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Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

eightamrock

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Update: got it back Friday from the dealer. Wanted to give it a good drive before I commented.

They updated from AC to AD stabilizer, and replaced with the new 087AA model track bar. They also did all the alignment changes recommended by the latest version of the TSB.

So far I’m happier. The steering seems to respond much better now. I can actually feel the car move when I shimmy the steering wheel even a little, and the car responds much better and tracks straight at highway speeds. I haven’t taken it over 70mph yet, which will happen this week, but so far there is a notable improvement, but the interstate speeds will be where I really want to feel a difference.
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Saejin

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Wow, 3,241 posts on this...I know quite a few of them are from the same users, but still this has to be the most discussed topic on this forum from an "issues" perspective.

I haven't posted in a while hoping FCA would just come out with a fix, but when the 2019's came out and still had this issues that told me FCA didn't care. They've got a ton of smart engineers that should have been able to take a few of these out and quite easily find and fix the issues in between model years when it's typical for most car manufactures to tweak their assembly lines.

Now it looks like there is a fix and it's maybe the trackbar. Funny thing is my saleman mentioned this to me about a year ago saying Jeep had reported to their techs that they were focusing on the trackbar as a main cause.

For me I gave up a long time ago. To be honest, my steering wasn't that bad to begin with, but when I started reading all the posts on this thread it took me down a rabbit hole that almost had me regretting my jeep purchase. I did do some tweaks to the steering box, about a 1/4inch, but put it back to stock a week later because it made the steering too tight. I also adjusted air pressure to 34 which I thought helped, but my dealer inflated back up to 40psi last week when I had it in for service and I didn't notice any difference to the way it drove.

I can drive 80mph with one hand, so yes the Rubicon can go over 70mph. Does it track perfectly straight like my wife's Volvo...no, but it's not supposed to because it's engineered differently.

I stopped trying to keep my Jeep in the middle of the lane all the time. It's impossible especially here in Maryland where there's a pot hole every 100 feet. I just let the Jeep go down the road and when it starts to get close to the lines either because of wind resistance, cross winds, road crown, etc I just nudge it back over, slowly.

Now, I agree some Jeep have serious issues and need to be fixed. However, I will say after 17,000 miles, mine still drives like the day I drove it off the lot. So my point is, if you have these issues please press the dealer to get them fixed. If you think you have some issues, just take a step back and don't let 3,000 posts convince you that you do have a problem when you may not.
 

californiajeeping

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Wow, 3,241 posts on this...I know quite a few of them are from the same users, but still this has to be the most discussed topic on this forum from an "issues" perspective.

I haven't posted in a while hoping FCA would just come out with a fix, but when the 2019's came out and still had this issues that told me FCA didn't care. They've got a ton of smart engineers that should have been able to take a few of these out and quite easily find and fix the issues in between model years when it's typical for most car manufactures to tweak their assembly lines.

Now it looks like there is a fix and it's maybe the trackbar. Funny thing is my saleman mentioned this to me about a year ago saying Jeep had reported to their techs that they were focusing on the trackbar as a main cause.

For me I gave up a long time ago. To be honest, my steering wasn't that bad to begin with, but when I started reading all the posts on this thread it took me down a rabbit hole that almost had me regretting my jeep purchase. I did do some tweaks to the steering box, about a 1/4inch, but put it back to stock a week later because it made the steering too tight. I also adjusted air pressure to 34 which I thought helped, but my dealer inflated back up to 40psi last week when I had it in for service and I didn't notice any difference to the way it drove.

I can drive 80mph with one hand, so yes the Rubicon can go over 70mph. Does it track perfectly straight like my wife's Volvo...no, but it's not supposed to because it's engineered differently.

I stopped trying to keep my Jeep in the middle of the lane all the time. It's impossible especially here in Maryland where there's a pot hole every 100 feet. I just let the Jeep go down the road and when it starts to get close to the lines either because of wind resistance, cross winds, road crown, etc I just nudge it back over, slowly.

Now, I agree some Jeep have serious issues and need to be fixed. However, I will say after 17,000 miles, mine still drives like the day I drove it off the lot. So my point is, if you have these issues please press the dealer to get them fixed. If you think you have some issues, just take a step back and don't let 3,000 posts convince you that you do have a problem when you may not.
Check these two videos out - both are videos from other members. It helps verify if there is a steering problem or not. The first video helps isolate if the problem is steering box related or something else. Notice how much the steering shaft moves before the pitman arm nut moves. That's the dead space. On JLs without the dead space, the pitman arm nut turns with the steering shaft. A tiny bit of dead space is to be expected, but not this much. The 2nd video shows how to check for other lose components. Notice the drag link problem in this particular JL.



 

chadc880

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Just like Saejin, For the first time in a long time, after adjusting my steering box back to factory setting, man my JL has been a lot of fun to drive. And this is before I have had a trackbar which I know has play and a drag link in which I can feel it click has been replaced. Still waiting for the parts to arrive at the dealer. But for the first time, I am enjoying my JL.

