steering columns- cherokee to wrangler?

You need to give us some years and makes.

Apparently they changed the column from the Saganaw unit every GM van, Camaro, Chevette and pickup uses in the mid 90's to something else. One person that doesn't usually have accurate info says it was in 94, but I would suspect the change was with the TJ, not in the middle of the production run of the YJ's.

The GM units are a fast easy swap. A couple bolts under the dash, a couple at the firewall and one spline bolt outside the firewall. You pull and out it comes.

Mike

Daudi wrote:

Ah. Yes. My wrangler is a 1987. The cherokee being parted out is early

Wrangler's use GM steer> You need to give us some years and makes.

GM uses the same Saganaw steering column so you have a large choice for colors, tilt, etc. at the wreckers..

Mike

Daudi wrote:

Are you talking about the steering column seems loose inside? You might be able to take it partially apart and tighten up those offending loose bolts. I have done that to my 82 Wagoneer and I think my 88 XJ was similar when I repaired damage due to an almost theft. Cheap and fast fix IF you have a few specialized tools. Now if you are talking about that joint/pivot in the engine compartment area.......don't read the above! ;-) later, dave AKA vwdoc1

Mine developed the same problem so I rebuilt it myself and it wasn't that bad a job if you are patient. You will need a lock ring compressor a pivot pin puller and a basic steering wheel puller, I found all these tools at a local automotive shop. Mine was loose and got worse when I did the 1" body lift, extending the streering shaft exagerated the problem. I took mine apart documenting each step with the digital camera and had only one problem, I bent the lock plate and it rubbed when I turned corners but it was an easy fix.

These are step by step how to's

Pictures of tools required.

If he is talking about the joint in the engine compartment, it might not be the U-joint. There's a bearing and a plastic retainer at the bottom of the column tube that gives up the ghost. If it goes the steering shaft gets wiggly. There's a repair kit for that.

I haven't looked carefully to see if they are interchangable, but externally the column on my `89 Cherokee /looks/ identical to the one on my `79 CJ-5. Standard GM light truck column. I'd bet that any GM pickup truck column, give or take a half-dozen or so model-years from yours, would fit.

Beware: These things are made to go together on the assembly line, not anywhere else. In my `79 there's a bracket up under the dash that holds the column, the column is bolted through a pair of wedge-shaped spacers that slide into slots in the bracket. If yours is like this, mark the spacers for position and orientation before you take them out or it will take you forever to get them back in the right way.

I have an old tilt steering column (column shift), shaft and power steering gear box from a Chevy caprice (model unknown but it looked late

What Bill is saying makes sense about mixing 'car' boxes and Jeep boxes.

Someone else here has the same issue, the 'car' box is way too fast.

I really don't know what you should expect mixing them up. The other poster sure doesn't like it. I now know what he was complaining about. I was thinking he has a camber issue because his steering won't track back straight after a turn. Or too short of a pinion arm, but he checked and it is the same.

Now it makes more sense, the gear ratio is too tight to allow it to track back straight by itself, it has to be pulled back. He was grumbling something about ditches and front lawns and lane changes faster than you can blink..... I would run fluid in the power box if you do decide to use it, even if the power isn't there. I would just hook the output to the input with a hose clamp.

I don't know what column you are playing with. The Saganaw unit that the 80's GM have is exactly the same as the one in my 86 CJ7.

Mike

Dr>

Good idea, Mike. Didn't even consider a simple hose clamp since there's no pressure on the fluid. It's too simple. The original box is so shot that a lightning fast lane change is where I'm at already. The only difference is that there's so much play that it does it on it's own:( This is just a temporary fix in the interim 'til I can get the other drivetrain in and get the right pump, reservoir, etc. Is the steering gonna be really hard like when you kill the engine with power steering or is that just the drag of a non-turning pump? The Saginaw box appears identical to mine but I think it's just a tad bit extended to accommodate the hoses. I have both steering columns from the Caprice and the Jeep and bought a power steering shaft to boot. If I can, I'll use the tilt wheel column from the Caprice and the power steering shaft for the Jeep to connect to the gear box. Once the drivetrain's swapped and I know what brackets and pump I need, I'll finish by changing the steering gear box. Maybe even a new AGR box. How's this all sound? Am I tracking right? Am I missing something?

Sounds about right. It will be 'armstrong' steering for sure, way harder than standard steering.

Mike

Dr>

Dr>

The steering column is the part that is inside the Jeep cab. This is a Saganaw unit like the one the GM's use.

The steering shaft is it's own part, same for the box. Likely Jeep specific for those.

So you 'can' still have tilt steering...

Mike

Dr>

I think the pump is the same one. It sure looks the same.... The pump just has one hydraulic line, the other is just low pressure with hose clamps.

I guess I would likely take the pump with me to the store to make sure before buying the line. Even if you went custom, it isn't a part that wears out often. My 86 one is still hanging in there....

Mike

Dr>

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