Who has done this mod?? I have read a few write ups on it. Did it actually work? And if so, where did you get the "machined" washers?

I am also planning on trying this...

I got some #4 washers at Home Depot... stainless of course...

I am curious too, anybody actually do this????

BTW, crash, your rig sounds alot like mine, hehehe

I am also interested who knows how to do this?

Do the washers just squish a spring a little more or what?

Real curious big tires real hard to turn looking for alternative to hydraulic steer!!! Anybody who has completed this?????

The mod takes like 20 minutes to do once you have the parts out of the pump which is a 5 minute operation if you have easy access. I did not check my actual pressure but with a lincoln locked dana 60 and full time hubs I can turn 42" swampers with 1 finger on the wheel..Very impressed with the homegrown hydro assist. Found all of the info on this board..Try doing some searches..

All I know is - be careful. The guy in our club that taps our boxes for hydro assist has blown a few because of pump mods. He doesn't mod the pumps anymore because of that reason.

great article HERE (http://www.rivercityrockcrawlers.com/TechReports/steering/steeringupgrade.html)

You have to be careful, I did mine and it cracked the pump right in half..... I guess it was too much pressure.:D

Pretty decent article here, good pics.

http://westtexasoffroad.homestead.com/powersteering.html

There is an article on the binder bullitin about this mod also. The mod makes a huge difference but be sure to cut about an 1/8" off the limiting stud or the pump wont work properly.

those 2 articles were written by the same person :beer:

(good job Matt!)

Just do the mods in small increments as the website suggests. Trust me I know.:rolleyes:
I thought I would modify my NEW pump, after bleeding the pump I here a very loud pop and no more power steering. I pull the pump back out of the reservoir and the pump is cracked 1/3 of the way around.:)

Originally posted by TODDK
Real curious big tires real hard to turn looking for alternative to hydraulic steer!!! Anybody who has completed this?????


Todd, call Matt @ west texas off road......... im sure he can help! 915-651-5010

I did that mod to my last Sag pump using two #4 washers as in the write-up. Did a u-turn one night and hit the steering stop hard and -boom- no more power steering. Cracked the pump in half. BTW, I used syn tranny fluid in my new pump after the regular PS fluid wasn't cutting it, the syn tranny fluid helped out a whole lot.

You guys have me worried now. I just put on a new pump, and modified it per the Matt's article (thanks for the good write up, btw). I removed the one shim washer on the outside, and drilled the hole to 1 size (1/64"?) smaller than he said he does them. Also ground a butt hair off the pin. Waiting on my ram for hydro assist in the mail. Should I be concerned?

Pete

no kidding
not exactly a glowing review with 3 tragic fails

ok, went to a place called tacoma screw out here (major place for nuts/bolts and industrial stuff) and the guy looked at me funny when i said i wanted a #4 machine washer..
So, you guys who are running full hydro, did you even have to bump the presure up??

Originally posted by crash
ok, went to a place called tacoma screw out here (major place for nuts/bolts and industrial stuff) and the guy looked at me funny when i said i wanted a #4 machine washer..
So, you guys who are running full hydro, did you even have to bump the presure up??

Nope.. Didn't have to touch the pressure one bit..I know plenty of people running full hydro with 44's with welded and detroit fronts that have zero problems including myself.Heck,in my s10 with my front 60 welded combined with drive flanges it will still turn on pavement with both flanges in:eek: better than power non steer anyday.Not that I do this on a regular basis;but, tried it out just for the heck of it..Anyways, once you goto the hydro steering you will never go back.hope this helps.:D

Perfect, thats the info i was hoping to hear, so i am going to just bolt the biatch up and leave it alone...
Ya, I can go hydro assist, but WFT, why mess with clearance issues with the pitman arm, draglink, and i have yet to see anybody pop a hose
Thanks for the info man...

Originally posted by crash
Perfect, thats the info i was hoping to hear, so i am going to just bolt the biatch up and leave it alone...
Ya, I can go hydro assist, but WFT, why mess with clearance issues with the pitman arm, draglink, and i have yet to see anybody pop a hose
Thanks for the info man...

