Power steering not working after changing steering gear

Power steering not working after changing steering gear
J

JEEP1983CJ7

Jeeper
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Location
Baton Rouge
Vehicle(s)
1983 CJ-7, 258, T-5, Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear, Dana 300
Hey y'all,

So I just replaced my power steering gear with a Cardone reman unit. Went through the installation/bleeding process and now I don't have any power steering assist. Just feels like manual steering.

To bleed it I jacked up the front, plugged the low pressure port, and ran the low pressure return to an empty bottle. With the engine off I slowly turned the steering wheel back and forth at least 50 times while keeping the reservoir full of fluid. I get a good flow of fluid into the bottle from the return line, and it doesnt seem like there is any air left in the system. So I don't think its a bleeding/air issue.

I really dont think it's the pump, since it worked just fine before I changed the gear, and it never ran dry. I read about the flow control valve in the high pressure port, but if that was stuck I wouldnt get any flow right?

All signs kinda point to the reman steering gear. Is there a way to test it? Is it possible there's a stuck valve in there that is messing things up? Or should I just ship it back and ask for a different one and hope the new one works since reman units are always a crapshoot anyway?

At a loss what to try next, thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions!

Nick
 
Honestly, when I installed my newly rebuild steering box and new PS pump, it took me several days to get all the air out of it. Button the system up, and run it. What you are doing with the front axle on stands is what I did. Turn the steering 'lock to lock' several times. Let it set. Do it several times over the course of a day or two and it will bleed out. No need to have a catch bottle, just run the system and turn the wheel.
 
I have never heard of bleed'n a PS system with the engine off:eek:
Does the instructions say to do it this way?:confused:
When you turn'd the wheel. Did you go full lock, from one side to the other?
LG
 
Thanks for the replies.

Torxhead - I would do a pressure test, but those testers are like $75+ im just not sure thats worth it in this case. Unless theres a cheaper way to do it?

HackFabrication - When you say it took a few days to get all the air out - did you have any power assist when you still had some air? I have no assist at all. Ive been driving it up and down the street a few times and haven't noticed any improvements. I will keep driving it in the meantime while I try to figure this out, and maybe it will just start working. I've had crazier stuff happen with my jeep haha.

LG - yep that's the instructions per the cardone instructions, and thats the same as AGR instructions too I think - unplug the coil power and bump the starter. If the engine was running with the low pressure return to a catch bottle you would run out of fluid really fast and risk running the pump dry. But I think the only point of using the catch bottle is to get rid of any old fluid, if you know you have all new fluid you can leave the lp hose connected to the pump I would think.

http://my.cardone.com/techdocs/930728-99.pdf

I guess I'll just keep trying to bleed it a couple more times. If it still doesn't work I'm gonna have to pull the steering gear box and send it back. I wish I hadn't sent my original back for a core already, at least i knew it worked, even tho it was sloppy.

Ill post back if I figure anything out or not.

Nick
 
Im getting ready to do the same thing. Thanks for filling my head with scary thoughts. :D
 
JEEP1983CJ7 said:
HackFabrication - When you say it took a few days to get all the air out - did you have any power assist when you still had some air?
Click to expand...

I had the Jeep running at idle when I did the bleeding process. I didn't need to use a catch can, because it was a new pump and a new steering gear. In addition I was bleeding the hydroboost system too.

And to answer your question, I had Limited assist until all the air was out of the system.
 
Unplugging the coil, and cranking the engine using the key, is a great way to fry the module inside the dizzy.
Leave the ign OFF and 'bump' the engine with a remote starter.
LG
 
You should not have the frontend up on ramps to bleed the system.
 
CJim7 said:
You should not have the frontend up on ramps to bleed the system.
Click to expand...

Putting the front end up is only to make it easier to turn the wheel back and forth. It would suck to do that 50+ times with no power steering assist with the wheels on the ground. The fact that it raises the front end 6" or so shouldn't make any difference in the actual bleeding of the system. The pump is still higher than the gear box and should allow any trapped air to escape. At least thats my understanding...
 
Lumpy Grits said:
Unplugging the coil, and cranking the engine using the key, is a great way to fry the module inside the dizzy.
Leave the ign OFF and 'bump' the engine with a remote starter.
LG
Click to expand...

Good to know, I will keep this in mind. Thanks LG.
 
JEEP1983CJ7 said:
Putting the front end up is only to make it easier to turn the wheel back and forth. It would suck to do that 50+ times with no power steering assist with the wheels on the ground. The fact that it raises the front end 6" or so shouldn't make any difference in the actual bleeding of the system. The pump is still higher than the gear box and should allow any trapped air to escape. At least thats my understanding...
Click to expand...
You're changing the angle of the gear box ;)
 
JEEP1983CJ7 said:
Yea but I don't think it's significant enough to change anything. But I will try it tonight with wheels on the ground and see if it changes anything.
Click to expand...
Roll it up onto some cardboard or something similar to help the tires turn better :)
 
Or maybe just raise the rear the same as the front?:rolleyes:
I put a new Cardone gear box in last year, and had no problems at all. Installed the box, filled the pump, left the high pressure nut a little loose on the gear box, started the engine and had the wife slowly turn the steering wheel back and forth until there was some pressure causing the fluid to do more than just drip out of the loose connection. Tightened everything up, topped off the reservoir, and have been driving without problems ever since. Kind of sounds like you may be right about there being something not quite right with your new gear box. I did have to return my first one. The second one worked great.
 
mriplaybass said:
Or maybe just raise the rear the same as the front?:rolleyes:
I put a new Cardone gear box in last year, and had no problems at all. Installed the box, filled the pump, left the high pressure nut a little loose on the gear box, started the engine and had the wife slowly turn the steering wheel back and forth until there was some pressure causing the fluid to do more than just drip out of the loose connection. Tightened everything up, topped off the reservoir, and have been driving without problems ever since. Kind of sounds like you may be right about there being something not quite right with your new gear box. I did have to return my first one. The second one worked great.
Click to expand...

This is good to know, thanks! I think I'm gonna end up shipping this box back and order a new one, it should at least be showing signs of working by now.

Where did you get your cardone from? Mine is from rockauto, thats the best price I found.
 
I also got mine from Rock. Problem is, at the time I got mine, it was the last one! They could not give me a time frame when a new one would be available, so I had to go elsewhere. I appologise for a mistake I made in my previous post :eek:. I did not get another Cardone. Instead, I got a Duralast from Auto Zone. Cost a little more, $141.99, but the shipping was free, and I dropped off the core when I was in the neighborhood of an Auto Zone, so I did not have to pay return shipping. Good gear box!
 
50 times back and forth while engine not running? I guess Ive been doing it wrong. I fill the tank a little higher than full, start the engine, turn the wheels back and forth a few times (up on jack stands) and in about 10 seconds, the pump is quite. The fluid does cavitate a bit but all the fine bubbles go away after it sits for a hour or so. Check fluid level and add if needed...After that, no issues and works great,
 
Probably need to ask the obvious: Do you have the lines going to the correct ports on the steering gearbox? I don't recall how mine was with the OEM hoses, as I went with a custom setup.

PowerSteeringTubes.jpg

HydroboostInstall009.jpg

20150605_140952%20-%20Copy_zpsprclwhd4.jpg

If so, you've got either a bad box, or a bad pump.
 
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