1st Wrangler. Need Advice.

[Luminator832]

Thanks so much. I have an appt with svc dept on Monday. We will see what they say. Fingers crossed.

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[aeonixx1001]

Thanks so much. I have an appt with svc dept on Monday. We will see what they say. Fingers crossed.

I noticed that it looks like your tire look like they are way over inflated. what tire pressure are you running? I have the same set up and mine runs smooth. If I air up to specification 36 psi, it gets real sloppy feeling. I run about 28psi in a 285-17. I have a taser to eliminate the annoying TPS warning.

 

[Willys41]

You can do all the mods / track bar/ steering gear box put with out adding a sector shaft brace you will always have play in your steering
I put a steer smart on both my jeeps. Big deference. No more play. Put they all have one flaw
The bolts the hold the bearing housing to the brace will always loosen up no mater how much loctite you use
solution is to throw bolts the bearing housing and adding a 5/16 bolt grade 8 bolt
Then I assembled it on the jeep. Took a 3/16 steel strap with a 5/16 hole and plug welded it to the brace
This eliminates the slot that come on the brace allowing movement
Now it is pinned and can not and will not shift or move
The steering is now super tight and I no longer have to keep checking the two bolts



There are a few different ones available put as far as I know the steer smart is the only one you can throw bolt like I did
The metalcloak looks promising put does not address the weak mounting of the steering box to the frame and I think over time the rivet nuts that they use will loosen up in the frame

 

[LARSONEM]

The filler pieces people have referred to are a bumper end cap. Someone has swapped the steel bumpers off a Rubicon onto your Jeep. Not that it can’t be done, but someone didn’t add the bumper end cap to the rear bumper. Maybe because of cost. Maybe because the Rubicon uses a different fender flare so maybe the end cap wouldn’t line up with the fender flare. I like the Moper steel bumpers. I swapped some take off Mopar steel bumpers that I bought from AEV onto my 2012 Rubicon. Then when I ordered my 2022 Rubicon, I ordered it with the steel bumper group (exclusive to a Rubicon). Anyway the part numbers are as follows:

Right End Cap. 68319212AB ($22.05) or 6ZA86TZZAA ($154.00)

Left End Cap. 68319213AB ($22.05) or 6ZA87TZZAA ($154.00)

I don’t know the difference between the two part numbers besides cost. I looked up the info on www.Moparfactoryparts.com then after selecting the year and model, you’ll have to select Rubicon trim to see the steel bumper option.

I included a picture of what the look like on my 2022 Rubicon.

You may want to consult you Jeep dealers parts department or body shop.

 

[Luminator832]

I noticed that it looks like your tire look like they are way over inflated. what tire pressure are you running? I have the same set up and mine runs smooth. If I air up to specification 36 psi, it gets real sloppy feeling. I run about 28psi in a 285-17. I have a taser to eliminate the annoying TPS warning.

Currently running about 30psi. Thanks!

 

[Luminator832]

The filler pieces people have referred to are a bumper end cap. Someone has swapped the steel bumpers off a Rubicon onto your Jeep. Not that it can’t be done, but someone didn’t add the bumper end cap to the rear bumper. Maybe because of cost. Maybe because the Rubicon uses a different fender flare so maybe the end cap wouldn’t line up with the fender flare. I like the Moper steel bumpers. I swapped some take off Mopar steel bumpers that I bought from AEV onto my 2012 Rubicon. Then when I ordered my 2022 Rubicon, I ordered it with the steel bumper group (exclusive to a Rubicon). Anyway the part numbers are as follows:

Right End Cap. 68319212AB ($22.05) or 6ZA86TZZAA ($154.00)

Left End Cap. 68319213AB ($22.05) or 6ZA87TZZAA ($154.00)

I don’t know the difference between the two part numbers besides cost. I looked up the info on www.Moparfactoryparts.com then after selecting the year and model, you’ll have to select Rubicon trim to see the steel bumper option.

I included a picture of what the look like on my 2022 Rubicon.

You may want to consult you Jeep dealers parts department or body shop.

Aaaaah. Ok. Now I see what you guys are talking about. Was lost before. Thanks so much for the info!!

 

[Luminator832]

You can do all the mods / track bar/ steering gear box put with out adding a sector shaft brace you will always have play in your steering
I put a steer smart on both my jeeps. Big deference. No more play. Put they all have one flaw
The bolts the hold the bearing housing to the brace will always loosen up no mater how much loctite you use
solution is to throw bolts the bearing housing and adding a 5/16 bolt grade 8 bolt
Then I assembled it on the jeep. Took a 3/16 steel strap with a 5/16 hole and plug welded it to the brace
This eliminates the slot that come on the brace allowing movement
Now it is pinned and can not and will not shift or move
The steering is now super tight and I no longer have to keep checking the two bolts



There are a few different ones available put as far as I know the steer smart is the only one you can throw bolt like I did
The metalcloak looks promising put does not address the weak mounting of the steering box to the frame and I think over time the rivet nuts that they use will loosen up in the frame

Thanks for the info! Would the Synergy sector shaft brace 2.0 address the problem with the bolt you describe?

