Power steering fluid spewing in the rocks

[DeftwillP]

Gee...I wonder where he can find someone to do that?

 

[old_man]

I'm not doing that anymore.

 

[DeftwillP]

Oh that's a shame. I love my rebuilt box with wj pump.

 

[travisk]

My power steering is still fading in the big rocks or after long stints locked in 4-low. It also loses a little bit of fluid when it gets really hot.

I've already fixed the high-pressure hose leak and swapped the fluid.

What should I do next? Replace the pump or add a cooler?

 

[donthelegend]

Add a cooler. Sounds like you are only having issues when really taxing the system so a cooler should take care of things.

 

[cal]

what they said. you need a cooler.

i have a dozen or so in the garage trav if you wanna swing by and steal one.

 

[travisk]

Thanks Cal. I will swing by.

 

[markw]

Mine used to do that with 33's. Fluid would get hot and burp out the cap or the box would fade. I had a durango box with stock pump. I took the stock box from the jeep and sent it to west texas offroad, had them rebuild it and tap it for hydro assist. The ram they used looks identical to the PSC ram. Whole system was 499 + shipping, which got the box rebuilt, tapped, lines ram and hardware.

When I inquired about a cooler, they told me to only put one on if I was having over heating issues. Otherwise it adds extra bends in the system, and on 33's he doubted I would overheat the PS fluid.

This last trip to swamp lake was the first with hydro assist, love it. No issues with steering, it turned easy in the rocks, and I kept an eye on everything for leaks, no leaks, no burps.

The other thing to consider, is that with hydro assist you remove a lot of the stress from the box, frame rail and trackbar. The ram does all the work, the box is just along for the ride. They told me to use the stock box as there's less volume for the pump to fill.

 

[rockclimber]

When I inquired about a cooler, they told me to only put one on if I was having over heating issues. Otherwise it adds extra bends in the system, and on 33's he doubted I would overheat the PS fluid.

that's bad advice. get a cooler. your pump is working even harder now that it is pushing another piston.

 

[markw]

I'm keeping an eye on it. 14 miles of swamp lake and it steered very easily in the rocks and didn't heat up. The ram does all the work, the steering box is just along for the ride now, which is the reason he said to use the stock box. My PS pump is above the full line when cold. I had issues on sidewinder with the durango box and stock pump. If I was running 37's or something it'd be a different story, but I'm on 33's, with lots of backspacing. Look up SAI, it also makes a difference in how much force is required to turn the tires.

There's a reason I called Matt at West Texas Offroad, mainly because that's what Dustin uses in the comp rigs and both Dustin and Dallas said they had really good luck and that Matt knew what he was doing. Otherwise I would've called you.

 

[rockclimber]

The ram does all the work, the steering box is just along for the ride now, which is the reason he said to use the stock box.

whatever helps you sleep at night

 

[stockerwithalocker]

The other thing to consider, is that with hydro assist you remove a lot of the stress from the box, frame rail and trackbar. The ram does all the work, the box is just along for the ride. They told me to use the stock box as there's less volume for the pump to fill.

Mark, the trackbar still reacts load, and probably more now that your steering input force is greater with the hydro ram. I agree the box does less work, but the drivers side of the unibody still has to react the load from the trackbar.

 

[markw]

True, I am able to put it against a curb and push it sideways. That will put some stress on the trackbar. I did upgrade to the clayton trackbar and mounts when I did this. One comment Blaine made was "I did this because I got tired of ripping track bar brackets off the frame..."

It does lessen the load on the trackbar as the force of moving the wheels is concentrated on the axle vs the force of moving the wheels and moving the body. I joke about busting a knuckle now.

 

[DeftwillP]

thread bump:
I've had continued ps leaks since making this mod. Just a slow leak while the jeep sits for weeks on end. I finally decided to yank it off and fix that as well as hooking up the return line to the correct port and adding a cooler.

I figured that the leak is most likely from the connection between the reservoir and the pump. Once I got it all degreased and apart I found what's in the pictures below. The connecting piece and orings hardly "fill" their respective holes. I was thinking about just doping it up with a ton of black rtv when reassimbling.

Your thoughts?

 

[DeftwillP]

Bump....anybody have any idea on how tight that should be?

 

[831_xj]

Mine was relatively "snug" no leaks.. I wouldnt see why some RTV would hurt. Just let it cure a good while before you fill it or run it. I'd say like overnight

 

[souske]

Why not try some o rings with a larger section area, rather than using RTV

 

[XJ_Rudolph]

bring all that to ACE and go into their Oring section and just keep trying different ones untill you find two that fit perfectly.

 

[yossarian19]

The o-ring fit "snug" from the factory and shrank down until it started leaking.
Replace the o-ring with one that fits snugly in place with moderate force reassembling it all by hand. Viton, I think, has higher temperature resistance than what was probably OE and for an extra 50 cents, you may as well put Viton O-rings in there.

 

[DeftwillP]

Hmmm...my local ace closed. There's one close to my office. Perhaps I can swing by there tomorrow and check it out.