My WJ's power steering seems to be okay, but I can't turn the wheels at all without threatening to snap something with the engine off and the jeep stopped. If I jack it up with both wheels hanging free, I can just about turn them, but it's difficult. If I'm rolling and I turn the engine off, it turns hard, but I can steer it off the road. Is this normal or is something wrong with my steering box? It works fine with the engine on. The pump moans a bit when turning the wheels when I'm stopped.

Is there something wrong or am I obsessing over nothing? My '87 Chevy 4X4 was worse. If the engine died, it was almost impossible to get it off the road!

My '97 ZJ you could turn them by grabbing the tire when doing the brakes. With the WJ, it's easier to start the engine to do this.

 

Hope it's nothing too major cause my WJ does the exact same thing. I worried about it for a while after I got it, because my XJ doesn't seem near as difficult to turn without power...but I just accepted it as different but fine.

 

Yeah, that's what I figure. I guess I shouldn't worry about it until it quits entirely. I'd just like a little warning, that's all. The only problem is, this is my only vehicle and if I have to get it fixed, it'll have to be right away. My finances won't support another vehicle.

The design of the steering boxes of Jeeps and Chevy trucks must be way different. My truck (4X4) used to spin back almost straight if you let go off the wheel in a turn. Mopars don't do this and I thought it was a difference in the caster angle. It's not because they are both 7*. What happened? All of a sudden, my cat walked across the keyboard and I started typing italics! When the pump went in my Chevy, I was able to drive it home after disconnecting the 2 hoses. Barely. What a mess THAT made!