steering got real stiff

Hey guys,

I was driving down the highway today and started pulling onto an off ramp when my steering wheel seemed to lock up and wouldn't move. It was only for a few seconds and everything was fine the rest of the way home. I pulled the wheel hard and got steering back, but it was quite stiff. The steering went back to normal shortly after I stopped. I am wondering if anyone has experienced this before? Other things were that I was braking to prepare for the turn and had AC going for the first time it a long while. Any thoughts?

The vehicle is a 1996 Cherokee Sport 2wd 4.0 that my wife and I have owned since new. It has 166,000 miles on it and we try to keep it well serviced. Did I maybe miss something with the power steering?

Thanks

Perhaps the AC was causing the belt to slip and the power steering would be lost also. Have the belt, AC and power steering fluid checked.

JoBo

There are only a few possible explanations for your problem. I list them in order of probability:

1. low on PS fluid
2. belt slipping on PS pump pulley due to insufficient tension
3. contaminants in PS fluid causing binding of spool valve in steering gear

#1 and 2 are pretty easy to check out. For #3, try flushing the old fluid out and replace it. If it still acts up, then a new (replacement) steering box from the boneyard is your best bet. The box is a Saginaw (GM), and are usually pretty reliable (your issue notwithstanding) and can be had real cheap.

Thanks, I'll check it out. I wasn't sure, because the steering was much stiffer than simply loosing the power steering. I could not turn the wheel for a moment.

Sounds like the spool valve. I had one lock up on the trail at the worst possible time and ended up on my roof. As a precaution, pull the return line from the steering box and put it into a bucket. Get a couple of quarts of cheap PS fluid and have someone start the engine. As the fluid purges into the bucket, keep the pump full. That will completely flush the system. I did it on my rig after the problem and I have two years of wheeling on it with no problems. It is a good preventive measure and for a couple of bucks, not a bad price.