the steering in my 91 yj feels choppy. it feels like it gets real easy then feels like it binds up all in the same revolution of the steering wheel. the jeep has 242,000 miles on it and up until now, not much trouble with the steering. of course the ball joints, bearings, u-joints, and steering linkage have been changed in years past.  Recently, since this problem has started, in the following order i have changed the power steering pump, left u joint, the steering box and high pressure hose, and then for peace of mind i changed the right u joint. testing after each part to no avail.  there is no play in the wheel up and down and from side to side.  what next?  

anyone?  

What does it feel like with no resistance?

Lift both front tires off the ground. Turn the wheel lock to lock without the engine running. And then with the engine running.  

with the wheels up it feels easy. with the tierod ends off the knuckles move freely also. seems like there is resistance only with the weight on it.  

Low pump pressure is most likely causing the problem. Low pressure can be caused by low fluid level, leaks in the lines, leaks on the steering box or a bad steering gear. Also a kinked line or loose belt could be a cause of low pressure.

If no leaks, most likley a bad pump. But also could be the steering gear. To test the steering gear, you need a gauge. Determine if the fluid pressure is the same on both sides of the right locked vs. the left locked steering positions. If there is a difference, then the fluid is leaking past the gear.  

thanks, hard to believe that the new pump and new steering box are bad though, i will however double check my belts tightness and make sure the hoses arent kinked. lookin at my steering wheel as i turn it from one side to another, it looks like it is bent, but it sure doesnt feel like thats the problem, never noticed it until now though, any thoughts?  

From reading the diagnostics in the factory service manual, if everything turns smoothly with no resistance (no weight on the tires), then low pump pressure is the cause.

The service manual talks about several tests, but they all take hooking the system up to some gauges to messure pressures.

The only other things listed are column shaft coupler binding, steering gear worn or out of adjustment, and high friction in steering gear.

Something else you might want to inspect is the frame where the box mounts. Are there cracks allowing the box to flex and bind?

Also try putting the tire against the curb. Then have someone turn the wheel into the curb while you inspect for excessive movement in any steering components.  

thanks, let me check it out some more and i will keep you posted. much appreciated  

so, after poking around my frame near the steering box bracket, i poked a hole right through on the inside. after coming to terms with some more frame rot right after rebuilding the last foot of left frame and rear body to frame mounts, i took the steering box off and everything around it to find all kinds of holes,lucky it didnt break on me. i found a local junkyard with a burned up jeep in it and bought the front four feet of frame.  cut off my old rotten section and then some and cut the new piece to fit. the cuts looks damn close if you ask me. i stopped tonight after i got the new piece wedged in there. I will weld the new section tomorrow and then plate over that with some heavy duty angle.  i would post pics but i dont really know how. cant wait to get the ol girl going again.  

Now your gett'n somewhere. Good job!  

thanks, thats what i thought too. good job. ya right. just got it all welded up and everything back to where it goes. started it up and there still feels like a dead spot or two in the steering. i guess im left with checking the little universals in the steering shaft again and then onto the steering column itself. i know it definately needed the frame repaired again, but i really thought it was goin to fix my problem. once again i will keep you posted. any other ideas?  

Did your frame repair make any difference in how the steering feels?

Did you remove the steering shaft from the column, so you could turn the column by it self? And at the same time be able to move the steering shaft u-joint to see how smooth the joint is?

I'm not guessing you'll find anything in the column or shaft because you would feel that with the tires off the ground. You had said with the tires off the ground, with the engine running and not running, everything felt fine.

I guess I have to go back to checking fluid pressure with a gauge. There are several different tests. The FSM diagnostics for this condition point to fluid pressure problems. Since the pump and box are new it might help isolate the problem to one of the pieces that didn't get changed.

Everything else seems like it would just cause sloppy steering, not a bind.  

i am an idiot. i took the steering shaft off to find a bound up ujoint there. to trace it down i disconnected the centerlink from the pitman arm and the wheels moved freely. the problem had to be between the steering box and the steering wheel. i  shouldnt have banked on the shaft  joint being good based on changing one of the universals a year ago and having been checked then. its for the best i guess, the frame wouldnt have been fixed if i didnt find the rotten section.  got a lot of new parts, might just have to take the old heep on a trail again. been a while since everytime i turn around something is breaking. next is a tranny that doesnt grind going into every gear and a transfer case that doesnt slip in and out of 4wd at cruising speeds (snowy roads) and after that(the important stuff) i need to find a pair of axles out of a 4 cyl yj, for an easy and cheaper gear upgrade. 3.07s to 4.10s would probably take a lot of stress off the drivetrain. just ranting now. thanks for helping  

Good job!