2014 Jeep wrangler Sahara 3.5” lift with 37’s 3.6 penastar. Unlimited
Please help! I cannot figure out my issue. First issue I had was sitting at a drive thru window and there was a noise started, kept getting louder and louder to where I had to shut the jeep off to hear the lady, when I went to leave, I could not steer the jeep, but I forced the steering and went about 200yards to my office. After work I got in it and the steering was very tight and the noise was loud. I attempted to drive 5 minutes to my house, almost there the belt broke and my temp shot up immediately so I pulled over, got a ride home and came back and got the jeep. The water pump pulley had broke at the weld, I replaced the water pump, belt and about four pulleys that had melted. Now when I drive, it sometimes runs great, quiet and smooth but a lot of times I hear this noise that isn’t totally a grinding or a power steering pump noise and when it does that, my steering will tighten up some. I can be driving fine and go into a curve and then it will tighten and you have to pull harder to steer it and you can hear the noise. I can also feel the vibration in the gas pedal and steering wheel when this happens. A lot of times when it happens it also feels like my engine is not giving me all of the power or it is being bogged down. There is zero play in the steering wheel, no noise from the steering pump, I ran it weeks with no A/C and it still does it off and on. Does not seem to be any apparent play or slack in the bearings. I don’t know what to do, when I try to show someone , it does fine and don’t act up. Also, this is my daily driver so I’m afraid of doing more damage by driving it this way. I wanted to add that it does this sometimes when backing out of the garage and turning around so speed isn’t really and issue as it does it parked sometimes after it has started having the issue

 

Did you replace the belt tensioner itself? It sounds like the water pump seized, causing the belt to slip on the other pulleys, and I wonder if the heat could have compromised the tensioner. When the power steering is requiring more assist, a weak tensioner may be causing the belt to slip and not letting enough pressure build, which would account for the increased steering effort and maybe the noise.

 

I did have to replace the tensioner as well, the older one did not wont to move after the belt got everything so hot. I forgot to mention that. Thank you.

 

When I was installing by hydro steering setup, the Teflon liner of the pressure hose (from ps pump to gear box) slipped and went into the steering box. I had very similar symptoms that you describe here. That may or may not be your issue but I’d disconnect the pressure line from your gearbox and make sure that the liner didn’t slip.

 

Thank you, I will look at that and see if that may be a possibility