I replaced the steering gearbox in my daughters 96 Cherokee and now the power steering doesn't work at all. It was very easy to turn the steering wheel with her old gearbox, now it's very hard. So I replaced the pump. No help. So I got a new gearbox and tried it. No change. So I put the old gearbox back in and it is hard to turn. WTF?! We bleed the system with the car jacked up, engine running turning the wheel like 50 times. I'm at a complete loss. Any ideas? The steering box and pump came from Oreiliys. We got a pump from NAPA but the bolt used to install the pully wouldn't screw into the pump so we returned it. The O'Riellys pump was exactly the same as the one from NAPA but the screw worked.

 

Check your lines, its messy but pull them off makes sure the pressure line isn't clogged

 

I'm pretty sure it's not because when we were bleeding the system we had to refill the reservoir a couple time. But I will check just to be sure Thanks.

 

Are you turning complete lock to lock? Idealy the front end should be off the ground, motor running, turning lock to lock 10 times each way, and that should bleed it. I replaced my pump with my new motor install and since my box wasnt emptied I didn't have to bleed it, but once it was all bolted up I had to drive it a while untill the air bubbles worked their way out. Also, just for kicks and giggles, make sure the drag link isn't binding against anything

 

We've turned the wheel lock to lock like 40 times. Also turned the wheels but hand and there was no binding.

 

Only thing I can think of then is that the system just isn't fully bled yet. Maybe even go so far as to disconnect the lines, take a long funnel or a turkey baster and put fluid directly into the gearbox, turn the wheel back and forth a few times, then hook the hoses back up