Returning the Pwr Steering Pump Pulley

[DHugg]

Today I built up an AGR Super Pump onto my '80 CJ-7 pump reservoir. Now it is time to replace the pulley, using a bolt-type pulley installer, not pressure.

Can anyone vector me to the thread size in the AGR Super Pump pulley shaft center hole? I'll call AGR tomorrow, but I hate to waste daylight waiting for business hours.

So far, this CJ has had these bad habits:

Hard starting after 48 hour layup. (304CID)
Rough idle and over-rich fuel-air mixture
Oil around the new crate engine (304) oil pan gasket
REALLY squirrelly steering
No brakes to brag about

I corrected these things, in same order:
fuel filter (2 exit lines) installed with return line low instead of 12 O'Clock
Two serious vacuum leaks; leaking fuel line
Improper install of new fuel pump (cocked), leaking engine oil past the gasket
Steering shaft knuckles rusted out; tires under-inflated (35's @ 18PSI)
Steering pump lines and fittings leaking; steering box mount loose.
Rear brakes both sides not operative due to (1) leaking axle seal and (2) filled with crud until the shoes can't move. One wheel cylinder leaking with split boot.

A 30 yr old Jeep is a pig in a poke. Someone in the past did a good job setting up the tub, suspension, and body. But over the years, a lot of important maintenance was ignored. If your CJ has some of my Jeep's bad habits, here above are some places to begin to look.

Lucky for me, I do love pigs!

[DHugg]

Called AGR Performance in Ft. Worth just now... the pulley shaft bolt hole in the P-series power steering pumps takes a 3/8 -16 bolt.

Now I can install the pump pulley; hope it isn't as hard to get on as it was to get off!

[DHugg]

Who has bought (made - stolen - junkyarded) a steel return line and metric fitting with rubber O-ring for an '80 CJ-7 power steering box? I have the new steering stuff all installed, but the return line is twisted and fluid passage gotta be restricted.

When I re-installed the pulley, I used red emery cloth in burnishing the pulley shaft on the AGR Performance Super Pump. I made a few passes with a brake cylinder hone down the pulley hub to smooth out some scratches, then wrapped the hone with emery cloth for a minute's polishing. Pressing the pulley onto the hub was quite smooth, but required enough muscle torqueing down the press nut to know the pulley was a tight press fit.

Gulfport, MS, is a small town of about 50,000, and finding a sales person in any of the automotive parts chains who knows what I'm asking for is a bit of a challenge, at least it was today. If I knew which Ford or GM model uses the same power steering pump, I could get one in my hands in half a day, and have the system leak-checked and bled by nightfall.

Anyone have any experience to share out?

[CJ]

The return line doesn't really have much pressure - just flow. You can cut the ends of the line off, attach the fittings to the pump and the gear box and use fuel line and hose clamps for this.

[coldwater]

Originally Posted by CJ The return line doesn't really have much pressure - just flow. You can cut the ends of the line off, attach the fittings to the pump and the gear box and use fuel line and hose clamps for this.

What he said. Many kits will only supply a section of hose to be used for return, and you simply install with hose clamps. As far as the fuel filter, the return line goes to the top, not bottom. The return line basically exists to help prevent vapor lock, by looping fuel through the system to keep it cooler. If you have starting issues due to fuel starvation after sitting, and rich run after starting, I would suspect the carb is dropping fuel and needs attention.

[DHugg]

Originally Posted by CJ The return line doesn't really have much pressure - just flow. You can cut the ends of the line off, attach the fittings to the pump and the gear box and use fuel line and hose clamps for this.

One photo worth a thousand cuss-words. Here is the flattened tubing going right into the fitting........ I don't have room to cut and clamp, so the only solution to me seems to be grabbing another fitting and line stub.

I'm going to try a new tactic... I'll take the old line (cleaned up a little) to a reputable parts store and tell them I don't know what it came from, but I want one. I know there must be a dozen different models that used this selfsame steering pump.

Open to all other options