So, my 95 Wrangler's steering has been acting 'funny'. Hard to steer between 1 & 3 o'clock and 11 & 10 o'clock. The guy at the garage said I needed a new Power Steering Pump -
$275 for a rebuilt one
$100 to put it in
How hard is it to put one in myself? I can get some help, but I've never messed with power steering before.
kjb (looking for an empty wallet emotion 
)
should be a simple bolt and switch, except for the pully. Nappa, or some of the auto suppliers switch them out for you....
I just replaced the pump on my wag. i went to a precision tune where he swapped the pully out.
I am pretty sure a pump from Pep Boys is around $75. You might want to shop around.
I just realized - I might have messed up.. It might be the steering box, not the pump. 
I'll have to call to confirm in the morning.
thanks,
kjb
Although this is a easy swap and does not need lots of special tools you should not do it. I have the experience and a big pair of vice grips to make this work. for you I will do this at the unheard price of $100,000
plus parts. and will throw in the 90 day money back guarantee unless your check clears faster then 90 days then it expires once it clears
Either way the box should not be that expensive either. Swapping it out is pretty simple. I recomend getting the correct wrenches for breaking the nuts loose. the hardest part will be removing the pitman arm. I have yet to get a stock YJ pitman arm off without cutting it, but it might be easier it it is out of the Jeep. A real good heavy duty puller is needed... I have broken 3 different crappy ones. HTH
pblaster 
Quote from "mr93wrangler"
I don’t mean to be dense but, I don’t get it 
I'm going to check parts places this w/e (Pep Boys, JCWhitney, Auto Zone). I'm not too keen on giving all my $$ to the mechanic.
Thanks for the heads-up about the pitman arm. I hate having to go back to the store to buy things I didn't know I was going to need.. As far as 'cutting it', are we talking Dremel or torch?
Kevin
spray it down good with pblaster! if you have to cut it a torch is going to be quick but you could damage the seals. spray it use a good quality puller and a bfh!
Got it! Thanks
kjb
I use a grinder to carfully cut a slot almost through the arm. Then I use a cold chisle to crack it the rest of the way. Once split it is easy to pull. The problem is if you cut it off you will have to buy a new one. Just find the proper puller and you will be fine. BTW, don't use heat to try and loosen it up because it will damage the seals. But I guess if the box is trashed then who cares if you ruin the seals.
Thanks Aaron,
I'm definitely going to take my time with this, and use the right tools. How hard will it be to get the drag link off the other end of the pitman arm?
I'm going to try to make it to the wrenchfest this w/e. Especially a lift on a YJ! As far as helping goes:I may not have done before, but I'll try like 4ell. And if all you need is a PB to get tools, I can do that too. 
I'll let you know tomorrow about the wrenchfest.
kevin
If you can get the part I am sure we will have time to change your steering box. Just bring down the parts.
i just finished replacing the power steering pump on my 95. It is very straight forward if you manage to get the right pump. i got mine through autozone and the bolt holes were slightly off from the origionals and i had to modify it. the swap itself is very easy though, but you will need to borrow a tool to remove the old pulley from the old pump, you can borrow this tool from autozone at no charge so its not a problem. As far as the steering box, ive never changed the whole box out, but im wondering why you even need to bother with the arm? couldnt you just remove the arm from the drag link and then take it out with the box? but listen to aaron on cutting off the arm if it does need to be removed, by the time you break a couple pullers and spend a couple hours struggling with it you will wish you had just cut it off.
The steering box swap is fairly straight forward. I just completed mine about a month ago and did it by myself in about an hour. I got the pitarm off first, that took the most amount of time. Then I unbolted the four bolts holding the skid and the box on. This gave access to the two hoses on top of the box. Then the screw was loosened on the shaft so that the box could be removed. Then I just completed the process backwards for the new box.
HTH
-Chris
Thanks Nate, but I messed up. I need a new steering box, not a pump
Chris - did you use an arm puller or did you improvise/BFH it?
Funny thing about the pitman arm : NO ONE has one, not even the Jeep dealer.!!. All the parts places say it's a "non-wear part". Dealer says it's no longer available.. Q-tec guy said they only carry ones for lifted rigs (but I did find one in their site(?)). I'm thinking I'm not touching anything until I have the everything I may need..
On a side note: I need a steering stabilizer too: any favorites out there, or are they pretty much the same/get what you pay for?
kevin
I tried the BFH technique to try and finess the arm off but that didn't work so I ended up borrowing a pitarm puller and that worked out. I did have to use a 4 ft. breaker bar on it though. Just make sure if you do use a puller that you leave the nut on the shaft loosely or else the arm will go flying once it breaks free.
If you need a stock pitarm call up Alex or Jeremy at PORC (Performance Off-Road). They should be able to hook you up. http://www.performanceoffroadcenter.com/
As far as the steering stabilizer goes.....I'd call up Qtec for one. (I'd recommend the OME one)
HTH
-Chris
aaron must suck at the pitman arms cause i have pulled 2 of the yj ones off so far and they came right off with the gear puller and an impact. you also have to use the bfh a little with the puller and impact
Quote from "bmf24"aaron must suck at the pitman arms cause i have pulled 2 of the yj ones off so far and they came right off with the gear puller and an impact. you also have to use the bfh a little with the puller and impact
You were also using a $200 Snap-On puller. I just don't have any luck when it comes to pitman arms.
Quote from "bmf24"aaron must suck at the pitman arms cause i have pulled 2 of the yj ones off so far and they came right off with the gear puller and an impact. you also have to use the bfh a little with the puller and impact
Where the hell were you on Saturday then? 
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