looking for a place to post here.

This outfit seems to do it. http://www.cjrproducts.com/

I found them in this article:
http://www.circletrack.com/chassistech/ctrp_0408_power_steering_systems/index.html

The information you need is about 3/4 of the way down.

If that stupid banner pops up and you can't get past it, reload the page, and have your cursor on the stop loading button on your browser.
It takes a second for the popup to appear. As soon as you see the page, stop the loading and you should stop the popup.

I am sure that there are other places, now that you know, keep looking. Or just call CJR and see what they can do for you.

I know nothing about them other than what I read in the links I posted.

 

[CherryK5]

I posted this somewhere here before, but here goes again.

When you turn the wheel, the force you feel is not exactly the force turning the wheels. What you are feeling is a spring, actually a torsion bar, that is "between" you and the steering.
When you turn the wheel, that bar transfers your force to the part that turns the outside arm.
If the force needed to move the arm is less than the torsion bar's strength, then the arm moves, and the wheels turn.
If, however, it takes more force than the strength of the t-arm, which is most of the time, then the t-arm begins to twist slightly.

This lets the two pieces of the steering which normally would move at the same time to get slightly out of alignment.
This opens a valve which allows the pressure from the pump to assist with the turn.

As soon as the pieces realign, the valve closes. As you continue to turn, the valve "chases" your turn staying open just enough.
So, up to the limits of your assist, you never feel more than the t-bar.

If your system is having problems with being strong enough to turn your wheels, then upgrading the pump, pulley, or installing a steering unit with a bigger cylinder will help.
But, you will never get totally effortless steering, you will always be twisting the bar.

What happened to your friend's truck is the same thing that happened to a service truck I used to drive.
The t-bar has cracked. This lets the valve open as soon as you start to turn the wheel. Its like driving a video game.

The downside is, you get no feedback to tell you when something is hung. With enough assist, you can snap parts if the tire is hung solidly.

There are companies that will modify a box by installing different thicknesses of t-bars to give you more or less feel.

I said that in my other post, but had no links to offer. Only a memory of calling a shop up 25 years ago and getting a quote on doing a box for my truck.
Never did, don't remember why now.

So, I started looking for a place to post here.

This outfit seems to do it. http://www.cjrproducts.com/

I found them in this article:
http://www.circletrack.com/chassistech/ctrp_0408_power_steering_systems/index.html

The information you need is about 3/4 of the way down.

If that stupid banner pops up and you can't get past it, reload the page, and have your cursor on the stop loading button on your browser.
It takes a second for the popup to appear. As soon as you see the page, stop the loading and you should stop the popup.

I am sure that there are other places, now that you know, keep looking. Or just call CJR and see what they can do for you.

I know nothing about them other than what I read in the links I posted.

Holy cow, i love you. That is exactly how his feels. I'm not gonna lie, it's amazing to drive, but from the sounds of it it isn't safe. so i'll just do it the safe way. pulley, pump, and maybe a new t-bar

 

[Fordum]

What was really freaky about the truck I was driving, it was our sign truck.
No boom, but it had a large rack that went from the back of the truck, all the way out just past the hood, and as wide as the pickup its self.
You could park next to a sign, or put the nose toward the sign and have a full width expanded metal platform to walk around and work on.

But, when you were driving it, the platform extending over the hood, sorta limited your view even though it was expanded metal and you could see through it.

Then you had the two posts coming down at the front corners.
All this gave you a framed view out the windshield.

Combine that with totally effortless steering, and you would swear you were doing a video game.
It was like Doom. Turn the wheel, and see the viewpoint change.

If you turn the wheel fast, and the load you feel does not go too high, then your pump is probably doing ok.
Remember, as you twist the t-bar, it starts to open the valve. But if you crank it harder than that amount of opening can supply enough fluid to compensate, then you will twist the t-bar farther to open the valve more.
And, since its a spring, you will feel more resistance the farther you twist it.

That does not mean that your pump is not doing a good enough job.
But, if the force spikes really high, then that means that the valve has opened as far as it can, and there is not enough force and/or volume to get the job done.

If you read the circle track article, you will notice that the newer drivers want more feedback so they can tell how the loads are building up on the car.
The drivers that have been driving for a while generally want less force, because they are more knowledgeable about the car and less exertion is more valuable than the feedback.

So, having a really light t-bar is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you remember that the ratio between the amount of force you feel and the amount that is being applied to your steering system has changed greatly.

Even one as light as your friend's as long as you remember to pay attention to the other cues. Frame groaning, popping sounds, as you try to turn.

In his particular case however, he needs to remember the loss of feedback is not what he needs to be concerned about.
Unless he had the t-bar replaced, what he is feeling is a malfunction. Something, probably the t-bar, has broken in his steering box with all that that implies.

It should no longer be considered reliable or necessarily safe to drive. It may be, but just like a sudden noise in a transmission, rear end, or engine, it needs to be checked out.

If you decide to go custom t-bar, be sure to post your results and impressions. This is the second or third time I have answered questions about reducing steering force, and so far this is as far as it has gone.

I would like for someone to actually make the change and post costs and results.
Plus find someone who will build you whatever force box you want.

CRJ sounds like a good starting place, but the more resources the better.