2021 Steel Steering Gear Upgrade Parts Kit

[AllMoparParts.com]

Got it Andrew, Thanks

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[Mays9185]

Is this gearbox still available? Do you have the bolt kit? Why does a gearbox need a pcm update?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Is this gearbox still available? Do you have the bolt kit? Why does a gearbox need a pcm update?

Flag Benny directly - quote his post or go to his "what can we do for you" thread.

As far as the flash/update, these are EHPS - electro-hydraulic power steering. The pressures and when the pump runs or doesn't run are controlled by the system, not the engine.
You'd need to ask an engineer with Jeep as to why - but likely, it's a difference in how the pump is controlled, pressures presented to the steering gear and so on.

If you have the wander or looseness discussed in the TSB that's posted here several times, then my gut says you should take it to a dealer and not swap around parts - if you have to ask about why the flash, then you probably should let a pro do it.
There are also procedures laid out by JEEP for bleeding the system, too. So you need to have that service procedure in hand - and a reservoir cap adapter and a vacuum pump...........

 

[Mays9185]

Thanks for the feedback, I do all my own work . Just why make a gearbox so complicated for what it is. I will get the dealer to do this one. I have all the symptoms and last night went to backup and like no power steering .like it was locking up then it was fine.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Thanks for the feedback, I do all my own work . Just why make a gearbox so complicated for what it is. I will get the dealer to do this one. I have all the symptoms and last night went to backup and like no power steering .like it was locking up then it was fine.

You have two different issues.
Play, wandering, loose steering is the steering gear.
The hesitation on power assist is a pump or pump control or pump electric circuit issue.
The flash after the steering gear change may - MAY - make things better as far as the lack of assist "like no power steering", but may not.
That could be something like a bad or loose ground, for example.

These aren't so complicated. Apparently you haven't worked as a tech/mechanic and actually rebuilt steering gears or understood how they really work. The gear itself is pretty similar to how things were in the 1980s or even 90s (or 1970s for that matter), it's the pump that has changed.
That engine driven power steering pump of the past was a parasitic draw on the engine.
Performance people revert their classics back to manual steering for that reason - take the drag off the engine, and power steering isn't needed for going straight or turning while moving.
In fact, modern PS shuts down on the highway, at stop signs or when otherwise going straight.
When my brother converted his Javelin to power steering i asked for his old manual steering gear. I instantly had performance people asking for it so they could get rid of power steering. They were street/strip types and wanted to remove the weight and parasitic draw of power steering for their weekends at the strip.
So to get more HP out of a modern engine, yet keep it small, they reduce the load on the engine and drive the pump electrically. That's been going on for years, actually - hybrids require such systems. Even with older systems, there was a sort of torque bar setup in the gear that detected when you wanted to turn, and opened valves to allow pressure from the pump into the gear to shove on a shuttle inside. Today, it also triggers the power steering pump and senses the load on the steering column to gear input shaft.

It's really a simple system, not unlike of the past.

Not intended as an insult or anything, but doing all your own work can mean anything from
"I swap parts as needed and do so when I see others say that's the thing to do"
all the way up to "I'm a born troubleshooter and understand how everything works".
Not always easy to read where a person is at with even basic understanding of what goes on with these when we see that. I was asked by Symantec years ago to be one of their online tech support volunteers years ago (I've since quit) because they said I had an ability to read between the lines of questions and get a feel for where the person was that was asking the question - their skill level and all.
Sometimes I miss - duh - so if you are beyond the 'parts swapping', sorry.

The power steering gear is really a very clever invention - kudos to the inventor and to the engineers behind it.

