RECTEX

So, I have looked around and searched to the best of my ability but couldnt find anything that match my issue so here goes. This is gonna be long, sorry.

I was running a WTO Redneck Ram Assist kit, and it was ok, worked well enough offroad but was a nightmare above 40-50mph even with 7-10 degrees of caster. I played with lots of alignment specs and nothing made it feel drivable on the highway.
I ditched the WTO ported box for a PSC one that I had them spec as firm steering with a .210" torsion bar. Kept the ram, already had PSC pump and reservoir.

WTO box sucked on the highway but low speed was great, the ram was just the ultimate stabilizer, almost nothing would jar the steering wheel in my hands. I could drive down one of Houstons sh*tty streets and could hold the wheel with just a couple of fingers.

Now the PSC box allows me to feel every little nuance in the road texture. Small ruts make the steering wheel saw back and forth a bit. Going over a speed bump- its really noticeable; its like the ram isnt there. The ram does work, it will push me away from a curb. The steering is much firmer and not the least bit twitchy like it was but this kinda sucks. I dont have the solid feel I had with the Redneck Ram.

Sent the box back to PSC so they could rebuild it, side note- they promised a one day turn around and I got it back nearly 2 weeks later. Came back and it does the same thing, like they didnt touch it. It is repainted so I can only assume they rebuilt it.

Now I'm thinking it must be something else. I bled the hell out of the system, did it PSCs way, did it Howes way, tried other people suggestions. Still the same thing. Could there still be air in the system? Theres another thing as well, whether jacked up or down on the ground, with the ram attached it takes about twice the effort to turn the wheel right as it does left. I'm totally perplexed and not familiar enough with hydraulics to diagnose the symptoms. PSC has not been a great help to me, I dont want to bash them but they seem just as stumped as I am.

Any ideas?

Monte417

There's no reason the WTO system should be driving like that on the highway. I've had my jeep up to 95 mph with one finger on the wheel. What size ram did WTO give you? Are you running the stock pump and res?

jedg

X2 on this. I'm thinking you had(have) a problem before this. My WTO system is rock solid through 100mph. I have a 1.5" ram and the OEM pump ( no modification), OEM reservoir, and had WTO port my gearbox. No troubles at all with it.

SoK66

Same here. I'd suggest taking a deep dive into your basic alignment settings and steering components from the steering shaft out.

Monte417

He could be using the aftermarket psc pump with the WTO 1.5 ram. That would explain the poor drive ability that's why i was asking which size ram and pump he is using. If he is using the psc pump he should be using a 1.75 ram

FlexyJK

I agree with everyone else on the WTO. Very stable. I know multiple people who have bought the PSC box and nothing but problems. All of them leaked and the customer service is crap. I have seen people run the PSC pump and resi with the WTO ram and box with no issues. If everything is tight, I would think it would be something in the box. Without driving the Jeep it would be hard to say.

ShutterBug

So I am looking to add hydro assist myself. But it's all a little confusing.

In your setup, you have just the ram and a ported steering box, right? Hoses form the steering box to the ram. No extra pump. No extra reservoir?

jedg

Correct. I have the WTO stage II system. They ported my steering gearbox, gave me hoses and the ram (1.5") set for my steering range and the ram mounting tabs. I do have a cooler installed but am using a completely OEM PS pump. I'm only running 35" KM2s ( will move to 37s on next set) so perhaps that's why this system is working so well. Not sure. I've already used it on the rocks and found it to be great. A side effect is that it's been great at negating crosswinds.

Blizz

This is my plan as well. Glad to hear you've had success w/o the extra PSC parts.

larry0071

Referring to the West Texas Off road Redneck Ram:

And depending on year, such as my 2014 with low miles, there is no modifying the internals for increased flow and no rebuild required if it's low enough miles and new enough model of gear box. Mine was a 2014 with 12K miles on it with stock tires, so he actually took $140 off of the websites listed $550! I sent him my gear box, he drilled and tapped it and shipped it back with fittings, hoses and the ram.