OldTires

Last Saturday was the perfect day to install the gearbox I rebuilt. And it works great. My steering is back. It doesn't fight me like the other box did.

The good thing about having to redo a repair you did before is that you become much better at it. I figured out some tricks which made this much easier.

First, instead of removing the stabilizer bar completely, just undo the bolts to the frame and swing it down.



Also, after you disconnect the pitman arm from the drag link stud, reinsert the stub back into the pitman arm and put the castle nut back on and turn it a few time. When you undo the 3 bolts that hold the gearbox, the drag link will help you support the gearbox so it doesn't come crashing down. It helps to control the heavy weight. Of course, disconnect the hoses first and drain the reservoir first.

Remove the air box, you need the room to access the intermediate column bolts and the hose nuts at the gearbox.

Below are the new and old intermediate columns. Same company. NACAM.




The old vs the new.


This is the best trick I learned this time around. If you release intermediate column bolt at the steering wheel side, the shaft has about 1/2 inch of play sliding on/off. Then, when you install the new gearbox, connect the lower bolt closest to the bumper first. Leave it a little loose but secure enough to hold the gearbox. This will allow you to tilt up the front of the gearbox and connect the input shaft to the intermediate column shaft collar, like below.






I took the opportunity to replace the high pressure hose with a new Sunrong brand one. I have to say, the Sunsong hose is really well made. I highly recommend it. I left the old return hose on and added a filter. Unfortunately the clamps leak a little bit. I think I will replace them with regular screw clamps, but it could be the rubber on the hose is going bad.


Anyway, with the pitman arm disconnected from the drag link, you can swing the steering wheel side to side while as you bleed the system. Easy.

Remember to have the wheels on the ground and the pitman arm connected to the drag link when you tighten the big nut on the pitman arm, this will protect the gearbox from rotating as you tighten the nut. You could damage the gear box if it goes all the way in as you tighten the nut.

VERY IMPORTANT, TIE DOWN THE STEERING WHEEL BEFORE DISCONNECTING ANYTHING. YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE CENTER ON THE CLOCK SPRING IN THE STEERING WHEEL.

OldTires

Update.

After installing the box I rebuilt the steering was better but still not straight. The Jeep was pulling to the passenger side. I jacked up the front and turned the wheels by hand. I checked the hubs for play. They are good. I checked the ball joints for play, and they are solid. I then spun the wheels. The driver's side gave me 3 complete revolutions easy. The passenger side gave me 1.75 revolutions and felt tight. It was dragging more than the other. Was it enough to cause the Jeep to pull? Only way to find out was to replace the calipers. They were 5 years old. Instead of messing with pistons and slide pins, I just bought new ones. Both sides. New rubber hoses too. After installing the new ones, both front wheels spin the same. Nice and free.

Drive around some more, Jeep is still pulling right. Only thing left are the old tires. I suspect they are getting deformed and causing the issue. So I buy new tires, have them installed and aligned yesterday.

Jeep now rides great. It drives straight down the highway, no pulling. The steering is smooth and quiet. The steering pump doesn't make anymore noises at all. The new intermediate column also got rid of the small knock I would sometimes feel in the steering wheel when turning.

What's the point is this post: Sometimes an issue has many different causes. In my case, 1) the steering was bad because the reman steering box I bought was pulling on its own. 2) One brake caliper was grabbing. 3) The old tires were bad and my toe was out.