Aftermarket Stearing

[koda279]

I have an 84 Grand Wagoneer and whenever im wheeling my power steering pump starts squealing and whining bad. Is there an aftermarket solution for this if so where do i find it. Ive heard of people adding power assist rams also but im not finding anything...

[Jjkage84]

A lot of people get rid of the drag link and swap in a Chevy S10 steering box. Don't know if that'd help or not.

[tndonor]

I cant speak as to the pump issue. A little more information about your rig would be helpful. Tire size, type of wheeling, etc

A hydraulic assist which uses a single ended hydraulic ram is used in conjunction with the power steering box. Search for hydraulic assist steering and you should come up with loads of info and vendors. Unless you have larger tires and are wedging them in rocks and roots, it could be overkill for what you need.

[Tad]

A lot of people get rid of the drag link and swap in a Chevy S10 steering box. Don't know if that'd help or not.

I'm a bit confused sometimes but I don't think getting rid of the drag link is what you meant.
Unless you are running full hydro it's sort of needed to make the tires turn left and right.

[Jjkage84]

Oops, I meant Rag joint. I don't know where drag link came from. Too much kool-aid last night :-\

[carnuck]

Change the fluid and put in real PS fluid and not ATF. I had to do the same with my Comanche.

[Gumby]

X2^^

[koda279]

I will Try flushing it first... I'm running 33/10.5/15 km2's and only have the issue when rock crawling. I'm running open diffs so i don't do anything too extreme but i have got in situations where I was revving the engine trying to steer on a big rock.

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[serehill]

I would bet a magic flushing will do nothing. These power steering systems work very well when they are correct. The squealing is from a belt slipping either because the pump is locking or the belt is loose. I would bet the pump or steering box or both are junk. Hydraulic is not a good all around steering system the rams are a little erratic on the street.

I certainly agree with Tad I've done the S-10 conversion & I didn't remove the drag link. You could go left & right at the same time. LOL.
I couldn't resist comment even though I see now he corrected it to rag joint. There's nothing a rag joint could do to do this either. I know there's a lot of articles on changing the rag joints the first one lasted 30 years I'm going to be good with #2 it will be around longer than me.

In my opinion you don't need after market you just need to fix what you have. Replace the pump & if that doesn't take care of all of it change the box. These billy goats have been using these systems for 40 years.

[68glad]

What you are doing in the pic is asking too much of the stock pump. No matter how hard you crank on the wheel it just won't turn. A new pump and box will do the exact same thing. I would first try adding a shim described in step 3. http://westtexasoffroad.homestead.com/p ... ering.html If that didn't work and you or someone you know can weld, by all means tap your box and add a ram no bigger than 1.5". There is no delay in steering and your pump will stop yelling at you. A 2" is way too big and will have a delay.

edit: i'd think if it was as simple as a squealing belt you would smell rubber. What your probably hearing is the pump bypassing because it can't supply the pressure to do what you want it too.

[Stuka]

You should not go and try and turn while your wheels are up against a rock, something will ultimately break.

With that said, hydro-assist will solve the issue. But so will being careful with where you put your tires, and only turning while your are moving.


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[serehill]

I do agree with Stuka on that point. Build one of many weak links causes the next weak link to show up. Exceeding limitations are the recipe for disaster. Learning limitations & dealing with it are far more desirable & fun. Ball joints, axles, housings gears, Transfer cases, Transmissions & tires are all next in line. A good spotter & working with what you have will prevail. You will determine how many fails it takes to learn that. Your rig looks like it is not just a rock rig. If it is a rock rig then the side effects of all the modifications don't matter. If it's a road warrior then the mods have side effects. It's far cheaper to deal with the limitations than do a bunch of modifications & find you still have to deal with limitations. You'll never beat up a rock with a Waggy. Rocks win.

It's kind of like going to the Doctor & saying Doc it hurts when I do that. The doctor says "Don't do that".
Ironically sometimes it can be that simple.

Just my opinion & 2 cents.
Outsmart the rock.

[koda279]

Thank you i appreciate all the advice.. I think i will steer away from a hydro assist for now but i do still think i not getting all the power i should out of my power steering.. what about putting a stronger pump on her. i know i ran the same trail in other rigs and they did not have any trouble so i dont think im asking too much of her. it just feels like it doesn't have the power it should it just locks up really easy... any ideas?

[Tad]

AFAIK the most powerful pump you can install is from a 74-77 FSJ with a 401 (same pump as a 77 Caddt SD) you will have hose/fitting changes for an 80's rig, after that is the West Texas pump mod.
I run 37's and have not had to do that but I also do not try to turn into rocks when stopped.

Quick question, may not apply:
Are you running hydroboost?

I mention that as for about a year I had a failing MC and it was back feeding into the pump somehow.
It would squeal like crazy stopped and even made turning in the sand hard.
New MC, rebbled the system and it went back to normal.

[serehill]

Also what gear box do you have? Is there a possibility some one has done the s-10 conversion on your rig maybe before you got it? That could be a mitigating factor too.

[ProTouring442]

You should not go and try and turn while your wheels are up against a rock, something will ultimately break.

With that said, hydro-assist will solve the issue. But so will being careful with where you put your tires, and only turning while your are moving.


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A good point. As a mechanic, I saw several construction pick ups come in with the power steering pump ripped right off the engine from trying to turn the wheels while they were impeded by solid objects.

[j20brett]

A j-20 gearbox would help some, but the ultimate fix is to add hydro-assist and do the west texas pump mods. I just did the pump mods to my factory pump and added hydro assist ram. Im spooled in the front on 42's and i can turn the steering wheel with one finger with the hubs locked in.

[carnuck]

I've seen a number of cracked frames over the years from fighting the steering of huge wheels without added bracing. This is for the backside of the frame.

[surfwagoneer]

I've seen a number of cracked frames over the years from fighting the steering of huge wheels without added bracing. This is for the backside of the frame.

Carnuck is that homemade or did you pick that up somewhere?

[carnuck]

I got it from an online source (this one is for my Comanche) The company name is a bit risque though.