durango steering gear

i upgraded my laggy and strained steering with a unit out of a 99 Dodge Durango.
its a direct swap and only requires a few special tools:
1.) a pitman arm puller
2.) a torque wrench that can be dialed to 185 ft/lbs.
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WORK AREA
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my steering had a lot of play in it.
a few inches of movement in either direction with the steering wheel.
THEN the vehicle would start to respond.

it was not good.
it had seen a blown hi-pressure line from the power steering pump.
it was in need of new o-rings, seeping fluid from several seals.

anytime a part fails on my Jeep, i research possible upgrades.
this helps to increase the durability and reliability of my vehicle.

a failed part must be replaced, so its a good time to upgrade.
upgraded parts exist to address the causes of common failures.
this will help to prevent future failure of the same part.
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DURANGO STEERING GEAR ACQUISITION
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the 1999 dodge durango uses a very similar steering gear to my 1997 jeep cherokee, however, it is stronger and results in firmer, more solid steering.
it mounts exactly the same and all of its fittings are identical.
however, it has a slightly larger worm gear.
this makes for a stronger unit.

this is a Durango in the salvage yard with the steering gear removed.
it mounts with the same 3 bolts as on the jeep cherokee's frame.
somebody beat me to this one!


a salvage yard find may have problems.
its hard to verify its condition.
the accident could have tweaked it.
it could have water inside and need rebuilt.

i got my Durango steering gear as a re-manufactured unit from NAPA.
the extra cost was worth the peace of mind for me.
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GAIN ACCESS TO STEERING GEAR
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in order to access the steering gear, i needed to remove my front skidplate.
a few nuts and bolts hold it in place.


with the skidplate removed you can see the engines oilpan and crank pulley.
notice the greasy mess on the steering components.
road grime and dirt accumulated on seeping power steering fluid.


with my skidplate removed i could better assess my steering linkages.
my tie rod is slightly bent, as seen in this image.
the tie rod spans from one tire to the other in front of the axle.
it ensures your tires turn in unison.


here is the steering gear.
it is a mess!
you can see the pitman arm which controls the steering.
the pitman arm is the 'flat S' shaped linkage.
it will need to be removed using a puller.


here is a view from the engine compartment looking down.
the steering gear has an 'I' shape cast into it in the center of this photo.
to the right of the 'I' are the two silver high pressure lines in an 'X' shape.
further to the right is a pitchfork-shaped linkage, the column coupler shaft, which goes to the steering wheel.


here is a better view of the column coupler shaft.

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DISCONNECT HIGH PRESSURE LINES
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the high pressure lines are held in place with an 18mm collar.
since they are on top of the gear, you must loosen them like this!
its a tight area to work in, but a nice break from being on my back.


even though the lines are different thread diameters, i marked them.
i put a tag for the closest to 'Frame Side' for easy installation.
then, i secured the high pressure lines out of the way.

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DISCONNECT COLUMN COUPLER SHAFT
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here is a view of the steering column coupler shaft.
a 13mm bolt holds it to the steering gear input shaft.

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REMOVE PITMAN ARM
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this step required two new tools for me.
a 32mm socket and a pitman arm puller.


i couldn't get the socket to seat because the swaybar was in the way.


i removed the two bolts that hold the swaybar to the frame on this side.
now the swaybar could be pulled out of the way of the pitman arm nut.


after the nut is off, its time to use my new pitman arm puller.


the puller remains centered in the pitman shaft divot.
the puller screw is tightened until the pitman arm is freed.


the pitman arm removal required the ratchet/socket and the puller.


the pitman arm is removed from the steering gear.

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REMOVE STEERING GEAR FROM JEEP
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all thats left to do is unbolt the steering gear from the frame.
i used a ratchet strap to support the steering gear, its heavy.


the 3 bolts holding it in place are to the right of the red vertical support.
the mounting location is integrated through my bumper mounting plate.
this increases the rigidity and distribution of force.


here is my inner frame reinforcement plate.
this came from c-rok with my bumper to sandwich the frame.
it replaces the inferior cast stock unit.

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COMPARISON IMAGES
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OLD jeep steering gear on top.
NEW durango steering gear on bottom.




the main advantage of the dodge dakota gear is seen here.
it has a larger worm gear assembly, increasing its strength.

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INSTALLATION
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installation is a few simple steps.
1.) bolt the new steering gear to the frame.
2.) re-connect the steering column coupler shaft.
3.) re-connect the hi-pressure lines.
4.) cycle the gear and fill the power steering fluid resevoir.
i got new 2 o-rings for the hi-pressure lines with the steering gear.
good thing, because the 2 old ones (right) were pretty worn.

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FINAL COMPARISON
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BEFORE: stock Jeep steering gear

AFTER: 99 Dodge Durango steering gear