(Yet another) Steering issue thread

[jcbfshr]

I have a 2021 rubicon ecodiesel. I installed a Teraflex 2.5” performance spacer lift, Steersmarts sector shaft brace, Steersmarts adjustable track bar, and 37” Coopers on KMC Tank beadlocks. OEM Rubicon suspension, minus the track bar mentioned.

I’ve got steering wheel wobble between 45 and 50mph, and get shaking/vibration at highways speeds - enough to make my spare tire shake (it’s squeaky, so I notice it). These are the two issues I’m primarily trying to fix. I’ve also got a little bit of wandering on the road, and a bit of pull to the right.

I recently added the Mopar LCA’s after reading that correcting caster can help with general wandering and steering issues. I’m reading 0° caster at the diff. Yesterday, I measured the front axle to be about 3/4 of an inch off center in the front, so adjusted the track bar to correct this (assuming this was causing some of the shaking at speed). Adjusted to within 1/16 of an inch difference. I’m also replacing my wheels with 3” of backspacing with some that have 4.5” in an effort to reduce overall width and tires that are 12.5” wide instead of 13.5”.

Here is where I’m at now:

After adjusting the track bar, my steering wheel is no longer centered. Easy enough, one bolt and adjust the drag link. Problem is that I can’t turn the drag link adjuster enough in the direction I need to, to get the wheel back to center. I’m about 45° rotated to the left and the adjuster on the drag link seems to be “maxed out” and can’t be turned any further. Note: I did try to adjust with the Jeep running, which I’m thinking was a mistake now.

I feel like I’m a little all over the place with this Jeep right now and making too many changes at once and hoping to find a baseline. My questions are:

1. What can I do about the drag link adjustment? I put a pipe wrench on the adjuster and it won’t budge past a certain spot, so I’m assuming it’s out of adjustment threads or something. Should I be considering a replacement, or is there something else I can do?

2. What can I do about the steering wheel wobble? The tires were recently rotated, so doesn’t seem to be related to that directly.

3. Any thoughts on the shaking at highway speeds? This Jeep is 90% on the road, so would like to get it feeling a little more comfortable than it is today.

4. Am I even barking up the right tree(s)? I’m wary to add more new parts to the equation, unless I know for certain they would solve the problem.

Apologies for another steering thread,but the drag link running out of adjustment isn’t something I’ve read about before. Appreciate any help from this group.

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[Ten North Prez]

Got a photo of the Drag Link? Something seems way off there with only 2.5" of lift.

Also, any chance the vibration could be a balancing issue? I know we all love to jump right to the front end with these but it may be as simple as that. Perhaps the rotation placed an off-balance tire in a more noticeable position?

Zero degrees of Caster? With longer LCA's?

 

[jcbfshr]

Got a photo of the Drag Link? Something seems way off there with only 2.5" of lift.

Also, any chance the vibration could be a balancing issue? I know we all love to jump right to the front end with these but it may be as simple as that. Perhaps the rotation placed an off-balance tire in a more noticeable position?

Zero degrees of Caster? With longer LCA's?

I attached a couple photos of the drag link. It’s just the stock one, but I agree is the strangest part of this.

I tend to agree about the tires being related to the shake, but it was happening before and after the rotation. I suppose I’ll see if that was part of it after I get them swapped for the new ones.

As I understood it: for caster, 0° at the diff translates to 6° at the knuckle. Happy to be wrong about this, but saw this in several threads here.

 

[limeade]

I see a few potential issues with your current setup.

For off-centered steering wheel (and I apologize if this is interpreted wrong): Did you turn the DL adjuster the correct direction or did you over rotate it? Did you turn it in only one direction, thereby moving the steering wheel too far? For example, if the steering wheel was off by say 15 degrees to the driver side, did you adjust the DL and cause the steering wheel to rotate counter-clockwise when the DL should've been adjusted the opposite direction to move the steering wheel clockwise? I'm not trying to insult your ability, but I've seen/heard of people doing this. By doing it the wrong direction too far, you can run out of adjustment.

If you did rotate the adjuster correctly, here's how to fix it, but unfortunately you're going to have to remove the DL tie rod end from the pitman arm side. DISCLAIMER: The below is theoretically possible, however I don't know if the stock TRE has a long enough shank for this to be successful.

