2002 Jeep steering box

[348tripower]

Just put a new pump on this and it steers fine to the left. No power assist to the right. Any ideas? I'm thinking a new box.

[wayne petty]

more than likely....

could have been a piece of trash that got loose in the system and plugged an opening in the spool valve..  (not easily fixed without a full tear down)

do your friend or customer a favor...  

before you tear the box out...

with the jeep sitting on the floor..  tires straight ahead... wobble the steering wheel back and forth about 3 or 4 inches.. by reaching through the window standing next to the jeep .. while you look at the drivers side tire...   see if the body is moving left and right over the front end..  at all..

there are problems with the track bar end bushing and with the ball joint end up near the steering box.. where slack will become enough that the jeep will enter the Death wobbles at speed...

laying under the front of the jeep while somebody rocks the steering wheel back and forth looking for movement /slack in the track bar ends is a better way to check...

a LOT of shops sell tires,  shocks and steering dampers to eliminate death wobble..  most of the time.. track bar. or the track bar bracket.. or steering linkage end wear.. or even side to side wear in the steering box pitman shaft to case bore...

just thought i will examine other jeep problems..

[jaybee]

Just about has to be a bad valve in the box.

Reminds me of an experience I had with my '69 Cougar. I put a rebuild kit in the power steering control valve on the old-style Bendix linkage p/s. Boy did I come to hate that system.

Anyway, when I started the engine the wheel spun all the way to one side. I gave the wheel a nudge and it spun smoothly to the opposite lock. After a shot test drive the parts must have gotten better acquainted with each other because it steered normally from there on out.

My conclusion was that the bits were worn in such a way that there was a bit of binding in the control valve. Within a few minutes they worked there way around to a place where the clearances were adequate to the task.

Sorry to ramble. Obviously that story has nothing to do with your situation, but it made quite an impression on me at the time.

[348tripower]

Thanks guys. Just what I was thinking. I have already checked out all the other parts. Loosing my butt on this job. :oops:

[wayne petty]

thats not as bad as swapping on a reman steering box only to find it steers backwards....

turn the steering wheel left.. the van steers right..

then trying to convince the bull headed parts store owner that we did NOT install the box wrong.. that it has the wrong worm shaft inside..