Really Really light steering

[offrd3]

So I replaced my steering box the other day in my 98 jeep Cherokee that is stock. With 170 thousand miles on it it had some slop and the pitman arm shaft had a good bit of movement in it.

But now I have tried two different reman boxes one from Napa and one from advanced auto, both have zero slop in them but the steering is really really light now, like so light I can turn the wheel when stopped with my pinky easily from lock to lock. My original steering box had quite a bit of a heavier feeling. I don’t know what to do because both boxes had the same result. Will the new box get heavier over time? I’m very confused at this point.

 

[Elcapitano]

sounds like you fixed the issue and you arent happy with it.

 

[crimsondragon]

The whole idea of power steering is to make it easy to turn the wheel. Eventually as the components in the box wear down again, it will get harder. Don't see what the issue here is.

 

[lazyxj]

My original steering box had quite a bit of a heavier feeling. I don’t know what to do because both boxes had the same result. Will the new box get heavier over time? I’m very confused at this point.

Rebuilt boxes, from the big rebuilders, is a crap shoot, you never know what you will get. Steering effect is primarily a function of the torsion rod. They come in many sizes, who knows which one will come in your next rebuilt.
I recently installed a new big piston box, from PSC, and it has the same characteristics; extremely light steering...hated it until the first time I spent several days off-roading. Now I like it a lot better.

If you have a worn steering box that you like the feel of, send it out to Tommy Lee or another small rebuilder and have it done right.

Naxja member 'old man' has been rebuilding boxes for years.
Tom Houston
Loveland, Colorado
970-391-8927

 

[offrd3]

If I had bigger tires I could see how this would be great but I don't and it just seems like it is unsafe as there is no road feel whats so ever. As for my wondering issue it is completely gone with the new box so that was def. mi issue. I’m going to take it down to Napa today and let the guy experience it maybe I can get my money back and hopefully he still has me core then get a mopar box, it sucks to have to spend the extra money but to be safe it’s worth it.

 

[nick86]

So you fixed you heep & now it drives like a brand new one & your gonna go to Napa & bitch about it? I would love to be the manager of that store, so I could tell how big of an idiot you must be.

 

[Pelican]

The extremely light steering with no road feel that offrd3 has described is not "like brand new". It is not safe and he is not an idiot to try to correct it.

I don't know whether it is realistic to expect better steering response from a commercially rebuilt box but I had essentially the same experience when I replaced the box on my 85 many years ago. The bad news was that the 85 pretty much had what I always described as "numb-nuts" steering from the get-go.

If time permits, I would consider expressing the original box to old_man for rebuilding as suggested by lazyxj, assuming,of course, that it can be retrieved.

 

[ParadiseXJ]

I can easily turn the wheel on my 90 XJ with 240K on the same box with my pinky (and by pinky, I hope you mean your little finger).

 

[offrd3]

So I spoke with the owner of the Napa by me today and he looked at it and said the same thing that it’s really easy to turn the wheel. So we decided to give it a week and see if it fixes its self. He also said he was going to call the manufacture and see what they have to say. But in the end he said it’s under warranty and he will get another replacement box for next week.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Older Cherokees seem to have had much lighter steering than later ones. My 87 would go from lock to lock with little more than a good heave. When I replaced the worn out box on my 95 with the one off an 89, I got the same change, steering light as a feather. The original 95 and the 99 were both much stiffer. When I replaced the 99's worn out box with one from a 96 it did not change to a softer steering.

I don't know what you can do unless you can be sure you are getting the right box rebuilt to the right specs. I don't know whether the difference in years is inherent in the box or in the rebuild. Either way, since they're indistinguishable and fit all years, you may just have to keep trying until you get a good one.

 

[offrd3]

Ok so I fix the whole light steering today. I got an original stock box from another 98 jeep Cherokee for $27 I then took the torsion rod out of that box and put it in my new reman Napa steering box. It was actually really easy and made it feel heavy just like it did with my original steering box. It kind of sucks but if I knew I would have taken torsion rod out of my stock box before I turned it in as a core, but at least I didn't have to get a dealer steering box since that’s big money. But thank you all for your responses cause I would have never known about the torsion rod without you guys, thanks again.