Hey guys, new to the forum and I have a big problem. I have a 2006 RHD (right hand drive) jeep wrangler my wife uses for a postal route. This jeep uses the Mercedes steering gear and is trashed! I've found no solutions on rebuilding this thing without it being a fortune. In my research, the lhd and rhd have the same seals and bearings. Does anyone have knowledge of rebuild kit part numbers or bearing sizes needed? I'm at the very end of my rope here. Thanks.
2006 steering gear box replacement options for RHD
- Thread starter Tjjk owner
- Start date
You can get remanufactured ones from most auto part stores, or you can do what a lot of people do and modify the frame to fit the 97-02 steering gear box, which can be found much easier and for much less.
The forward bolt sleeve has to be moved down and forward slightly to fit a Saginaw on a 03-06 frame. Not really worth it since PSC and others make Saginaw boxes with the 03-06 bolt pattern.
I found rebuilt units for about $650 a few months ago. Passed on that, due to countless bad reviews. I understand it's a metal casting problem anyway. And a problem that a rebuild won't solve.
The Saginaw mod was a contender for me but didn't want to mod the frame for personal reasons.... I'm old and I'll forget that I did the mod in a few years and THEN buy a PSC. And then it won't fit cause the frames modified. Lol.
If you are hiring a mech to do it the Saginaw mod, you might be better off $ wise by spending the cash on a PSC.
I paid about $850 for the PSC from Summit, $30 for PSC's recommended fluid, and about $50 for hoses.
Couldn't be happier with the final outcome. PSC is a better box in every way. IMO
If your aren't up to tackling the job yourself, factor a few hrs labor from local mechanic. But it's not that difficult to do it yourself.
The Saginaw mod was a contender for me but didn't want to mod the frame for personal reasons.... I'm old and I'll forget that I did the mod in a few years and THEN buy a PSC. And then it won't fit cause the frames modified. Lol.
If you are hiring a mech to do it the Saginaw mod, you might be better off $ wise by spending the cash on a PSC.
I paid about $850 for the PSC from Summit, $30 for PSC's recommended fluid, and about $50 for hoses.
Couldn't be happier with the final outcome. PSC is a better box in every way. IMO
If your aren't up to tackling the job yourself, factor a few hrs labor from local mechanic. But it's not that difficult to do it yourself.
Forgot about the PSC units. That being said, yes, I'd rather just put in a PSC unit as oppose to switchover to the 97-02 gear box.
ZEN357
TJ Enthusiast
Take a look at Rock Auto, not sure if it's in your budget.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/jeep,2006,wrangler,4.0l+l6,1432231,steering
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/jeep,2006,wrangler,4.0l+l6,1432231,steering
Being that it's for a daily postal driver, the pieces I've found for "rebuilt" units are 500 or more is a little more than budgeted. I'm more than capable of rebuilding it myself but I can't find any reliable specs.
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I found a few RHD units in that range. I'd call PSC and ask them what the differences are. I'd bet not many in the rebuild kits.
I'll try them. Most everyone I've tried says yes until I verify that it's the Mercedes style and right hand drive and then the price either changes, they can't, or out of stock. Hopefully they can give me good news.
Finding the right hand drive is much more difficult. I have thought of the conversion but don't know how difficult it would be in my application
Oh yeah, that's a big pain in the butt then. Have you considered seeing if it's possible to get yours rebuilt?
I've tried several places, most want about 500 or more which is more than my budget can currently allow. I'm going to call the shop mentioned on this thread today. Internally, they are the same just reversed. I can get the seal kit, but I don't know the original diameter of the ball bearings in the worm. If I could get that info, I could rebuild it myself for a fraction of that.
Yep, I'm not sure you're going to find it for much cheaper than $500 unfortunately. Let us know if you do, but I'd be very surprised if you do!