I have replaced several power steering hoses on various Jeep Cherokees. It has gotten to be a pretty straight forward job. See this previous post on how to replace a power steering hose.

Janice’s 1999 Cherokee had been emitting a puff of smoke each time she turned her XJ to full lock. Although there was little sign of a leak on the hose, our experience with the Green Jeep catching fire due to a power steering hose leak made me extra cautious.

I got a new hose and then pulled the electric fan and the air box to make room. I tried using the various 18mm wrenches I had to get the hose loose from the steering box. I have always been successful in the past using an open end wrench. However, this one refused to budge.

I picked up a set of crow foot flare nut wrenches from my local NAPA store. They have a great set of tools in a nice case for around $20. Unfortunately I forgot that the bottom is an 18mm and the top is a 5/8 inch. I bought only the SAE set. The store was closed for the holiday by the time I figured out I also need the metric set.

Jennifer rescued me by searching until she found a set at O’Reilly’s. It is still a nice set for about the same price as the NAPA set but does not have the nice case.

I used the 18 metric crow foot flare nut wrench to break loose the lower line. It took a lot of torque but it eventually broke free. Janice and Jennifer were able to finish taking it out using the 18mm stubby wrench.

I used the 5/8 crow foot to pop loose the upper hose. It was not nearly as tight. I showed them how to put on the O rings on each end of the hose and let them get the lines threaded into place. The lower one always seems to be difficult and takes some patience to get it started.

After the new line was installed, I had them add some fluid and jack up the front of the Jeep. They turned the wheel from lock to lock to bleed the air out of the line. After that, they started the engine and repeated the process.

Once most of the air was out, she turned the wheel to one of the locks and listened for the pressure relief to open. There was a noticeable change in sound as the last of the air purged.

I rechecked the level of fluid in the power steering reservoir and checked for leaks again. Now we all feel much safer driving the Jeep.

Powercraft Power Steering Pressure Hose – 80290

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If you get a strange chirping sound from the front of the engine in your Jeep Cherokee it is likely the idler pulley. These have a replaceable bearing but it generally easier to just buy the whole pulley with a new bearing installed.

To change the pulley, you will first have to loosen the serpentine belt. The belt is adjusted at the power steering pump. On most vintages, the power steering pump moves to adjust the belt. On the later vintages, there is an adjuster beside the power steering pump. Removing the air box makes access easier.

With the belt loose, remove the bolt in the center of the pulley. Most have a 15mm hex. Slip the pulley off and remove the sleeve from the center. In most cases you will reuse the sleeve.

If the pulley comes with a new sleeve, use it instead of the old one. Otherwise put the old sleeve in the new pulley. Bolt it back to the engine.

Reinstall the belt and tighten it up. I found the tension is about right when the belt will only twist 90 degrees between the power steering pulley and the water pump. It has to be pretty tight or it will slip when the AC is on.

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A soft brake pedal on a Jeep Cherokee can be very unnerving. The brakes are not exceptionally great on a Jeep Cherokee to begin with so when they are not working well, they can be downright scary.

The first place to look on a Cherokee is the adjustment of the rear drum brakes. If the shoes not adjusted right, then the pedal travel required to take up the slack will be enough to make the pedal feel soft.

To adjust the shoes, remove the rubber plug in the backing plate. Use a screwdriver or better yet a brake spoon to turn the spiked wheel. Turn it down to tighten the shoes. I usually tighten them until there is noticeable drag when turning the tire.

If the adjuster does not click when you turn the wheel, then the auto adjuster is likely not installed correctly. I see this problem often. The auto adjuster is operated by a cable the moves the adjuster wheel when the brakes are applied in reverse. The cable is routed over a small metal pivot point. Often the metal piece is not installed correctly under the spring and will allow slack in the cable. To fix, simply remove the spring and reposition the pivot plate in the hole and reinstall the spring. Just make sure the plate stays in place as you reattach the spring. That is the tricky part.

Also, if exposed to road salt, the adjuster screw may seize. Free it up with a rust dissolving oil like PB blaster or ATF. Coat it with grease when re installing to help prevent it seizing.

If the rear brakes are adjusted properly ands the pedal is still soft, you may have air in the lines or a leak. Check the rear wheel cylinders for evidence of leaks. Look for traces of fluid inside the brake drum. In the front, look for fluid around the calipers.

If you still have a soft pedal then you will need to bleed the brake system to purge any air. Air can get in if the master cylinder has ever run dry or if a brake line has been removed for any reason.

I prefer to use a pressure bleed system to bleed the brakes. I find it gets air out faster and I can do it without an assistant. I don’t like using vacuum bleeders because I have found that they can pull air in past aging wheel cylinder seals. If the seal are new this wont be a problem but old ones can allow in air during a vacuum bleed even if they don’t leak fluid out. The old “pump and bleed” method works if you have an assistant but is slower than a pressure bleed.

One last are to look at if you continue to have a soft pedal after checking all of the above is the front brake calipers themselves. Some Jeep calipers use a phenolic piston. The plastic in the piston can break down with heat and start to crumble. If the piston is breaking it may flake off a little each time the pedal is mashed.

Often the brake pedal firmness fades slowly and you get accustomed to it. Once a firm pedal is restored, you may be surprised at how well your Jeep stops and how easy the brakes are to modulate.

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