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Full hydro with stock factory Power steering pump

BiggusBuilt

BiggusBuilt

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2022
Member Number
4876
Messages
19
Loc
Northern IL
Figured I would post this for people trying to be cheap and use stock parts for their full hydro builds. I have a stock 4.0 WJ pump that is a brand new (not reman) that I bought from Rock auto. I have heard other people using this pump with their full hydro setups, so I bought one and now I'm realizing that it's taking way more work than I originally expected it to be. The pressure side was easy the AN fitting threaded right into the factory port. The return side as you can tell from the pictures provided is going to have to be drilled and tapped for an AN fitting. As for a reservoir I was trying to be cheap and simple and use the plastic factory reservoir with a bulkhead fitting inside it. Well, that's not going to work because there are baffles inside the reservoir that redirects the fluid. My plan is to grab a YJ reservoir from the junk yard and remote mount that somewhere in the engine bay. I will post more pictures later this week if I figure out how to make this work without spending almost a grand on a bolt in pump and reservoir for your typical full hydro setups.
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Weld the AN fitting to it.

In my experience, it won't work but good on you for trying.
 
If your planning on threading that hole, you should def be thinking of welding. Not enough material to thread imo.
 
Just an asterisk in this conversation - while your everyday TC pump (like came on the 4.0 WJ, ZJ, XJ, TJ etc) is decent, the different WJ pump that people talk about is from the 2001-2004 V8 WJs. That year range of WJ came with a hydraulic fan powered by the power steering pump, so the pump body is ported for more flow, and has a high flowing reservoir paired with it. Using that pump with the stock reservoir, and using the lower larger diameter (1/2") return line on the reservoir is a pretty nice combo if you have a balanced system where the fluid level doesn't rise and fall (which a double ended ram full hydro setup is)
 
I use a stock TC pump and I know a few other guys that do as well. None of us have any problems with them and I don’t think any of us has lost a pump either. I drilled the outlet fitting a bit larger and also boosted the pressure by threading the bypass fitting down all the way. That just preloads the bypass spring more. For the inlet fitting, I machined the threads off of a 3/4” jic 37 fitting if I remember the size correctly. I used rtv to glue it into the pump, it’s not the best solution but seems to work. Ideally, I would add 2 or 3 grooves to the fitting for o-rings after turning off the threads and fab a retaining bracket to hold it in place.

Not perfect, but I’m also not dropping thousands on blown high dollar pumps either so….
 
DesertCJ said:
I use a stock TC pump and I know a few other guys that do as well. None of us have any problems with them and I don’t think any of us has lost a pump either. I drilled the outlet fitting a bit larger and also boosted the pressure by threading the bypass fitting down all the way. That just preloads the bypass spring more. For the inlet fitting, I machined the threads off of a 3/4” jic 37 fitting if I remember the size correctly. I used rtv to glue it into the pump, it’s not the best solution but seems to work. Ideally, I would add 2 or 3 grooves to the fitting for o-rings after turning off the threads and fab a retaining bracket to hold it in place.

Not perfect, but I’m also not dropping thousands on blown high dollar pumps either so….
Click to expand...

Yeah honestly a lot of people have great success with your average TC pump. And I don't mean to downplay it with the above comment, just meant to note what makes those specific WJ pumps special. But the pump the OP have should be just fine, just like your setup. Cool to hear that you've had good luck siliconing a return fitting in too, just to open more possibilities
 
I used locktight at first and it leaked. The rtv works better but I plan on trying the o-ringed fitting. FYI, 4 cyl TJ’s used a remote reservoir and the pump has a glued in barbed fitting. I didn’t want to weld the fitting to the pump and void my lifetime warranty:flipoff2:
 
DesertCJ said:
I used locktight at first and it leaked. The rtv works better but I plan on trying the o-ringed fitting. FYI, 4 cyl TJ’s used a remote reservoir and the pump has a glued in barbed fitting. I didn’t want to weld the fitting to the pump and void my lifetime warranty:flipoff2:
Click to expand...
I went to my local junk yard this weekend to try and find a metal reservoir and every single YJ's resi was already missing already. Even looked under the hood of some old square body Chevys and same thing.
 
I’m leaning towards something along the lines of this thread as well when I redo my steering this winter.

I’m considering a Lee reservoir when I get to it. Seems reasonable pricing if it actually performs as advertised.
leepowersteering.com

3" x 6" -10 Male to -6 Male Tom Lee Standard Power Steering Reservoir

Lee reservoirs are much more than a tank for holding fluid. Our power steering reservoir uses a unique design to keep the fluid perfectly still. This results in zero cavitation and reduces air in the oil which keeps operating temperatures lower. Our pressurized cap keeps oil in and dirt out...
leepowersteering.com leepowersteering.com
 
fl0w3n said:
I’m leaning towards something along the lines of this thread as well when I redo my steering this winter.

I’m considering a Lee reservoir when I get to it. Seems reasonable pricing if it actually performs as advertised.
leepowersteering.com

3" x 6" -10 Male to -6 Male Tom Lee Standard Power Steering Reservoir

Lee reservoirs are much more than a tank for holding fluid. Our power steering reservoir uses a unique design to keep the fluid perfectly still. This results in zero cavitation and reduces air in the oil which keeps operating temperatures lower. Our pressurized cap keeps oil in and dirt out...
leepowersteering.com leepowersteering.com
Click to expand...


More cheaper.

hydraulicsteeringunlimited.com

Hydraulic Steering Reservoir, Aluminum 1.5 Quart

From Complete Hydraulic Steering Kits to Orbital Valve Packages, Fittings, Steering Columns, Cylinder Mounts and more!
hydraulicsteeringunlimited.com hydraulicsteeringunlimited.com
 
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