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Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

Chipe

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FIXED!!! Just got my Jeep back from the alignment shop and it drives like a different Jeep, it was super windy on the highway and barely made any corrections to the steering, I could let go of the wheel and it stayed in the lane. They did an alignment and adjusted the steering gear box. I know it voids the warrant on the gear box, but the warranty wasn’t doing me any good anyway.
Fahey's Tire Center in Wakefield, MA did the work (not an ad, just very happy customer)
Wished I lived closer!
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roaniecowpony

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My 2020 Gladiator has 4 inches of play in the steering wheel and wanders a lot. So today we finally had some cool weather in Atlanta, low 50s. When I drove it today the steering was perfect, no play at all. I was thinking about adjusting the steering box to take some of the play out as mentioned above by Derek. Here's the BUT, if I adjust the steering box, temperature will have an impact. If adjusted when hot it will be too tight when cold. If it was adjusted today it would not need to be adjusted. I have to assume this change with temperature has do to do with the aluminum case of the steering box. What happens when it gets in the 30s?

So it continues to be no simple answer.
I'm not buying it. Run the numbers.
 
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roaniecowpony

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I drove my Jeep again today, just for the pleasure of it. I am just tickled. I've had my Jeep for 10 months and had only driven it about 6000 miles in that time. Now, I can hardly wait to drive it. :jk:
 

roaniecowpony

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Rdmitch

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I don’t buy into the thermal expansion theory simply because the problem would be on all
The steering boxes, not just a small percentage. A lot of issues in all temp. zones across the country as well. Plus as the engine warms up in cold weather and radiates heat within the compartment the box would expand again and the problem would begin again.

Since the problem seems to be So random and a lot of part replacements have not solved the issue it makes me wonder if it’s more of a frame problem or something not directly associated typically with steering.
 

roaniecowpony

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My 2020 Gladiator has 4 inches of play in the steering wheel and wanders a lot. So today we finally had some cool weather in Atlanta, low 50s. When I drove it today the steering was perfect, no play at all. I was thinking about adjusting the steering box to take some of the play out as mentioned above by Derek. Here's the BUT, if I adjust the steering box, temperature will have an impact. If adjusted when hot it will be too tight when cold. If it was adjusted today it would not need to be adjusted. I have to assume this change with temperature has do to do with the aluminum case of the steering box. What happens when it gets in the 30s?

So it continues to be no simple answer.
I'd believe the rubber bushings in the track bar are changing Shore Hardness with temperature.
 

jacllondon

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So, in my previous post I said I went to test drive a 2020 rubicon and it was perfect. Yesterday I test drove a different rubicon 2 doors and same packages than the previous. Well, this one was not stable on the road, the steering wheel would not recenter itself and a small touch of the wheel would drift to the same direction and not recenter itself. The salesman told me well that is normal because street are concave and me SUUUUUUURREEEE bye . I am just scratching my head now.
 

spudf16

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I installed the SteerSmarts Yeti Pro Series track bar and just finished a 2 hour drive around the Palos Verdes peninsula. For those not familiar with the area, it has winding roads, up and down, 20 to 60 mph, smooth and rough roads. It was a good test drive.

My JLUR has no other steering, suspension, or tire mods. Oct 2018 build. 6200 miles. No dealer service or warranty work.

Before this modification my jeep wandered, steering wheel inputs were only suggestions. The steering wheel felt like it was connected with bungee cords.

Well, I can't say enough. My jeep handled beautifully. It was night and day difference. I felt like I was in my SS Camaro...well, maybe not quite as good. But about like my GMC pickup. I could one-hand drive the winding roads with bumps and dips. I felt positively in control, even with one hand driving. There is little to no detectable play. Steering response is instantaneous. No shimmy. Nothing.

Before I removed the OEM track bar, I observed movement in the bushings when my wife sawed the steering wheel. After removing it, I saw rubber dust on the bushings. I believe that dust is a product of the rubber bushings being worked very hard. I tried to capture it in the attached picture. Also, the rubber is very soft. The new Yeti Pro track bar has hard polyurethane bushings.

20191018_122524.jpg


20191018_122449.jpg


20191018_122430.jpg
How long did it take you to change out?
 

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wrangster

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Want your steering fixed for cheap? have your dealer add front lower control arm cam bolts. My dealer did mine now the steering is much better!
 

df007

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I drove my Jeep again today, just for the pleasure of it. I am just tickled. I've had my Jeep for 10 months and had only driven it about 6000 miles in that time. Now, I can hardly wait to drive it. :jk:
Glad your issue was the track bar. Mine is gearbox slop that IS variable with temp. Pretty simple for me to see; I just open the hood and rotate the steering column by hand with light pressure and the pitman arm does not move. My Jeep tracks well and does not wander, just terrible control will all the play. AE box BTW.

Just curious do you have any slop at all now?

Sucks there are so many issues. Seems like anything but the gearbox is fixable aftermarket, but if the gearbox has lash that is where it ends with a defined fix that might actually work.
 
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roaniecowpony

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Do you think just changing out the bushings vs the track bar will help?
How long did it take you to change out?
I think just changing the bushings to a stiffer bushing will help. Will it eliminate the movement of the axle from side to side? Maybe not to the level a SteerSmarts bar would, since the OEM track bar has a big S in the middle to clear the differential, it is of small diameter tube and has pressed in and crimped rod ends.

It took me about an hour to change the bar. I'm old, I have arthritis and I did this without jacking the Jeep, while laying on my back. Getting the tools and putting them away took most of the time. A guy with lift or pit could probably do this in 10 minutes.
 

roaniecowpony

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Glad your issue was the track bar. Mine is gearbox slop that IS variable with temp. Pretty simple for me to see; I just open the hood and rotate the steering column by hand with light pressure and the pitman arm does not move. My Jeep tracks well and does not wander, just terrible control will all the play. AE box BTW.

Just curious do you have any slop at all now?

Sucks there are so many issues. Seems like anything but the gearbox is fixable aftermarket, but if the gearbox has lash that is where it ends with a defined fix that might actually work.
I don't have any notable slop in the steering now. I can now drive in the righthand gutter lanes around here. Before, it would bump steer the jeep toward the curb if I hit a drain dip. Pretty white knuckle when you're a couple feet from the curb at 45 mph. I also can drive the winding roads around here with complete confidence. It drives like a $50k vehicle should drive.

If the track bar hadn't fixed my jeep, I was going to pull the draglink and see if tugging back and forth on the pitman arm revealed any play. If not, next would have been the steering column assembly. There are plenty of parts in a steering column that can introduce play. Very tight tolerances are needed in a column to ensure it doesn't allow play.
 

clayps

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I've been keeping a close eye on this thread, and while i'm not a JL owner currently it's something I would love to trade my JK in for, however these issues have me weary. My theory is that there are two issues at play here, each with different causes. Some owners likely have one of the two issues, while others have both. This is making it more difficult for both owners and dealerships to diagnose.

My theory is as follows

Steering wheel play/loose steering

*Steering gear box out of spec
*Loose suspension components
*Poor QC on suspension parts


Wandering
* Caster - mounting brackets for LCAs out of spec on either the frame or axle end causing caster to be out of spec from factory
* Bad track bar bushings
* For those lucky enough with both issues, the play in steering gear box exaggerates wandering issue

I've read some instances where the Jeep wanders, but the steering wheel feels tight. Others have loose steering but no wander. Some have both, which is the nightmare scenario.

I'm not sure if this helps anyone, but I think it is helpful to consider these issues exclusive to each other and that some drivers simply have both issues.
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