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My update to 2020 JLUR after upgrades in attempt to fix loose steering

Wabujitsu

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Hi all,

So I bought a 2020 Rubicon Unlimited 3.6 on Sept 21st. This is my 5th jeep, and they date all the way back to the first CJ5 Renegade I bought new in 1979.

I of course test drove this 2020 Rubicon on about a 4 mile drive and felt the loose steering issue but attributed it to the poor curvy road and the possibility that the tire pressure was too high....

Fast forward to today, Nov 9th.....

I have a total of 285 miles on my Rubicon. It is NOT lifted.

1. I have played with multiple tire pressures, I have the Falken Wildpeak MT 285's. Started with factory 37 PSI cold, now at 33 PSI cold.

2. Have had the entire suspension system checked over visually and had ALL fasteners checked for proper torque.

3. After reading much in these forums, many have said to upgrade to adjustable LCA's, a better steering stabilizer and a better heavy duty track bar.

4. I bought and installed the Fox 2.0 ATS Steering Stabilizer with firmness adjustability.

5. I bought and had installed the Teraflex Alpine IR series front lower control arms.

6. I bought and had installed the Teraflex front track bar.

7. I had a 38 year veteran that has done nothing but truck and off-road alignments and set-ups do an alignment, he also installed my LCA's and track bar...

The alignment specs are now:

Left Caster 6.6Âş
Right Caster 6.7Âş

Left Camber 0.3Âş
Right camber -0.2Âş

L & R Toe is at 1/16"

According to the Jeep dealer, my 2020 Rubicon has no recalls, no TSB's and has ALL the latest revised software and parts like the "AE" steering box, NOT the AD version.

I have spent $1,835. I have driven a total of 285 miles since buying it on Sept. 21st. I am frustrated, it STILL has a very loose feeling in the steering wheel between the 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock position with constant left/right corrections to keep my Rubicon "between the lines".

Any other ideas guys?

Thanks much

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Just a thought. Perhaps your problem is #1 on your list. The problems you describe are fairly and generically typical of mud terrain tires. From a website: “The down side of mud terrain tires is that they tend to be noisy, rough, heavy, hard to balance, and often slightly out-of-round. They can also have clumsy handling qualities and an unforgiving ride; if you’re mainly just using the vehicle for short hops or around town, that may not be too bad. For long trips, however, those qualities can all really wear on a driver and passengers.”

https://simpletire.com/mud-tires-vs-all-terrain-tires

If you have exhausted the other possibilities, maybe you should try different tires?
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IronScott

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Hi IronScott,
That V41 stabilizer replacement is a waste of time, the retards at the Jeep dealers are putting the replacement stabilizer back on backwards just like the retards did in Toledo when they built the jeep.

If you are hell bent on keeping your jeep and not pursuing FCA in the legal sense, put the Fox 2.0 ATS stabilizer on your jeep and then make careful small clockwise adjustments to the steering box. And yes.....loosen the two clamps at each end of the cold air intake tube, remove the two side by side 10mm bolts in the front atop the radiator and unclip the sensor that plugs into the cold air intake tube. Flip the assembly over and lay it on top of the engine and you'll have perfect access to making adjustments to the steering box . Unfortunately.................these adjustments may not last, strong chance your loose steering will return.

The track bar did nothing to fix the loose steering.....
The front adjustable LCA's did nothing to fix the loose steering......
Increasing caster and toe-In alignment did nothing to fix the loose steering........
The Fox 2.0 steering stabilizer only increases the resistance of turning the wheel, it does NOT remove the dead spot play in the steering wheel between say 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock
Yeah, I even told the service manager I didn’t have faith the V41 and alignment would resolve the issue, but I had the JL in for other work so why not get it done anyway? I already have a Falcon Nexus stabilizer, so the new factory one will come off soon. They also did some sort of PCM flash but I don’t think it was specific for steering. I just got it back late yesterday so haven’t had a chance to drive it much. It seems to be a little less loose but there is still a dead spot. I’ll get it on the interstate today and see if it handles any better.

I plan on keeping it as long as nothing serious happens, so I’m in it for the long haul. I’ve got a new RK lift sitting in the garage, including adjustable track bars, so once I get the kit installed any further warranty work on the steering is probably not going to happen. If down the line I need a new steering box and have to pay for it, so be it. Just want to look at other options first.

Thanks for your help on the adjustment and your other comments. Much appreciated.
 

jlroman2

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How are you liking the Fox ATS steering stabilizer?
 
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How are you liking the Fox ATS steering stabilizer?
Hi Jroman,

Haven't driven our Rubicon in a few weeks as its in litigation for the loose steering but the Fox 2.0 ATS did nothing at all to address the dead spot in the steering system . All it did was introduce more resistance and a lesser "return to center" in the wheel. I still recommend it though just as a redundant backup to death wobble, I'm sure it's a good stabilizer but the loose steering issue in the JL's is so deep that a simple bolt on part is not going to help poorly engineered, poorly assembled, and inferior parts coupled with a criminal company (FCA).......
Wished I had a more positive answer for you.
 

Aceman

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I have the same setup as you (Sahara 2.0L BSG) and figure I’m going to have to do this. My dealer is doing the V41 steering stabilizer replacement now and they said my alignment is off, so they are doing another alignment. They think these two things are going to fix the loose steering and wandering. I have serious doubts that will work. I’ve done this adjustment on two other vehicles but getting to the box on this one looks difficult.