I truly believe most of the looseness in "My" steering was loose steering related components and a faulty steering stabilizer. All the adjustment did on the steering box was mask the symptoms by tightening the steering box. Its really weird.
 

mlangs

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I added the falcon 2.2 adjustable steering stabilizer today. Much less drifting and wobbling :)
 

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mlangs

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Excellent. In what situations have you tested soft vs med vs firm? And how do you like the differences between each?
I’ve been running in med, which seems to be the goldilocks setting. It’s not too soft... not too firm... just right.
 
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Saejin

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Check these two videos out - both are videos from other members. It helps verify if there is a steering problem or not. The first video helps isolate if the problem is steering box related or something else. Notice how much the steering shaft moves before the pitman arm nut moves. That's the dead space. On JLs without the dead space, the pitman arm nut turns with the steering shaft. A tiny bit of dead space is to be expected, but not this much. The 2nd video shows how to check for other lose components. Notice the drag link problem in this particular JL.




For video #1 I'd be careful trying to correlate any slight movement of the steering wheel ti the pitman arm shaft. There's some very specific torque measurements for the input and output of the steering box, so although you turn the wheel an inch it may only correlate to a slight movement of the pitman arm...also it isn't a 1:1 ratio. AND the steering pump is electric/computer controlled, so it will take into account factors such as speed, how fast you're turning the wheel etc. If you're just parked, it will react differently than if you're driving down the road.

For example, when I'm parked if I turn the wheel an inch, the front wheels don't move. However, when I drive down the road at any speed and turn the wheel an inch in either direction, my Jeep starts to move in the direction, so I know the pitman arm has moved and so forth down the system of components to the wheel. I can't see it when it's parked, but I can it when I'm driving.

I know there are some other videos out there where drivers are swinging their steering wheel back and forth and showing a video of the road and how their Jeep isn't moving back and forth. With this I say they are moving the wheel back and forth so fast that any movement is negated by the other movement.
 

californiajeeping

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For video #1 I'd be careful trying to correlate any slight movement of the steering wheel ti the pitman arm shaft. There's some very specific torque measurements for the input and output of the steering box, so although you turn the wheel an inch it may only correlate to a slight movement of the pitman arm...also it isn't a 1:1 ratio. AND the steering pump is electric/computer controlled, so it will take into account factors such as speed, how fast you're turning the wheel etc. If you're just parked, it will react differently than if you're driving down the road.

For example, when I'm parked if I turn the wheel an inch, the front wheels don't move. However, when I drive down the road at any speed and turn the wheel an inch in either direction, my Jeep starts to move in the direction, so I know the pitman arm has moved and so forth down the system of components to the wheel. I can't see it when it's parked, but I can it when I'm driving.

I know there are some other videos out there where drivers are swinging their steering wheel back and forth and showing a video of the road and how their Jeep isn't moving back and forth. With this I say they are moving the wheel back and forth so fast that any movement is negated by the other movement.
I'm compared two parked JLs, engine running, one had a dead zone, the other one didn't. The one that did have a dead zone, looked like the steering box in the video. The one without a dead zone, the steering column turns the pitman arm almost instantly. Wasn't 1:1, but it wasn't 20:1 either. There are tolerance ranges as you mentioned, so it will depend on how bad the dead zone is or isn't. The steering box tolerances are mentioned in the star case.
 

ilushka85

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I took my rubicon to the jeep dealer to have the track bar replaced today. After spending a day they refused to replace it because the car has the Mopar lift and tires. They then tried to tell me I should buy an aftermarket steering stabilizer to solve my issue. Can someone around chicago help? @JeepCares please help!
 

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californiajeeping

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I took my rubicon to the jeep dealer to have the track bar replaced today. After spending a day they refused to replace it because the car has the Mopar lift and tires. They then tried to tell me I should buy an aftermarket steering stabilizer to solve my issue. Can someone around chicago help? @JeepCares please help!
I remember reading or maybe it was a video, that they were promoting Mopar lifts to prevent this exact problem, where installing aftermarket lifts caused dealers to refuse working on steering and suspension related issues. Here is the Performance Catalog - https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/downloads/2018-jeep-performance-parts-catalog-JLWF.pdf But I think there is a video too.
 

ilushka85

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I remember reading or maybe it was a video, that they were promoting Mopar lifts to prevent this exact problem, where installing aftermarket lifts caused dealers to refuse working on steering and suspension related issues. Here is the Performance Catalog - https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/downloads/2018-jeep-performance-parts-catalog-JLWF.pdf But I think there is a video too.

After stating its a Mopar lift they moved on to blame the aftermarket wheels .... and told me that the tsb wont help my issue. Only an aftermarket steering damper will....

They told me if I put the stock wheels on and bring it back they will then perform the tsb.... what do I do ?
 

Dkretden

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After stating its a Mopar lift they moved on to blame the aftermarket wheels .... and told me that the tsb wont help my issue. Only an aftermarket steering damper will....

They told me if I put the stock wheels on and bring it back they will then perform the tsb.... what do I do ?
I would go to a different dealer and I would contact Jeep cares.
 
 



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