1999 Dodge Caravan Steering Gear Pump

I replace the steering gear in my van and punched out the dowel in the center of the knuckle and found out later that is needed to work the pump. Well I installed a new pin in it and now the steering works like Armstrong Power Steering. The front end is in the air and it is hard to turn the wheel. Does the two shafts have to be lined
up in order to for the pump to work right?