Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

[californiajeeping]

Was that the one where you remove the fuse, start the engine. Turn off, put fuse back in, restart, then full wheel left then Right? If so, I tried that one.

Yes. What else has been done to try to fix it? Is it stock or lifted? Do you have an alignment report that you can post?

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[Dkretden]

I’m pretty sure FCA will do absolutely nothing about this. 9 months ago I brought my factory ordered 2020 Jeep to 3 different local dealers the week after I bought it. I got the run around from 2 of them, they knew of the problem but acted like they didn’t. The 3rd admitted there was a problem, created a STAR case and waited for a Chrysler Rep to come inspect it. They had it for 2 weeks and did nothing then closed the case. When I asked the tech why they closed the case since the problem wasn’t fixed, he said FCA will be releasing a software update for the electric-assist in 2-3 months. That was 9 months ago. A year from now they’ll be telling new Jeep owners a fix is coming in 2-3 months... I’d love to be wrong on this since I barely drive this expensive rig.

I recall reading a number of reports on these boards which state that the person posting spoke to someone at FCA or the Dealer or.... (someone) and the ”fix“ was coming in a ”couple of months”. i Guess we will see what happens this time.......”2-3 months” ...... I.e. by September. Hopefully true but we will see.

 

[Rdmitch]

don’t hold your breath waiting on a factory update. While I
would love to see that come to fruition, it’s most likely a delay tactic to pacify the masses.
I really hope that I’m wrong and FCA has heard and read the complaints. If NHTSB got involved it will carry more weight so maybe there is a hope.
Since I assumed nothing would ever happen I just proceeded to do what I could on my own.

If they were to find a magical fix I would probably have to
undo the crap I did before they would even mess with it.

 

[Halstem1]

If they were to find a magical fix I would probably have to
undo the crap I did before they would even mess with it.

I thought the same thing. First thing I thought of was the sector shaft brace everyone is installing. I’m guessing the presence of the brace and the replacement of the sector shaft nut would get you denied.

I think it would be hard to deny for things like drag link, tie rod, and track bar. But maybe.

 

[Rdmitch]

I thought the same thing. First thing I thought of was the sector shaft brace everyone is installing. I’m guessing the presence of the brace and the replacement of the sector shaft nut would get you denied.

I think it would be hard to deny for things like drag link, tie rod, and track bar. But maybe.

thats exactly my thinking....the sector shaft brace. You could take the aluminum brace off the pitman arm and leave the bracket. I saved the old nut, but even the new nut would still work.
But if they have to change the steering box the whole bracket with the 4 bolts has to come out anyway.

I think I would wait to hear others replies as to the effectiveness of any FCA magic fix before I went through the trouble of reverting back to the old system. I have gotten it to the point that it’s pretty decent with the brace, stabilizer and track bar that unless it’s a miracle fix I would just leave it the way it is now.
All i really want to do now is a good alignment and just leave it alone.

 

[Halstem1]

thats exactly my thinking....the sector shaft brace. You could take the aluminum brace off the pitman arm and leave the bracket. I saved the old nut, but even the new nut would still work.
But if they have to change the steering box the whole bracket with the 4 bolts has to come out anyway.

I think I would wait to hear others replies as to the effectiveness of any FCA magic fix before I went through the trouble of reverting back to the old system. I have gotten it to the point that it’s pretty decent with the brace, stabilizer and track bar that unless it’s a miracle fix I would just leave it the way it is now.
All i really want to do now is a good alignment and just leave it alone.

If I could completely resolve my stupid death wobble, I’d actually be really happy with my current setup.

However, my steering can feel AMAZING one day and then gets death wobble the next day on the same road with zero changes. Steering can feel super tight and perfect one day and crazy loose the next. More and more feeling it’s steering box related.

 

[jeepthang]

If I could completely resolve my stupid death wobble, I’d actually be really happy with my current setup.

