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Steering Recommendations

XJIdiot

NAXJA Forum User
Location
CA
Question on Steering Upgrades.

So I have an XJ on 1Tons / 40's, and the steering is tough when not on flat ground. I have a beefed up steering kit, but the pump just can't do it at low RPM, making downhill technical sections tough.

What's the usually upgrade path for power Steering? I've seen some After market high pressure pumps, I've seen the WJ v8 pump upgrade, and I see a few vendors selling ram assists, what's the best route to go?

Thanks!

Greg
 
Some Dodge Durango years have a direct fit gear box that is bigger than stock xj. that is what I used, I have a regular ole AutoZone pump. Very nice steering, I only have 33 inch offroad tires. There are some threads on the Durrango upgrade, do a search. I think I paid 50 bucks for this gear box at pick and pull, very happy!

Be advised to stay away from AGR (Steerco) as a source of parts. They will lie and cheat you, then ignore you. every product I bought from them, and the multiple warrenty repair replacements for which I had to pay shipping, FAILED. The gear box failed within less than 20 miles, the last pump ran for four miles then puked, which was better than the first two!. I had to challenge the credit card charge, and finally got my money back from Master Card, I m happy the parts all failed before I paid the credit card bill, else I would have been out of a lot of cash. The owner Josh did nothing but lie to me on the phone. just stay away from this clown. AGR at one time did have a good reputation but under new ownership of Josh, it is a clown show. Rip Off Alert! I went thru three of their crummy pumps in short order, and the gear box was a real piece of dirt. also Josh added some extra charge to my credit card that he refused to explain.
 
tons and 40s...

my recommendation would be to go strait to assist. youve got a lot of weight putting a lot of force on the sector shaft. a new pump/pulley is just going to give the steering gear a little help fighting those forces, but still probably wont be what you want. assist and a cooler will take a lot of that leverage off the sector shaft and keep the pump happy.

red neck ram is a good budget option i have used.

if i were to do it again i would just get a kit from PSC.
 
Some Dodge Durango years have a direct fit gear box that is bigger than stock xj. that is what I used, I have a regular ole AutoZone pump. Very nice steering, I only have 33 inch offroad tires. There are some threads on the Durrango upgrade, do a search. I think I paid 50 bucks for this gear box at pick and pull, very happy!

Be advised to stay away from AGR (Steerco) as a source of parts. They will lie and cheat you, then ignore you. every product I bought from them, and the multiple warrenty repair replacements for which I had to pay shipping, FAILED. The gear box failed within less than 20 miles, the last pump ran for four miles then puked, which was better than the first two!. I had to challenge the credit card charge, and finally got my money back from Master Card, I m happy the parts all failed before I paid the credit card bill, else I would have been out of a lot of cash. The owner Josh did nothing but lie to me on the phone. just stay away from this clown. AGR at one time did have a good reputation but under new ownership of Josh, it is a clown show. Rip Off Alert! I went thru three of their crummy pumps in short order, and the gear box was a real piece of dirt. also Josh added some extra charge to my credit card that he refused to explain.
 
Do this below.
I have been through the WJ pumps and gearboxes. PSC pump and gearbox all the way.

MH

tons and 40s...

my recommendation would be to go strait to assist. youve got a lot of weight putting a lot of force on the sector shaft. a new pump/pulley is just going to give the steering gear a little help fighting those forces, but still probably wont be what you want. assist and a cooler will take a lot of that leverage off the sector shaft and keep the pump happy.

red neck ram is a good budget option i have used.

if i were to do it again i would just get a kit from PSC.
 
tons and 40s...

my recommendation would be to go strait to assist. youve got a lot of weight putting a lot of force on the sector shaft. a new pump/pulley is just going to give the steering gear a little help fighting those forces, but still probably wont be what you want. assist and a cooler will take a lot of that leverage off the sector shaft and keep the pump happy.

red neck ram is a good budget option i have used.

if i were to do it again i would just get a kit from PSC.

This! Not to mention the crap ton of force the frame around your steering box sees with just the box. Ram assist will make everything happier.
 
Ram Assist all the way. I have had it for 15 years and love it. I have ported over a hundred boxes for it. If you roll your own, it is pretty cheap and simple.
 
Full hydro is illegal on the street. It eliminates the drag link. Therefore if something happens with the engine dying or a hydro line breaks you lose steering.

Their hydro assist is what you want to just help the system (and still be street legal). If something happens you still have manual steering for emergencies(driving down the street).
 
i would take a look at your setup and see where you think you can package a ram first of all. then i would measure for a ram. a 6" might work. you may need 8" or something in between. or maybe more. but you want the ram limited the same as your steering stops so you dont blow the knuckle off the ball joints or king pin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF9IsrSVCUo

i would also recommend a cooler. tube and fin style, not plate. biggest you can fit. it adds capacity and cooling surface area.

also, good fluid is important. i see a lot of people run royal purple. i ran swepco 715, much cheaper. PSC will recommend swepco for any of their pumps or gear boxes. dont run hydraulic oil. ive seen people do this, in a cold environment it can become too viscous to push through the system. seen a few pumps let loose from this.
 
full hydro may or may not be illegal. you have to check your state legislation.

but as a good rule of thumb... a power steering failure with full hydro will leave you stranded and unable to turn. with assist, you will maintain mechanical steering and be able to limp it. if you plan to use the vehicle on the street, assist is also preferred. most orbitals for full hydro dont return to center. and the steering wheel doesnt always end up centered when going strait.

you can also tune the ram size for your use. a bigger ram will create more force at the cost of if being slower (the pump has to displace more fluid). a smaller ram will not be as strong, but will move faster. i personally opted for more speed. running around at the dunes or pulling into a parking spot and trying to turn the wheel faster than the pump would push the ram was annoying.
 
40s on a stock gear? Not gonna last long. Add a cooler at a minimum.

I'm on 33s and will be adding assist in preparing for Dana 44 axles. About to buy the lines and ram

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
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