1987XJ

I have replaced the power steering pump, the hoses and put a new steering box and i still have ant power assist. Any ideas what it could be?

baxj89

Have u bled the power steering system if not u have air in the system could be the cause

Gee oh Dee

^^This

Moved to OEM tech.

Roger Dupras

Hi I know this is a old post but I I'm going through the same problem. I've replaced the power steering pump and lines and steering box and have no power steering until around 1500 rpm but nothing at idle. Just wondering if you figure out what the problem was.

RocketMouse

We might need a little more description of your issue... Any pump noises, any binding as you turn the wheels left and right? you mentioned installing new gearbox...also make sure you've got your drop pitman arm fairly centered too.
Fluid level? Correct tension on the accessory belt?
There are a number of things we need to systematically nail down to get at the root of your problem.

RocketMouse

Also.... is it a reman PS unit? Those have been known to be garbage out of the box sometimes.

Roger Dupras

There's no noise from the pump. No binding. It's a new rebuilt pump. The power steering lines are new the steering box is new. I've bleed the system many times. I took my compressor and blown out the lines to make sure there's no blockage. Still Have no power steering at idle. But start getting power steering around 1500 rpm. The only thing that I haven't changed is the power steering pump pulley.

lawsoncl

The "rebuilt" pump is most likely bad. The quality of the rebuilts are horrible. I still need to replace the Cardone rebuilt I put in that's got poor assist and really noise when it's cold.

Roger Dupras

That's what I was thinking. So I bought it back and got another one still the same problem. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Anyway the pulley could be slipping on the shaft? The belt is tight. I was thinking of replacing the pulley. I'm running out of ideas.

RocketMouse

What year is your XJ?
Often times people will refer to it as the PS pump pulley...but it's actually an idler pulley. If the tension is too tight that could cause problems for all of the parts from your crank to waterpump, alternator, a/c.
If the idler pulley bearing is going south you'd probably hear an audible squeal. If you have a mechanic's stethoscope you could tell for sure. And really you could check the rest of the bearings on accessories for everything under the hood.
As the PS pump assembly itself... is it possible that the bearing is just bad on it? Could be. just take the belt off and check for level of resistance.
Also check for any leaks in the system. down the back, at the lines... at the box.

May sound obvious...but sometimes it's the little things that will bite us in the butt the most...
Double check the tension on that belt too. If yours is a standard XJ with the a/c compressor in place... you should have about a single 90 degree turn in the belt for the correct tension on that pulley. Tighter than that... it could cause part of your issue or at least would be shortening the lifespan of your belt and accessory bearings too.

Roger Dupras

It's a 1998. Yes definitely not idle pulley. Everything is brand new on the power steering and the belt isn't too tight. I check that.

awg

Is there any reason people dont rebuild their own ?

Is a kit available ?

I have rebuilt power steering boxes in the past...its a complicated job, which takes a lot of care, and an inch-pound dial torque gauge.

If there is wear in the two main steering parts, they cannot be re-used

Morat

Some of the new ones are rubbish too. My crown was bad out of the box

Roger Dupras

Yeah it's pretty sad when you try to replace worn parts with new parts and there worse than the old parts you take off. So frustrating. 🤬

OldTires

I went through the same thing. Pump died. Replaced with a reman that last 1 year, until I had to replaced the gearbox, then the pump died while I was driving. The pump only assisted when the rpms where over 1500. All these steering parts are low quality hit or miss. My guess is you got 2 bad pumps in a row.

Or the first pump went bad, exploded, and sent metal shavings all into the gearbox. Then when you installed the second pump, the metal shavings killed that one too.

The other possibility is you got a bad gearbox too. Did you turn the gearbox before installing it? Just to feel the rotation of the piston and output shaft? With the gearbox off the Jeep, if you put the pitman arm on the output shaft you should be able to swing it side to side. It should feel smooth. Tough but smooth. If you can't turn if by hand, try using some pliers on the input shaft and turn it side to side. If it's really tough to turn then the gearbox is the problem.