tballer4596

Alright everyone, I feel like I'm finally nearing the end of this seemingly never-ending WJ pump swap project. But I need help. A brief synopsis:

Installed 4.7l WJ pump and Durango box.

Drilled XJ high pressure fitting to match WJ fitting (this may have been a mistake, but I don't think it was and I'll explain why)

Went insane trying to get all the air out of the system for days, weeks even, no matter what it whines like crazy. Blamed the pump, swapped in a new one, same issue.
Finally found a thread that mentioned that you have to use the larger 1/2" return barb on the reservoir or else the pump starved.
Eureka! One custom barb to adapt the smaller xj return hose to the larger port and done. The problem was 90% solved. Whine was mostly gone and air stopped coming out like crazy.

BUT.

It's still not perfect. My steering is good under power, the assist feels perfect. But as soon as I slow down and come to an idle it stiffens up way too much. It's very annoying. And there's still a whine.

Some people say that you can't drill the fitting out all the way because there's too much assist and it causes the whine. Maybe. I'm willing to buy a new XJ fitting to try it out. But as it is, I don't have the feeling of "too much" or "twichy" steering assist at all. Under power it's perfect, exactly how I want it. I just want my steering to match that feeling at low speeds. And I'm not sure that restricting the fitting would solve that issue. So my question is, what on Earth do I have to do to get this working right. There must be someone out there who's done this mod and has found a successful combo! There's plenty of threads on this but none that mention poor assist at idle, it's mostly threads focused on the whining. Any help is appreciated.

tballer4596

I should also mention that the pump whines throughout the entirety of turning. If I'm turning, or even holding the steering wheel slightly left or right, it's whining.

There is no air in the system, I've done the bleeding procedure over and over, no bubbles no foam.

Also, with the jeep on jackstands and the engine on, I can grab the front tire and rotate the entire steering back and forth by hand. Shouldn't that be nearly impossible with the power steering running?

tballer4596

I've found that removing my steering stabilizer makes turning at low RPMs tolerable. I feel like this shouldn't be necessary though.