Ole Green

I've read that I can swap my factory steering box on my 95 cherokee with one from a 99' Durango 4x4. Has anyone seen that done or did that to a rig? I took my xj to get tie rod ends replaced, tires rotated, and alignment done but still have sloppy steering. It feels like wheel will go side to side a little bit but nothing drastic . Feels like the tires will go a little to the left then have to compensate by turning wheel a little to opposite. The tech said by gear box has play in it. What do I do?

HudsonN

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/du...houghts-84046/

Ole Green

If he old me my gear box had a lot of play in it does it mean its starting to go out? Will this upgraded gear box solve problem with the wandering of my steering?

exjay1027

"So now the effects. I've driven it a few times over the past couple days, and my impression is wonderful. Overall the steering feels tighter, and i can now turn corners using two fingers. The ratio seems tighter also, it only takes 1/2 turn of the wheel to turn a sharp 90* onto a side road, and the truck doesn't seem to want to drift as much side to side. Overall a great mod that I can't wait to test out off-road. It's a lot of work, but well worth it."

rfoley316

I believe I've posted this warning before, but if you are going to an Advanced Auto or anything like that, check out what you get when you order a Durango steering box. I went to do this swap and didn't notice until it was too late that I had an XJ box. Apparently when they send the core back to be rebuild, what is being rebuilt doesn't get looked at they just do it and ship it out as what it came in. So what happened to me was someone did this swap, so they send the XJ core back in the Durango packaging, and I got their rebuilt XJ steering box in Durango packaging.

Ole Green

Will the stock drag link work with a ZJ tie rod or any suggestions to upgrade it? I like the Currie setup but wonder if Currie drag link would work with a ZJ tie rod. Any suggestions or comments?

rfoley316

Yeah the drag links are the same for both, so it will work. I did it and like it, its a cheap upgrade and definitely worth it.

93XJLI

replace it with a reman cherokee box. the durango box is a crapshoot really, and the only noticeable "power" you get from it is that is larger bore so it really just turns slower.

Ole Green

So now I hear that the Durango box is not good? I just want to get rid of the play in the steering, the wandering, and have a tight steering again. I know the lift affects it but with a dual stabilizer it shouldnt have much play in it. Anybody else agree or disagree with the Durango box?

XJwonders

I think Durango box is ideal for those who's running larger tires.

93XJLI

i think its an unnecessary modification. i'm currently running a box with a slightly smaller bore then stock... it is a delphi PSC box so it isnt some off the shelf piece but a larger bore isnt always the answer.

upgrading to a larger bore box without adding more line pressure makes your steering slower. you may "feel" that its more powerful but it really isnt by any measurable amount. the reason so many people love it is bc people replace their beat-to-crap 150k+ mile stock boxes with new ones so they obviously will feel better. if you need more power, get assist.

Ole Green

what is assist?

Atmos

yeah. got mine when I first started building. didn't really know why but it was reman brand new and $80 so I picked it up to replace my leaky one. still dont really know what the upgrade was. I've been thinking about a WJ pump to go with it but that seems to be a crapshoot too

hydraulic assist, ram assist steering. google it

RubberSideUp

Look into the YJ steering box.3:1 Fixed Ratio. Adds 4th mounting bolt too.

93XJLI

yea, i had the durango box and WJ pump on my 93... it seemed like an improvement over what i had, but i was replacing an unknown miles pump and a 170k miles or so XJ box.

this. this actually makes a good difference bc its a fixed ratio and the same size. you'll feel like the steering is "faster" on road and it'll effeminately make a noticeable difference offroad. you dont need to use the 4th hole but its there if ya want to.