Before disconnecting the TRE at the pitman arm, secure the steering wheel/pitman arm so it can't turn. You can use rope, tie down strap, etc. to secure the steering wheel prior to removing the DL. Disconnect the TRE at the pitman arm.

When this is done, turn the adjuster most of the way in, leaving several threads showing for fine adjustments later. While securing the adjuster with a wrench, turn the tie rod end out (there's a flat space on the shank of the TRE to place a wrench), ensuring the TRE has enough shank left inside the adjuster. You may have to bring the adjuster out more to compensate, depending on how long the shank of the TRE is. The goal here is to split the difference in the needed overall length between the TRE and adjuster. Adjust the lengths of TRE and adjuster so you can put the TRE back into the pitman are. Torque the TRE at the pitman arm, secure the castle nut with a new cotter pin and then remove the strap securing the steering wheel. Use the adjuster to fine tune the steering wheel.

That's the cheap and easy fix for your issues. I think you also have a caster issue. When your Rubicon was stock (no lift), adding the Mopar LCA's is a smart upgrade to increase caster. Now that you're 2.5" higher than stock, your caster is probably lower than what it originally was. You need some form of front adjustable control arms so you can increase your caster. Since you already have the Mopar LCA's, you could get adjustable front upper control arms to increase caster. This would be the cheapest method. If you plan on off-roading a lot, I'd invest in a set of front adjustable lower control arms too. The Mopar ones can bend when off-roading with larger than stock tires, but at this point, the adjustable uppers are the cheapest solution.

Secondly, how many miles are on your JL, especially since installing the 37's? It's very possible your ball joints are worn out and need replacement. If they aren't worn out, it's only a matter of time and should be replaced with aftermarket ones. Don't waste your time and money on stock ball joints.

Hopefully by this point, your steering is dead on, with no wobbles/shimmy. If there are, the tie rod ends in your Tie Rod and/or Drag Link would be the next culprit.

 

[AnnDee4444]

I’ve got steering wheel wobble between 45 and 50mph, and get shaking/vibration at highways speeds - enough to make my spare tire shake (it’s squeaky, so I notice it).

This sounds more like out of balance tire, bent wheel, etc.

Try swapping front & rear tires to see if anything changes.

 

[JT1]

I attached a couple photos of the drag link. It’s just the stock one, but I agree is the strangest part of this.

I tend to agree about the tires being related to the shake, but it was happening before and after the rotation. I suppose I’ll see if that was part of it after I get them swapped for the new ones.

As I understood it: for caster, 0° at the diff translates to 6° at the knuckle. Happy to be wrong about this, but saw this in several threads here.

from directly under the jeep with you steering wheel sitting level and the jeep rolling mostly straight, is your pitman arm pointing directly forward parallel to the frame and perpendicular to the axle?

 

[jcbfshr]

from directly under the jeep with you steering wheel sitting level and the jeep rolling mostly straight, is your pitman arm pointing directly forward parallel to the frame and perpendicular to the axle?

When the tires are square/pointing straight forward, the pitman arm is straight. If I square up the steering wheel, the pitman arm points to toward the passenger side (the steering wheel is rotated about 55° to the driver side of the Jeep).

 

[jcbfshr]

This sounds more like out of balance tire, bent wheel, etc.

Try swapping front & rear tires to see if anything changes.

I’ll be replacing all 5 wheels and tires in the next week or so, so will see then. I did just rotate tires less than 1000 miles ago and the ride was the same before and after.

 

[JT1]

When the tires are square/pointing straight forward, the pitman arm is straight. If I square up the steering wheel, the pitman arm points to toward the passenger side (the steering wheel is rotated about 55° to the driver side of the Jeep).

You should have enough threads to screw it in 305*

 

[jcbfshr]

I see a few potential issues with your current setup.

For off-centered steering wheel (and I apologize if this is interpreted wrong): Did you turn the DL adjuster the correct direction or did you over rotate it? Did you turn it in only one direction, thereby moving the steering wheel too far? For example, if the steering wheel was off by say 15 degrees to the driver side, did you adjust the DL and cause the steering wheel to rotate counter-clockwise when the DL should've been adjusted the opposite direction to move the steering wheel clockwise? I'm not trying to insult your ability, but I've seen/heard of people doing this. By doing it the wrong direction too far, you can run out of adjustment.

