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JL Steering Box Adjustment

nomadster

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Same issues here..wandering / 1"-2" play in steering wheel .... ("I have to say my dealership has been excellent ")... I've had.. front end alignment / tire rotation & pressure check / tried different wheels & tires / track bar replacement / PCM update & flashed & today a new steering box ordered . i don't know what you do in the US , but I got on the phone right after we purchased the vehicle ( appx. one mth. ago ) and opened a case file with FCA Canada . These vehicles are not safe to drive & it seems the faster your going the lighter the steering becomes .The part is supposed to be in tomorrow or the next day..with any luck will have it in next week .
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Arterius2

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Same issues here..wandering / 1"-2" play in steering wheel .... ("I have to say my dealership has been excellent ")... I've had.. front end alignment / tire rotation & pressure check / tried different wheels & tires / track bar replacement / PCM update & flashed & today a new steering box ordered . i don't know what you do in the US , but I got on the phone right after we purchased the vehicle ( appx. one mth. ago ) and opened a case file with FCA Canada . These vehicles are not safe to drive & it seems the faster your going the lighter the steering becomes .The part is supposed to be in tomorrow or the next day..with any luck will have it in next week .
This is absolutely normal for recirculating ball steering systems to have about 1-2" of play in the steering wheel, no amount of part replacement is going to change that, many clueless consumers fail to understand this, what you were used to was a rack and pinion steering which is much less complex and have way fewer parts and thus less slack between them.

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chadc880

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Your post is complete pompous crap and you know it. The JK from 2011 to 2018 had perfect steering with no issues whatsoever. Many articles referred to it as a jeep that drives like a car. The JL has a design flaw with the steering box along with multiple suspension and steering components failures.

This is absolutely normal for recirculating ball steering systems to have about 1-2" of play in the steering wheel, no amount of part replacement is going to change that, many clueless consumers fail to understand this, what you were used to was a rack and pinion steering which is much less complex and have way fewer parts and thus less slack between them.

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Arterius2

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Your post is complete pompous crap and you know it. The JK from 2011 to 2018 had perfect steering with no issues whatsoever. Many articles referred to it as a jeep that drives like a car. The JL has a design flaw with the steering box along with multiple suspension and steering components failures.
Ouch! Had no ill intentions other than to link some scientific article on recirculating ball steering systems merely showing that 1-2” of slack is quite normal(if you have more by all means get it fixed), guess you can’t have too much of a good thing going eh? You are confusing death wobble with steering wheel play. Also, steering wheel slack has nothing to do with not tracking straight, that’s an alignment issue. By the way.. I had no mentions of JL vs JK, or even attempted to compare them, but sure, if you want to go there, I belong to a club and have friends who drive JKs they all suffer from some degree of steering wheel play. JKs use hydraulic assist while JLs are electronic so JLs steering will feel lighter and less “connected”. I guess it’s also just that many JK or older Jeep owners didn’t come from soccer mom or weekend dad demographics so they may less susceptible to the steering bullshit.
 
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Martindfletcher

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Jeep informant did a video with tightening the steering box slop which is independent of most death wobble causes. It only corrects play from north of pitman arm.

I think he had to take it down,

Basically (disclaimer after a few bombay sapphire and lemon concoctions)

Mark the Allen head bolt and nut, heat it some to melt loctite, loosen nut, tightren allen slightly, check for binding, hold Allen, tighten nut.

Hope this can be done in vehicle as I want to try it, too,
 

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Kyanche

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My JK has about half an inch of play, if that. 2" of play is like an old u-haul truck and isn't normal.
 

chadc880

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I am so sick and tired of excuses after excuses of its a Jeep thing, or its a solid axle or this and that.

I was reading the Gladiator forum, many too are experience loose steering. But there is always some Joe that has some article of solid axle crap diagram or rotation ball type steering or something.

I've had my fair share of Jeep ownership. My last JK I had for many years. Drove like a dream. My TJ drove like a dream. Can't compare a Grand Cherokee or Cherokee but those too drove awesome.

You cannot use the the solid axle or rotational ball steering argument saying thats just how it is. Its complete bullshit and thats why I used the JK as an example. Why did the JK drive so nice ??

The JL platform in many ways is such an upgrade. But its like a bunch of lawyers afraid of being sued hiding shit and trying to cover stuff up or give some excuse why the JL or Gladiator drives like it does.

I'll put it this way, My JL Sahara, Has finger tight ball joint nuts upper and lower. Loose Tie Rod Nuts. The steering stabilizer failed at 7500 miles on a pot hole bridge over the lake at 70mph. Talk to me able steering wobble. Then we find out the drag link at the steering box was bad, and the trackball had lots of play in it. T H E N we find the drivers front shock was leaking oil and I had a belt go on my Bridgestone Dueler Tire. We only found this out when the dealer did a tire rotation.

After alll of this non sense crap about had been fixed my JL drive pretty damn nice. But the steering box will need to be replaced sometime in the future but I am waiting for the AE to come out.