A friend and neighbor is into street rods. He and his buddies often take trips to go racing their cars and pickups, including to the salt flats.
A couple of years ago Gene and a friend of his were headed west and going through Kansas and Gene told his buddy "I'll follow you". Gene didn't like to risk troopers on the highway so tended to keep speeds down on public roads - not his friend, though. Gene found he had to do 95+ to keep up at times through parts of KS.
They decided to take a break, stop at a hotel for the night. They settled in then decided they'd take his buddy's car to go eat. Got in, turned while backing out of the parking spot and his steering wheel just spun, no steering.
Opened the hood to see a shredded flex joint (old timers call it a "rag joint" for some reason - it's not rags or cloth at all).
The moral of the story? It takes no effort to keep a vehicle going at speed on a highway or other road - they almost steer themselves. The real pressure on the steering parts comes in when sitting still.
That joint could have broken and likely his car would have still tended to go straight - at least for him to shut down. But the stress of turning while sitting?
Same for the power steering on these - you may feel a very quick hard spot when trying to turn stopped until pressure hits the steering gear, but anything other than a blip isn't normal. It should sense the desire to turn and kick that pump on and let you turn.
If not - then there could be a system issue that needs to be addressed.

 

[AllMoparParts.com]

Is this gearbox still available? Do you have the bolt kit? Why does a gearbox need a pcm update?

Yes Josh available here
https://www.allmoparparts.com/sku/jtsteeringkit.html

Bill did a better job explaining the programming than I ever could

I'll send you a code you can use on it,
- Benny

 

[ShadowsPapa]

And don't forget to get the MOPAR EHPS fluid. Don't use other generic PS fluid. It's not cheap but frankly, I don't trust other stuff in my expensive steering parts (and quite necessary steering parts!) I'd only use something that meets MOPAR specs but I figure - why bother messing around. You will need fluid.

This is my setup proving my PS system has no air in it - it's how FCA says to bleed the air out after the system has been opened.

 

[Mays9185]

So dealer going to do the upgrade for $785 with alignment. Do you feel a support bracket is still necessary ?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Those running a "support bracket" are in a very small minority. Very few have them.
There's no real stress on any steering part going down the highway, so you won't get flex out of anything going down a highway unless you have other unresolved issues with steering/suspension.
A bracket is not necessary at all for typical driving - especially street/highway. There just aren't any real forces on anything.
With much larger tires, going through rough terrain, I can see it.......... but since a vehicle takes almost no force to make go straight down the road - how could a brace or bracket help?

 

[AstroZombie]

So dealer going to do the upgrade for $785 with alignment. Do you feel a support bracket is still necessary ?

This is not a bad price if it's all including parts and labor.

 

[Mays9185]

This is not a bad price if it's all including parts and labor.

That is everything, I just need to figure out if support bracket is worth it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Unless you off-road with larger tires - it's a no.
Here's a good example showing how very little stress there is on the steering gear and associated parts on the highway -
My neighbor is a big GoodGuys dude - street rods, he builds them, he races them, he travels with them.
He went out to the flats for some runs with a friend and they crossed NE and KS on the way of course. Gene likes to keep the troopers off his tail so tends to drive a slight bit more moderately. His friend is more devil may care type.
Gene said he told his friend "I'll follow you out". He never though it meant he'd have to keep up 90 mph or so much of the way. So they drove for a few hours at some license-losing speeds and stopped for the night at a hotel - decided to go out and catch a meal. Gene hopped i his friend's car and as he was backing out of the spot and tried to turn, the steering wheel simple spun in his hand.
The flex joint between the lower column and steering gear input was shredded.
The reason Gene was sharing this at one of his Tuesday AM coffee get-togethers with us car nuts was to show - there's really very little stress on the steering when traveling down the highway or basically straight driving. It's slow speeds, or when stopped, that there's any stress.
That guy was driving with a flex joint (affectionately called "rag joint" by old-timer car people because when it's shot, it looks like an old rag) at speeds of ~90 or so for miles - and he had no problem steering it. There was really no stress o anything. But trying to turn while backing out of a parking spot - it gave out.

The braces/brackets are for bigger tires, more stressful steering, off-road where you are turning in ruts against rocks and the sides of ruts where there's real stress on things.
People show things flexing while their Jeep is sitting still, likely tires on the lower side of inflation, and they move the steering wheel back and forth trying to turn several square inches of rubber with hundreds of pounds forcing down on it against pavement - sitting still.

 

[Mays9185]

I offroad alot with 35's want to step up to 37's. Just makes you think do you add it while they got it apart.

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