lotsOHobbies

Hi guys, this is my first post on your forum. I’ve been using it a lot the last couple months. I appreciate any help or guidance you guys could give me. So three months ago I bought my first jeep. A 2014 jk rubicon. I’ve bought it with the intent to go rock climbing and mudding with some family members who also have 4x4 vehicles. So far I’ve upgrade with a 3 1/2 game changer lift from metalcloak. I’ve upgraded the gears to 4.88 front and rear. I put on rare ball joints. New front and rear bumper. Rear revolution American made axle shafts. A adams front drive shaft and bfgoodrich km3 37s are my last upgrades so far. So the other day I was at rush off road and after some heavy use the power steering would intermittently stop working. After the first such incident I let it sit for a half hour to cool off and afterward it worked again. I assume I’m getting the power steering to boiling temp and that’s what is causing the issue? It happened a few times on me during my trip and after the third I decided to quit off roading and drove it home. So my question for you guys is would it be helpful to add a transmission cooler to the power steering to help cool off the fluid? Is that something that would help or should I just buy a redneck ram? I’d prefer to spend as little on this as possible right now just because I’ve spent over $10000 the last month or so on it lol. Thanks for your help!

Sv_dude

Turning those big 37’s is no easy task. The stock steering definitely is not up for the job. I know you want to spend a little but you can buy nice or buy twice, the choice is yours.

Ive heard very mixed reviews with red neck ram. The ram uses all stock steering components and I don’t believe the pump is up for the task of supplying the gear box and the ram.

I run the PSC big bore box with the hydro assist. That kit includes a bigger pump and reservoir (with filter). It’s a good kit but doesn’t exactly fit your “cheap criteria “.

You mentioned that you added the rare parts ball joints. Did you add gussets to your c’s? Now that you’re distributing the load to your upper c’s, you really want to gusset those.

lotsOHobbies

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I’ve got c gussets installed as well. I’ve been looking into the hydro assist. I see the psc is quite nice, and expensive lol. So the redneck ram wouldn’t really be a good choice then? Sucks to hear the oem gearbox wont really help much. For some reason i failed to realize I’d have to upgrade the steering as well. Oops

resharp001

The PSC guys are practically in my backyard. They're good guys and make a good product, and they charge a decent bit for it too, as you know. The West Texas Offroad guys are a couple hours west of me and are good guys too. They offer a budget-friendly option that is good for a lot of folks. I've run a RNR for several years now with the factory steering pump and reservoir. My tire/wheel combo is a redonk 115lbs at each corner if I recall (37x13.5 Toyos on ATX Chamber Pro II beadlocks). The RNR has worked fine for me and my use. I presume you know what trying to turn the steering wheel with lockers on and barely moving is like, with heavy resistance as the u-joints bind up. The RNR will allow you to turn that steering wheel like you weren't locked at all. If you go put a front tire up against a big concrete pillar and try to turn your steering wheel, you shouldn't expect the steering wheel and tire to turn easily and just shift the entire jeep over....you're not going to get that kind of power. But, if you've ever been wheeling and had your steering locked due to pressures forcing the wheel one direction or the other, you're going to be able to control that with even a RNR. That said, is it better to have a larger resi, pump, cooler, and all the additional things......sure. With my RNR, when I'm in a parking garage or tight place and I have to go full lock to lock on turning I will have to give the system a moment to catch up. I'd imagine that reaction time is a little better with a bigger pump, but this really isn't a big deal at all if you are aware of your equipment IMO. The one thing I will say negative about the RNR system is those steering hoses they use with the crimped ends suck. Sv_dude and I went around on that before. If you did go the RNR route I would highly recommend getting some hose and field-serviceable fittings separately.

I think both PSC and WTO have had supply chain issues in the last couple years so you might double check availability of things before making up your mind which way to go only to be disappointed.

lotsOHobbies

Sweet, thanks for telling me about your experience with the rnr. I’ve liked the though of the rnr because of the price lol. I’m curious, if i was to go with the psc could i get away with just getting their bigger gearbox and an upgraded power steering pump? It’s a lot cheaper than buying the whole system for sure. I’m doing some research on these two ways to upgrade my steering, I appreciate your guy’s opinions.

Sv_dude

Well, by the time you get the ported gear box and pump, you’re already at about 2k. Go ahead and add the psc high pressure line as well since the Teflon liner in the factory line has a high chance of slipping and jamming up your gear box. You’re still going to want a cooler (gotta keep the fluid cool), and a larger reservoir to aid in cooling and filtration as well. Honestly, if you plan on going with the psc box and pump, you’re better off just buying the kit.

There’s another option, call Howe performance in southern Cali. If I had to do mine over again I would let them build me a kit. They know their stuff and will be the same ball park price as psc.

resharp001

Going back to the original post.....this isn't a normal thing. I have to think you checked fluid level as a starting point. I've done a lot of wheeling with a lot of people and I've never seen anyone have an issue like this with factory set up regardless of build. Was the steering fully locked to one side for a period of time in some aggressive technical situation when this happened?

I've been perfectly fine with my setup, but I think what I would say is that you've started building that jeep up till now with a quality lift, BJs, etc. It's probably not time to start skimping on this last step. I think I would call Howe as Sv_dude suggests just to get a price on a 3rd option.

lotsOHobbies

ya I’m leaning toward psc. But honestly I don’t really have the money right now. I’ve spent so much and somehow I missed this vital part of the upgrade process. When my power steering went out i was using the steering left to right for 20ish sec trying to get out of a rut. After I got out I lost all power steering for a min or two. Then it slowly came back. Later that day. I was stuck sitting for 5 min on a seriously steep incline. I winched out got back in and power steering was acting weird again. After 5 min or so it came back to normal and I decided to leave. I checked my power steering fluid and it was full. I’m hoping I can figure out what the problem is and fix it. At least for a couple months until I get my funds back up to buy the expensive hydro assist.

Sv_dude

If you can’t do the whole system yet then maybe get it in stages. Get the ported big box, pump, and pressure line. Then later you can add the ram, cooler, and reservoir.

lotsOHobbies

im wondering do I need hydraulic ram assist? Would just the upgraded psc gearbox and pump be enough?