Ouch! Had no ill intentions other than to link some scientific article on recirculating ball steering systems merely showing that 1-2” of slack is quite normal(if you have more by all means get it fixed), guess you can’t have too much of a good thing going eh? You are confusing death wobble with steering wheel play. Also, steering wheel slack has nothing to do with not tracking straight, that’s an alignment issue. By the way.. I had no mentions of JL vs JK, or even attempted to compare them, but sure, if you want to go there, I belong to a club and have friends who drive JKs they all suffer from some degree of steering wheel play. JKs use hydraulic assist while JLs are electronic so JLs steering will feel lighter and less “connected”. I guess it’s also just that many JK or older Jeep owners didn’t come from soccer mom or weekend dad demographics so they may less susceptible to the steering bullshit.
 

Bearded_Dragon

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Ouch! Had no ill intentions other than to link some scientific article on recirculating ball steering systems merely showing that 1-2” of slack is quite normal(if you have more by all means get it fixed), guess you can’t have too much of a good thing going eh? You are confusing death wobble with steering wheel play. Also, steering wheel slack has nothing to do with not tracking straight, that’s an alignment issue. By the way.. I had no mentions of JL vs JK, or even attempted to compare them, but sure, if you want to go there, I belong to a club and have friends who drive JKs they all suffer from some degree of steering wheel play. JKs use hydraulic assist while JLs are electronic so JLs steering will feel lighter and less “connected”. I guess it’s also just that many JK or older Jeep owners didn’t come from soccer mom or weekend dad demographics so they may less susceptible to the steering bullshit.
The argument of electric steering is bullshit too. One of my vehicles has 100% electric steering and it is good. My 1984 Jeep J10 with almost 200k miles has better steering than my JL, as does my riding lawnmower.

I've driven JLs with good steering so I know they're out there, unfortunately mine isn't one of them.
 

californiajeeping

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I am so sick and tired of excuses after excuses of its a Jeep thing, or its a solid axle or this and that.

I was reading the Gladiator forum, many too are experience loose steering. But there is always some Joe that has some article of solid axle crap diagram or rotation ball type steering or something.

I've had my fair share of Jeep ownership. My last JK I had for many years. Drove like a dream. My TJ drove like a dream. Can't compare a Grand Cherokee or Cherokee but those too drove awesome.

You cannot use the the solid axle or rotational ball steering argument saying thats just how it is. Its complete bullshit and thats why I used the JK as an example. Why did the JK drive so nice ??

The JL platform in many ways is such an upgrade. But its like a bunch of lawyers afraid of being sued hiding shit and trying to cover stuff up or give some excuse why the JL or Gladiator drives like it does.

I'll put it this way, My JL Sahara, Has finger tight ball joint nuts upper and lower. Loose Tie Rod Nuts. The steering stabilizer failed at 7500 miles on a pot hole bridge over the lake at 70mph. Talk to me able steering wobble. Then we find out the drag link at the steering box was bad, and the trackball had lots of play in it. T H E N we find the drivers front shock was leaking oil and I had a belt go on my Bridgestone Dueler Tire. We only found this out when the dealer did a tire rotation.

After alll of this non sense crap about had been fixed my JL drive pretty damn nice. But the steering box will need to be replaced sometime in the future but I am waiting for the AE to come out.
You’ll like this thread then lol. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/loose-steering-is-normal-for-the-jl.31971/
 

Tommy6188

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Dropped one my JLU's off at the dealership last friday because of the play in the steering wheel and wandering all over the road. Within 45 minutes the service advisor came back to me and told me its the steering box and they would have to order the part. He also added its dangerous and he's putting me in a loaner because he wont let me take it. (I had said i'll just bring it back when the part comes in.)

The steering box is suppose to arrive this coming Monday the 8th of July, should be ready for pickup on Tuesday the 9th.

Also I have two 19' JLU's one has tight steering and literally no play in the steering wheel and this one had some play and wandered all over the road. So having two different JLU's to drive side by side to compare, this "issue" is certainly not a "Jeep Thing".
 

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Hey guys, I'm new here, but have the same problem as most of you, lots of play in the steering wheel. Fortunately my Jeep doesnt seem to wander so I've lucked out there. It seems that the replacement of the steering box fixes most of the issues.

Here is my question: I bought my 2018 JLU Sahara used, if I take it to the dealership will they still replace the steering box for me even though I didnt buy the car from them? The car only has 10k miles on it so its under warranty, I guess its just a matter of them agreeing to do it, right?
 

RagTopDeluxe

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Hey guys, I'm new here, but have the same problem as most of you, lots of play in the steering wheel. Fortunately my Jeep doesnt seem to wander so I've lucked out there. It seems that the replacement of the steering box fixes most of the issues.

Here is my question: I bought my 2018 JLU Sahara used, if I take it to the dealership will they still replace the steering box for me even though I didnt buy the car from them? The car only has 10k miles on it so its under warranty, I guess its just a matter of them agreeing to do it, right?
You don’t have to take your Jeep to the purchasing dealer. Any dealer will (should!) do warranty work. Good luck!

PS: Welcome!
 

californiajeeping

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The AE version of the new JL steering gear box is now out - 68250506AE / 4 door. Previous versions where 68250506AC and 68250506AD. Confirmed with a Jeep dealer's parts department today. The 2 door steering box, which is different than the 4 door steering box, hasn't changed since last year.
 

jameslavis

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The AE version of the new JL steering gear box is now out - 68250506AE / 4 door. Previous versions where 68250506AC and 68250506AD. Confirmed with a Jeep dealer's parts department today. The 2 door steering box, which is different than the 4 door steering box, hasn't changed since last year.
I had a v41 recall done. Is that what this is?
 
 



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