The hydro assist's only advantage as far as I can see is you don't have to worry about the "air pocket syndrome" and losing steering.This only happens to my vehicle when driven on the street(which is very rare and is only to a trail head) and then it only does it if I don't cycle the steering when I first start it up to bleed off the air. However, once it happens(only for a brief second) it doesn't happen again unless I turn the motor off.But, it has never happened in the woods in 3 years. just go with the full hydro you won't be disappointed..By the way how about posting a pic of your rig with those 55 inch tires..I am dying to see those lift blocks:eek: :D

I have tried to post pics of it, just comes up blank, i think lance has a block on my rig for viewing, go figure huh :rasta:

I run an assist and the pump is pretty much stock. The assist works good if it is a 1.5" ram not a 2". I hav a 2" and the pump has a hard time keeping up with it but the 1.5" ones I have done work well. I would like to try west tex's mod becaue it increases the flow not the pressure so that will really help on an assist. With full hydro no pump mod should be needed.

When I did mine, the only thing I noticed is that there was no noise from the pump when I hit the stops. Driving out from the Sluice, got as far as Ellis Creek, and then nothing. It only lasted 3/4 of a trip.

HOLY COW!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
I can't believe that so many people have had problems with that mod. Will everyone that had problems PLEASE e-mail me and let me know exactly what you did and exactly what happened. I sure don't want to have an article up that is costing people money. I would also suggest to anyonr that is wanting to get more pressure to start by just removing the shims that come stock. This is the best way to start. If it's still not enough then try a little more at a time.

Full hydro, stock pump. No problems. I can put my 44s against my tow hitch and turn my steering wheel with one finger and it slides my 1 ton crew cab dually over on the asphault. I love sliding friends rigs over when I pull up next to them. I push on there tires.( POWER ).:eek:

yeah that's a blast to do. I love watching people faces when the spotter tells you that you'll have to back up cause this rock has got you blocked and you just turn the tires and move the rock. Of course i'm runing hydro assist not full hydro. but whatever works for you.

Originally posted by Keith
When I did mine, the only thing I noticed is that there was no noise from the pump when I hit the stops. Driving out from the Sluice, got as far as Ellis Creek, and then nothing. It only lasted 3/4 of a trip. \

What mod did you do? Whitch one? Up the pressure or flow?

Originally posted by TheLakeRat
HOLY COW!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
I can't believe that so many people have had problems with that mod. Will everyone that had problems PLEASE e-mail me and let me know exactly what you did and exactly what happened. I sure don't want to have an article up that is costing people money. I would also suggest to anyonr that is wanting to get more pressure to start by just removing the shims that come stock. This is the best way to start. If it's still not enough then try a little more at a time.

Some pumps don't come with shims, i did the mods recommended on your site and mine works great ( knock on wood) Some of these guys probably didn't remove that 1/8 " from the limiting stud.

Originally posted by Brawler


Some pumps don't come with shims, i did the mods recommended on your site and mine works great ( knock on wood) Some of these guys probably didn't remove that 1/8 " from the limiting stud.

The write-up I followed was this one- http://woody.ih8mud.com/ps-pump.html

There was no shim when I disassembled mine so I just added the two washers and filed down the stem just as described. Now, mine was a Ford version of the sag pump and I've heard from a friend I trust that the Ford versions already have a bit more pressure output compared to other versions of the sag pump. Can anyone verify this?

Did the mod today, took about 30 minutes. It works great, definite increase in pressure, turns a lot easier. I only added 2 #4 washers to increase spring pressure, as suggested. I did NOT remove the shim from the end cap, as TheLakeRat suggested, as i beleive it acts as a seal also. I am not sure though, it just seems that way. I also did not drill out or modify the fitting. I have a AGR series 1 box, and 1/2ton chevy sag. pump. We'll see how long it lasts, but these pumps are $20 at the local junkyard, so i could go through a few of 'em, before paying for a AGR...

thanks for the info all, I'll let you know if it cracks, or has problems.