Hydraulic Assist Question (on highway)

I noticed on my recent road trip to/from Rausch Creek that after a bit of highway time my steering wheel felt loose. Kind-of like there was play in the wheel. It would turn left/right about 5-10 degrees before the steering firmed up and the Jeep started to actually turn. At lower speeds (<50) the steering is VERY firm and I don't have this.

I have the Redneck Ram (Wouldn't do again) and I do not have a cooler (If this matters).

Is this normal or am I missing something?
 

dwmgcs

New member
Mine was kind of like that until I added another .5 degrees of castor but didn't just happen, it was like that from the get go.
 
Mine was kind of like that until I added another .5 degrees of castor but didn't just happen, it was like that from the get go.

I have all the caster I can without drive-line vibrations. It is never an issue on country roads or even short interstate runs.... Seems to start after some highway time. It still drives better than before (with the assist). but it starts to feel like an old worn out truck LOL
 

noroad

New member
I have all the caster I can without drive-line vibrations. It is never an issue on country roads or even short interstate runs.... Seems to start after some highway time. It still drives better than before (with the assist). but it starts to feel like an old worn out truck LOL

no pro here but maybe its getting to hot?
 

noroad

New member
One of the things I'm wondering... I just don't have enough experience to know how it would act if it were a heat issue. I don't really want to just throw parts at it.

is the cooler you have hidden behind you winch might not be getting enough air flow.
 

dwmgcs

New member
That almost sounds like your cylinder might have a leaky piston seal which you might not notice going slow or on curvy roads but would most likely be noticeable when your going straight at speed and make a slight correction or possibly just some slop in your steering box, maybe tighten it up some.
 

dwmgcs

New member
I didn't add another cooler... WTO assured me I didn't need one :crazyeyes:

I was told a cooler isn't necessary but I put one in anyway and was surprised how warm it gets with just normal driving, I highly recommend a cooler.
 
That almost sounds like your cylinder might have a leaky piston seal which you might not notice going slow or on curvy roads but would most likely be noticeable when your going straight at speed and make a slight correction or possibly just some slop in your steering box, maybe tighten it up some.

The Ram is brand new... The gear was just reworked and only has 20k miles on it. before sending to have it ported. I would think a bad piston seal would have been detected in the rocks with poor steering power (which was not the case). Maybe I'm wrong :idontknow:
 

dwmgcs

New member
You might try unhooking the rod end of the cylinder and tie it up and driving down the highway to see if its the hydro or the steering setup parameters, I had to do that initially to separate the issues between the hydraulics and the mechanical setup.
 

JeepFan

Hooked
I experienced something like what you described on my JK after a trip to the Rubicon. Steering felt loose at speeds above 50 MPH. So while the vehicle was at a stop (engine running and in park) I had a friend turn the wheel slightly left and right while I watched the steering components. I noticed the pitman arm would move up and down on the sector shaft splines. I found the pitman arm nut had somehow come loose. After re-torquing the nut, the steering was much tighter but the pitman arm was still not tightly pressed onto the sector shaft splines. Replacing the pitman arm along with the nut and lock washer temporarily resolved the issue but after a few more wheeling trips the same problem returned. I ended up installing a PSC Extreme duty ram assist kit and it's been fine ever since.

Might be something worth looking into on your rig. Just my :twocents:
 
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I am pretty sure it is all tight. I was worried it was an end coming loose on the d-link I just made so I looked it over pretty good, but I'm not sure I looked at the box end of the pitman arm that close. I will look it all over again.
 

Rebel JK

New member
Im running same setup and must be the exception with no issues. I Didnt want to comment till I got home and ran mine around to check, but at 65mph my steering is tight as a drum. Almost too responsive at speed.
Is it possible you have some cavitation still going on from the bleed? Its surprising how at full turn driver (ram extension) depletes the res. It wouldnt surprise me if mine sucked a little air at full lock while on a steep tilt. The res capacity is def in my opinion is lacking.
 
Im running same setup and must be the exception with no issues. I Didnt want to comment till I got home and ran mine around to check, but at 65mph my steering is tight as a drum. Almost too responsive at speed.
Is it possible you have some cavitation still going on from the bleed? Its surprising how at full turn driver (ram extension) depletes the res. It wouldnt surprise me if mine sucked a little air at full lock while on a steep tilt. The res capacity is def in my opinion is lacking.

Are you still running ATF4 or did you switch to "normal" power steering fluid?
 

Rebel JK

New member
I'm running Oreilly's brand domestic oem steering fluid. Nothing special and Its done fine 6 + months with moderate wheeling. Heat hasnt been an issue yet.
Have you put it on the lift at rpm's yet to verify the steering wheel to tie rod lag?
 
Not yet. I've been working on the wife's Jeep. I think I'm diving into this deeper tomorrow night. I'm going to start with a bleed check and visual... hopefully it will turn something up.
 

Rebel JK

New member
Pretty sure your on it, but Id make sure everything is good and warmed up, and with weight on and again off front tires, check if ram travel is consistent with steering wheel rotation.
After i installed mine, it exagerated some poor handling tendencies and exposed my shot sway links, which i had become used to (pre hydro).
 
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jeeeep

Hooked
I dealt with this similar issue, loose at speed hard to turn when going slow. I thought I had made a huge mistake and even took it back to the installer - they replace the pump twice and even the gear box with no change.

I finally took the time to check every little thing and found one of the hoses had a leak in it, was loosing fluid and letting air in the system. once I fixed the hose and purged the system all was much better that when it was originally installed.

The way I found the leak was an accident, I had a paper towel in my hand when I grabbed the hose I noticed the towel was oily and then traced It back to where the leak was. just looking at the hose couldn't tell that it was wet.

you should also use power steering fluid so you may want to do a full purge, I got the bulk o'rielly brand to flush mine before filling it with swepco 715

btw, you can also use a black light to look for leaks - the ps fluid will glow
 
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jk12blk

New member
I experienced something like what you described on my JK after a trip to the Rubicon. Steering felt loose at speeds above 50 MPH. So while the vehicle was at a stop (engine running and in park) I had a friend turn the wheel slightly left and right while I watched the steering components. I noticed the pitman arm would move up and down on the sector shaft splines. I found the pitman arm nut had somehow come loose. After re-torquing the nut, the steering was much tighter but the pitman arm was still not tightly pressed onto the sector shaft splines. Replacing the pitman arm along with the nut and lock washer temporarily resolved the issue but after a few more wheeling trips the same problem returned. I ended up installing a PSC Extreme duty ram assist kit and it's been fine ever since.

Might be something worth looking into on your rig. Just my :twocents:
This is very similar to what I'm dealing with currently. I noticed some play in the wheel recently, so I had my wife turn the wheel while I watched the steering components. Sure enough, I could see the sector shaft splines turning just a tad before it engages the pitman arm (almost as if the pitman arm is too big). The pitman also seemed low ont he sector shaft. I'm also running a synergy sector shaft brace and upon closer inspection, I noticed the top of the sector shaft brace was directly touching the bottom of the pitman arm - seemed odd to me. I checked the large nut which ties it altogether and could easily turn it with a cresent. I later discovered there is supposed to be a mopar lock washer installed between the pitman arm and sector shaft brace. Rather than pay $12 for the factory mopar lock washer, I'm hoping to find one at ACE soon, then bolt and torque it all back together. My hope is the lock washer and the proper synergy sector shaft brace of 150 ft lbs will push the pitman arm higher up on the sector shaft and result in a much more tight fit.
 
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