Upgrade power steering pump?

Well I finally figured out my new to me '99 XJs screatching issue is the bearings in the power steering pump are already bad. The Jeep has 65k miles and yeah kinda pissed about it, or let down. Anyways it screaches at start up and when I turn the wheel the first few minutes when driving...then goes away unless I turn the A/C compressor on then it gets really bad....I mean screatch from hell bad.

So I am needing to get this fixed sooner than later and wondering if I should buy a 123k miles used one off a '97 XJ for $50, or bite the bullet and see if I can find a better one? Just kinda worried about replacing my burnt up 65k mile pump with a 123k mile unit thats supposedly still good. So what are my options? I know they should last a loong time, but after this happening...I don't know.

I know people have replaced an XJ pump with one from a Durango. it's pretty much the same thing only bigger and a little quicker steering lock-to-lock.

Thanks,

I did go to the PSC website and saw their 1200 pump, is this a good unit? Would it be all I needed to replace the stocker? I see all kinds of resovuers and stuff and I got kinda confused to what all I'd need.

Have you checked to insure your "fan" belt is properly tensioned? Sounds (no pun intended) a case of classic belt slip--screeching at start-up, or possibly when turning wheels while at idle and stopped; would include slipping when A/C turned on. I'd check that first before buying new pump.

xjbubba said:

Have you checked to insure your "fan" belt is properly tensioned? Sounds (no pun intended) a case of classic belt slip--screeching at start-up, or possibly when turning wheels while at idle and stopped; would include slipping when A/C turned on. I'd check that first before buying new pump.

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Is the "fan" belt the same as the serpintine belt? If so no... I thought it was my belt, but it looks new and I cannot get the bolt on the idelr pully any tighter and I am a strong guy. So I thought maybe the idelr pully is bad or the belt is stretched, but I don't know.

I just happened to be getting my radiator flushed and the guy doing it looked into my issue and that when he said it was the bearings in my PS pump. I don't know though, but I figured if it does it when turning it must be. He used some sort of stethascope and listened to everything with the nigine running.

BTW, it screaches when I am turning for 5- minutes or so after star up, but this is while moving not just sitting still.

I think I'm having the same problem. My power steering doesn't always work right away when I start up and it usually takes a few seconds of wiggling and inching forward or backward before it kicks in. Also when I turn the AC on after startup it whines like crazy for at least 5 minutes. Is this all related to the power steering pump going bad?

It is the belt. You need to losen the bolt on the front of the ideler pully then tighten the tentioner. (bolt that is behind the pully on an angle) then tighten the front of the pully again.

also check the idler for exessive wobble. I have replaced two this past month both cars had under 71000 miles. The sealed bearing where worn out. The pulley can be had at any parts outlet. They run about $13. Sux being stranded for $13 part. I know. I have been there twice this month.

ZachMan said:

Thanks,

I did go to the PSC website and saw their 1200 pump, is this a good unit? Would it be all I needed to replace the stocker? I see all kinds of resovuers and stuff and I got kinda confused to what all I'd need.

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I put a PSC pump on about 6 months ago and had no issues until it got cold and it started squealing in the morning. After talking to PSC, I took their suggestion and switched to GM cold climate power steering fluid. No problems since.

--Matt

The problem is that the belt is the wrong size for the vehicle. Go buy a new one at a good place, such as Napa, and get it tight, but not too tight. YOur steering pump would not make noise when the A/C is turned on. Don't waste your money on a pump, their bearings don't just go bad and squeal like that.

Jackhill442 said:

The problem is that the belt is the wrong size for the vehicle. Go buy a new one at a good place, such as Napa, and get it tight, but not too tight. YOur steering pump would not make noise when the A/C is turned on. Don't waste your money on a pump, their bearings don't just go bad and squeal like that.

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Thank you, I mean it too.

I will do that and its what I should have done in the first place. I've heard stretched belt, bad compressor, bad PS pump, bad idler pully. I sure hope it is the belt or pully cause this is my 3rd XJ and I have never had ANY problems at all with any of them, especially under 100k, much less 65k.

Well... What was it?

GirlScout1 said:

I know people have replaced an XJ pump with one from a Durango. it's pretty much the same thing only bigger and a little quicker steering lock-to-lock.

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pump or steering box, they are two different things. can't imagine a pump having a quick lock to lock?

Pump cannot change your steering lock to lock turns which is the only way to make it 'quicker'. You can get more assistance from a different pump but your lock to lock turns are determined by your steering box ratio.
Causes of what is know as 'cold lockup' are mostly from not running Mopar steering fluid and using another brand steering fluid or worse still, transmission fluid. The confusion comes from the old pumps that were designed to run on transmission fluid but they no longer do. Any time I have used non Mopar now in my XJ's pump I get cold lockup. Was fine in the beginning and ran proper power steering fluid from another brand for years until I started getting these problems. I researched and found there was no alternative to the Mopar one and after switching to it the pump even 'heeled' itself over the next few weeks until good again. Everything has been going fine until I got a leak in one of the lines and had to substitute some auto transmission fluid of only around 500 mils while on my last trip and the cold lockup returned until I flushed it away as soon as I could get some Mopar again.
Also you can kill the pump bearings by having too much belt tension. Remember you have the right amount of tension when you can twist the belt only 90 degrees and no more or less in the longest run between pulleys.

Gojeep said:

Also you can kill the pump bearings by having too much belt tension. Remember you have the right amount of tension when you can twist the belt only 90 degrees and no more or less in the longest run between pulleys.

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Really, thats a nifty trick, how accurate is this? Also didn't know that about the fluid. Is this for all XJ pumps or just certain years? I have a couple bottles of Redline Syth. ready to put in when I switch boxes and have just been using regular fluid until then. The pump is really squeling now and when cold there is some lcokup as if water is in the fluid and it froze, just a slight hard spot then it goes away.

Weasel said:

Really, thats a nifty trick, how accurate is this? Also didn't know that about the fluid. Is this for all XJ pumps or just certain years? I have a couple bottles of Redline Syth. ready to put in when I switch boxes and have just been using regular fluid until then. The pump is really squeling now and when cold there is some lcokup as if water is in the fluid and it froze, just a slight hard spot then it goes away.

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Without having a belt tension gauge tool, the twist technic is considered to be the most acurate.
I would use the Mopar fluid no matter what the year of XJ but did my research based on 94 on as that is all we have in Australia.