Did you remove the air box and that gave you enough room? Looks like a big hose is right over the box. Is that easy to move to get heat to the nut? I really don’t want to put a torch in there so hopefully a heat gun will work.
Hey IronScott,
I must've missed your question and just seeing it now. Removing the airbox gave me enough room, wasn't hard to do. Remove the 2 airbox mounting screws, turn the air intake sensor counter-clockwise and disconnect that. There's another connection that slides right off (not sure what it's called). Then loosen both hose clamps and pull the hoses out.
There's a radiator hose that you'll just need to pull out of the way to get access to the steering box. I attempted to use a torch but the space was so tight I had to tip the torch upside down at which point the safety shuts off the torch. I used a heat gun and it worked, I kept the heat on there for at least 5 minutes. After that, the nut was still tough to loosen so I used a ratchet extension and hit the wrench just enough to budge the nut, then loosened with the wrench.
 

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IronScott

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Hey IronScott,
I must've missed your question and just seeing it now. Removing the airbox gave me enough room, wasn't hard to do. Remove the 2 airbox mounting screws, turn the air intake sensor counter-clockwise and disconnect that. There's another connection that slides right off (not sure what it's called). Then loosen both hose clamps and pull the hoses out.
There's a radiator hose that you'll just need to pull out of the way to get access to the steering box. I attempted to use a torch but the space was so tight I had to tip the torch upside down at which point the safety shuts off the torch. I used a heat gun and it worked, I kept the heat on there for at least 5 minutes. After that, the nut was still tough to loosen so I used a ratchet extension and hit the wrench just enough to budge the nut, then loosened with the wrench.
Great! Thanks so much. I’m going to poke around in there today and plan for it but will wait until after I get my new lift and track bars installed. Don’t want to do too much at once.
 

cosmokenney

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Hi Jroman,

Haven't driven our Rubicon in a few weeks as its in litigation for the loose steering but the Fox 2.0 ATS did nothing at all to address the dead spot in the steering system . All it did was introduce more resistance and a lesser "return to center" in the wheel. I still recommend it though just as a redundant backup to death wobble, I'm sure it's a good stabilizer but the loose steering issue in the JL's is so deep that a simple bolt on part is not going to help poorly engineered, poorly assembled, and inferior parts coupled with a criminal company (FCA).......
Wished I had a more positive answer for you.
Is this a class action?
 

Thdoors

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Awaiting to pick up my 2020 JLUR Friday. My stomach is in knots reading that this is still going on. I hope our new Jeep doesn’t have this or any of the other issues I’ve been reading about...but with my luck I’ll probably have them all. Safe driving my fellow Jeepsters!
 

shekmark

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Awaiting to pick up my 2020 JLUR Friday. My stomach is in knots reading that this is still going on. I hope our new Jeep doesn’t have this or any of the other issues I’ve been reading about...but with my luck I’ll probably have them all. Safe driving my fellow Jeepsters!
Isnt it possible to not accept it if it has that steering problem.
 

Thdoors

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Isnt it possible to not accept it if it has that steering problem.
It is something we would seriously consider exploring if it is noted on the first test drive!
 

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shekmark

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I will assume they will let you test drive but I'll bet they give you shit. I test drove my 2018 Rubi but it was a preowned CPO. I made sure I went on different roads but I could tell immediately that my steering was perfectly fine. And it is. Funny thing. I said to my salesman that I was checking the steering and he said he had no idea what I was talking about. I almost left the dealership at that but decided he was either just a dumbass or he was told to keep his mouth shut. That was Pine Belt Jeep in Jersey. Am I allowed to say that? Point being I think it should be pretty obvious if you have a steering issue. I have no play at top center and no wander. Good luck! I love my jeep, but I have no issue.
 

Jennalee

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I said to my salesman that I was checking the steering and he said he had no idea what I was talking about. I almost left the dealership at that but decided he was either just a dumbass or he was told to keep his mouth shut.
One salesman at the Cerritos dealership told me the steering issues were just a rumor. I didn’t trust him after that.
 

Jennalee

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Awaiting to pick up my 2020 JLUR Friday. My stomach is in knots reading that this is still going on. I hope our new Jeep doesn’t have this or any of the other issues I’ve been reading about...but with my luck I’ll probably have them all. Safe driving my fellow Jeepsters!
So was mine. My sister was with me at the dealer and I barely heard a thing she was saying, all I could think about was how I was committing myself to a 40k car with known serious steering issues. I picked mine up last month and it drives great. Good luck!
 

Aceman

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Awaiting to pick up my 2020 JLUR Friday. My stomach is in knots reading that this is still going on. I hope our new Jeep doesn’t have this or any of the other issues I’ve been reading about...but with my luck I’ll probably have them all. Safe driving my fellow Jeepsters!
Just make sure you take a long test drive on the highway, it’s not as noticeable on back roads. Get it up to 70 mph for a good stretch and see how it feels. If you can stay in your lane without constantly having to correct the wheel and it’s tracking straight, you’ve got a good one.
 

word302

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I have a 2 door 2020 late October build with the same steering problem. I came across this thread today and read about adjusting the steering grear by loosing the the lock nut by backing it out until it stops and then continue backing it off and the adjusting screw will move. I just did it and moved it about a 1/16 of a turn then tightened everything back up and it is perfect!!!! There is no play in the steering at all, and it took about 15 minutes. Drives better then the JK I just sold to buy this one. This is such an easy fix I don't understand why jeep is pissing everyone off by not just doing this at the dealers. This will fix it!!!!
Because in order to do this properly you need to be able to measure lash and the dealerships don't have a way to do that.
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