However, my steering can feel AMAZING one day and then gets death wobble the next day on the same road with zero changes. Steering can feel super tight and perfect one day and crazy loose the next. More and more feeling it’s steering box related.

This is exactly what I am experiencing as well. Death wobble has all been eliminated with the new Yeti track bar but the looseness varies day to day and I have tried everything but the new sector brace. Making adjustments to the steering box has an immediate effect on the steering however after a couple hundred miles, it gets loose again. Very frustrating to say the least..

 

[D60]

This is exactly what I am experiencing as well. Death wobble has all been eliminated with the new Yeti track bar but the looseness varies day to day and I have tried everything but the new sector brace. Making adjustments to the steering box has an immediate effect on the steering however after a couple hundred miles, it gets loose again. Very frustrating to say the least..

This sounds like a programming issue to me. A mechanical issue would always be present, bolts don't just get loose and tight and loose again at random

 

[Jeepileptic]

This sounds like a programming issue to me. A mechanical issue would always be present, bolts don't just get loose and tight and loose again at random

I have to agree with this to some extent. It is strange to me how mine is always extremely tight when first starting for the day.

 

[californiajeeping]

I have to agree with this to some extent. It is strange to me how mine is always extremely tight when first starting for the day.

The steering box is made from aluminum in China according to the box it is shipped in. And keep in mind all JLs don’t have steering problems so I wonder if maybe the frame where the steering box is mounted is the culprit. I wish someone would take 2 JLs one with good steering and one with bad steering and start swapping parts until the good steering JL experiences the same bad steering.

 

[Rdmitch]

The steering box is made from aluminum in China according to the box it is shipped in. And keep in mind all JLs don’t have steering problems so I wonder if maybe the frame where the steering box is mounted is the culprit. I wish someone would take 2 JLs one with good steering and one with bad steering and start swapping parts until the good steering JL experiences the same bad steering.

that’s what the sector brace does. it reinforces the frame where the steering box mounts and then has a retaining clamp that secures the steering box to the frame.
in many cases it really helps
i can’t say whether it helped me since I wont get out on the streets until tomorrow morning.

 

[californiajeeping]

that’s what the sector brace does. it reinforces the frame where the steering box mounts and then has a retaining clamp that secures the steering box to the frame.
in many cases it really helps
i can’t say whether it helped me since I wont get out on the streets until tomorrow morning.

I’ve read posts where the sector brace helped and sometimes it didn’t.

 

[Aceman]

I added longer mopar LCA’s, yeti front track bar, fox steering stabilizer. Then added the sector shaft brace. All of this incrementally made the front end feel more solid but the dead space at the center of the wheel was still there. On the highway, it still felt unsafe and was just exhausting to drive. I brought my Jeep to a 4th dealer and removed the sector shaft brace before I went. They wouldn’t even give me an alignment because I had an aftermarket track bar & steering stabilizer which is ridiculous. We’re throwing aftermarket parts at our faulty Jeeps and they act like aftermarket parts are the problem.

 

[HoundDude]

you guys with varying looseness... the play in my steering wheel varies strongly with ambient temperature. about 1/4" end-to-end play at 30F up to 3/4" at 70+F. if it's cold out, you can feel the play increase as it warms up. it took me a while to realize this. I blame poor materials choice in the steering box.

 

[thadius65]

I added longer mopar LCA’s, yeti front track bar, fox steering stabilizer. Then added the sector shaft brace. All of this incrementally made the front end feel more solid but the dead space at the center of the wheel was still there. On the highway, it still felt unsafe and was just exhausting to drive. I brought my Jeep to a 4th dealer and removed the sector shaft brace before I went. They wouldn’t even give me an alignment because I had an aftermarket track bar & steering stabilizer which is ridiculous. We’re throwing aftermarket parts at our faulty Jeeps and they act like aftermarket parts are the problem.

I did similar as you, but went one step further - Installed PSC SK500 hydraulic steering system. 100% perfect now. Went from 2-3" of dead space to zero.

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