 

[Riotfunk]

Get the yeti brace. There’s been issues with the synergy. The yeti you’ll have to grind down a bit because it will make contact with the drivers spring perch. Easy fix.

Right next to your drivers side spring you’ll see 4 bolts that go through the frame. Those are the steering box bolts. The steering box is on the other side of the rail. Can slide under look up and see the color of the box. Mine was also not torqued to spec. 100ft/lbs is what they’re supposed to be at.

I added the brace, front adj track bar, front LCA, and rear trackbar relocation bracket on mine and it drives great

 

[aville65]

Greetings! 1st time posting on any forum, so please forgive any breaches of decorum. I just got my 1st Wrangler. 2020 JL Sport 2 door, 3.6l auto. 10k miles on odometer. Previous owner did several mods. 33" AT tires on 17" wheels and Mopar lift with Fox shocks being a couple. My plan for this Wrangler is to use it as a daily driver with the occasional beach trip or camping trip. Possibly some light trails. That being said, I have noticed that the vehicle has quite a bit of wander on the highway. I have also noticed that the axles are not centered under the frame (about 1/2" off). I would guess that the Mopar lift is giving me well over 2" (looks more like 3-3.5, but im not sure how to tell, as i dont have stock ride height measurements). My question: Should I just get adjustable track bars and control arms to correct the geometry/alignment on Mopar lift, or would it be worth it to just invest in a more comprehensive kit? Thanks in advance!!

I don’t think I’ve ever had a Wrangler that didn’t wander down the road. Short wheel base, unresponsive steering feel part of the issues with even bone stock vehicles. Like people have mentioned a quality alignment should help somewhat.
With enough daily driving you should likely forget about the indisisive steering. Sort of grows on you after a while, like driving a sixties VW bus.

 

[Valpo Jeep]

Thanks so much for your reply! Local dealer tells me there is no way for them to tell if the TSB has been done. I am the Jeep's 3rd owner, so its possible that either of the previous owners had it done, but not here at my local dealer. I'm not sure how to proceed

If the dealer can't tell you if the steering TSB has been done then they are incompetent. TSB and recall work should be registered into the Jeep database and should be able to looked up by any dealer. Individual shop work probably does not get recorded against the VIN to make it nationwide searchable. Additionally if they cannot look at the box and tell you if its aluminum or steel. ???? WTF ??????

I would suggest finding a different dealer as they may not be worth even going to.

 

[6th Floor Mule]

Aaaaah. Ok. Now I see what you guys are talking about. Was lost before. Thanks so much for the info!!

I’d bet the original owner had the Rubi end caps and removed them when they saw how misaligned they looked with the shorter narrower Sport flares. There’s no direct fit PN for steel bumper and non-Rubi flares, but 68298822AC and 68298823AC (e.g., Sahara, some/all Sport S?) may align better with some attachment point modifications. Unfortunately, these also require different closeout panels as well.

20 minutes walking a dealer lot will go a long ways to help you visually familiarize yourself with the different bumper options. While they may all appear to be the same, there are subtle differences which create interchangeability issues. Switching over to longer/wider Rubi flares is probably a better option than investing $ in parts to match your current Sport flares. Good luck ?.

 

[BobW]

Greetings! 1st time posting on any forum, so please forgive any breaches of decorum. I just got my 1st Wrangler. 2020 JL Sport 2 door, 3.6l auto. 10k miles on odometer. Previous owner did several mods. 33" AT tires on 17" wheels and Mopar lift with Fox shocks being a couple. My plan for this Wrangler is to use it as a daily driver with the occasional beach trip or camping trip. Possibly some light trails. That being said, I have noticed that the vehicle has quite a bit of wander on the highway. I have also noticed that the axles are not centered under the frame (about 1/2" off). I would guess that the Mopar lift is giving me well over 2" (looks more like 3-3.5, but im not sure how to tell, as i dont have stock ride height measurements). My question: Should I just get adjustable track bars and control arms to correct the geometry/alignment on Mopar lift, or would it be worth it to just invest in a more comprehensive kit? Thanks in advance!!

A real jeep! (2dr)

 

[troverman]

I would never call the steering on a JL / JT to be "unresponsive." In fact, these have quite nimble steering. Precise? No, and they do certainly wander. My 2022 Gladiator was my first Jeep (Wrangler). I traded out of a 2022 RAM 2500 which of course also had a solid axle in the front. I had an hour drive home from the dealer and was shocked at how all over the road the Gladiator seemed, despite being brand new! The big RAM didn't wander and had reasonably precise steering. But, the nimbleness was greatly appreciated and I quickly became accustomed to the steering and now its fine. Could it be improved? Probably, but I wouldn't want to give up the solid axle or the nimbleness, so its probably as good as it will get. Modifications always come with side effects, mostly negative. Lifts and larger tires might help improve the appearance and off-road performance of a vehicle, but they always make handling, acceleration, braking, and fuel economy worse.

 

[Willys41]

Sector shaft support will solve the wondering
It did on my stock Rubicon and my highly modified Willys
Night and day difference

 

[Valpo Jeep]

So which is the better repair?

New steel steering box
Yeti sector brace
Synergy sector brace
Something different

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