If you did rotate the adjuster correctly, here's how to fix it, but unfortunately you're going to have to remove the DL tie rod end from the pitman arm side. DISCLAIMER: The below is theoretically possible, however I don't know if the stock TRE has a long enough shank for this to be successful.

Before disconnecting the TRE at the pitman arm, secure the steering wheel/pitman arm so it can't turn. You can use rope, tie down strap, etc. to secure the steering wheel prior to removing the DL. Disconnect the TRE at the pitman arm.

When this is done, turn the adjuster most of the way in, leaving several threads showing for fine adjustments later. While securing the adjuster with a wrench, turn the tie rod end out (there's a flat space on the shank of the TRE to place a wrench), ensuring the TRE has enough shank left inside the adjuster. You may have to bring the adjuster out more to compensate, depending on how long the shank of the TRE is. The goal here is to split the difference in the needed overall length between the TRE and adjuster. Adjust the lengths of TRE and adjuster so you can put the TRE back into the pitman are. Torque the TRE at the pitman arm, secure the castle nut with a new cotter pin and then remove the strap securing the steering wheel. Use the adjuster to fine tune the steering wheel.

That's the cheap and easy fix for your issues. I think you also have a caster issue. When your Rubicon was stock (no lift), adding the Mopar LCA's is a smart upgrade to increase caster. Now that you're 2.5" higher than stock, your caster is probably lower than what it originally was. You need some form of front adjustable control arms so you can increase your caster. Since you already have the Mopar LCA's, you could get adjustable front upper control arms to increase caster. This would be the cheapest method. If you plan on off-roading a lot, I'd invest in a set of front adjustable lower control arms too. The Mopar ones can bend when off-roading with larger than stock tires, but at this point, the adjustable uppers are the cheapest solution.

Secondly, how many miles are on your JL, especially since installing the 37's? It's very possible your ball joints are worn out and need replacement. If they aren't worn out, it's only a matter of time and should be replaced with aftermarket ones. Don't waste your time and money on stock ball joints.

Hopefully by this point, your steering is dead on, with no wobbles/shimmy. If there are, the tie rod ends in your Tie Rod and/or Drag Link would be the next culprit.

I would likely opt for buying a heavy duty, adjustable drag link before going this route with the OEM one. I may take it in for an alignment before doing that though. At one point, it drove pretty nicely with this setup so I have faith it can work.

I agree that adjustable control arms would help me dial suspension in. Full suspension is on the roadmap but I’m not sure what I want exactly just yet. Most people on here were happy with 5-7° of caster, and I’m right in the middle of that from what I’ve measured. If I can eliminate the shake and shimmy elsewhere, I’d be able to tell for certain.

 

[jcbfshr]

You should have enough threads to screw it in 305*

I just tried going the opposite direction and the adjuster got too long and the drag link was loose at the adjuster.

Edit: the attached photo shows where the adjuster is right now. I cannot turn the adjuster toward the front of the Jeep any further, which is the direction it needs to go. I need about another 45° on the steering wheel to get it level, which I would be able to get if I could turn the adjuster further.

 

[JT1]

I just tried going the opposite direction and the adjuster got too long and the drag link was loose at the adjuster.

Yeah. When you mess with it next try screwing it in farther from where it is. You should have enough room to get your wheel right.

 

[Roky]

I just tried going the opposite direction and the adjuster got too long and the drag link was loose at the adjuster.

Edit: the attached photo shows where the adjuster is right now. I cannot turn the adjuster toward the front of the Jeep any further, which is the direction it needs to go. I need about another 45° on the steering wheel to get it level, which I would be able to get if I could turn the adjuster further.

Got pic of pitman arm from straight on ? Is it pointing to the drivers side when wheels are straight ?

 

[jcbfshr]

Got pic of pitman arm from straight on ? Is it pointing to the drivers side when wheels are straight ?

When the wheels are straight, the pitman arm is straight. When I straighten the steering wheel, the pitman arm rotated (as expected).

 

[Roky]

When the wheels are straight, the pitman arm is straight. When I straighten the steering wheel, the pitman arm rotated (as expected).

You tried to go the other direction and ran out of room as well ?

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