Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

[Jeepileptic]

So when the steering shaft turns the ball bearings take up the slack before the rack moves. Then it moves the gear connected to the sector shaft which turns the pitman arm. The adjustment everyone talks about reduces the play between the rack and the sector shaft. Honestly from what I have seen that adjustment is fairly close.

Awesome! Thank you! So the circle in red is actually what’s being adjusted to make the teeth tighter/looser because they are tapered?

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[Jeep&dogs]

And remember if you can rotate the steering shaft 2-3 mm before it starts to move the sector shaft that translates to 1-1-1/2” at the steering wheel. The shaft is 1/2” in diameter in comparison to the size of the steering wheel.

 

[Jeep&dogs]

Awesome! Thank you! So the circle in red is actually what’s being adjusted to make the teeth tighter/looser because they are tapered?

Correct. And I believe a lot of the slop actually comes into play before that point.

 

[Jeepileptic]

Sorry if this has already been shared, but I found this fellow Geeker/Jeeper. He does a great job of explaining what’s going on internally. I had no idea so much was happening just to turn the wheels

 

[2mnycars]

There is rumors of a “new” gearbox that is supposed to be released by the end of the year that is cast iron like the Jk. The wandering and the dead spot are two different things, my JLUR was absolutely terrible with the wandering. I replaced all the control arms and installed them correctly ( the way I linked earlier) and am running 6.5* caster. I have a very small dead spot 1/2 in only when the outside temp is below 60-65. In warmer weather it’s as tight as a rack system. I have fixed several of these the same way and have also swapped the AE box and corrected the dead spot. Every box is manually set from the supplier and can be set differently. I went through 5 boxes once before getting one that had acceptable play. You can bench test the box prior to installing them and have a pretty good idea if they are good or not prior to installing.

Not that I would recommend this but I have actually rented a Jl with good steering and was able to swap the box into a Jl with a decent amount of free play. The poor driving Jeep Drove perfect after the swap. A good majority of the issues with the dead spot absolutely Is the box.

Thanks for your post. I'm anxious to learn more.

(I've said before that in the early '70s I adjusted steering boxes on Volvos. They steered much better. No wandering; more responsive. No dead spots. The steering box was really accessible. It was a simple change. It was important to document the starting point. )
I haven't touched our steering box. The dealer hasn't either. We're working on the dealer.

 

[DadJokes]

Correct. And I believe a lot of the slop actually comes into play before that point.

The visual aid helps greatly. Thanks for the insight!

 

[Jeep&dogs]

Sorry if this has already been shared, but I found this fellow Geeker/Jeeper. He does a great job of explaining what’s going on internally. I had no idea so much was happening just to turn the wheels

And this is exactly why some jeeps drive good and others not so good. There is a TON more going on in that box than anybody realizes.

 

[DadJokes]

My dealer did but you have to take into consideration we spend somewhere around 250k-300K a month with their parts department. Even if they had to eat the boxes I sent back they absolutely would have because of the volume we spend with them, and that’s just one dealer in the area. We fix roughly 150,000 vehicles through the shops a month.

Did you make a fixture or a dial gauge etc to measure and weed out the gearbox you wanted?

If you didn’t live too far away, I might pay you and your shop for your services if FCA doesn’t come up with something. I have 1-1.5” of a dead spot. Not as bad as some but I test drove a ‘20 that was great. No perceivable dead spot.

 

[2mnycars]

It’s always worth checking for the easier solutions first. Where is the reservoir? I’ve not looked yet.

That teaching is so important. My friend Paul Bugo taught me that many years ago....R.I.P. Paul.. good friend.

 

[DadJokes]

That teaching is so important. My friend Paul Bugo taught me that many years ago....R.I.P. Paul.. good friend.

He is still right!

 

[Jeep&dogs]

Did you make a fixture or a dial gauge etc to measure and weed out the gearbox you wanted?

If you didn’t live too far away, I might pay you and your shop for your services if FCA doesn’t come up with something. I have 1-1.5” of a dead spot. Not as bad as some but I test drove a ‘20 that was great. No perceivable dead spot.

Honestly no. I clamped the box in a vice, loosely installed the pitman arm and rotated the input shaft and payed attention to how far I could turn it before the pitman arm moved. Some were absolutely ridiculous two were pretty close, I picked the one that felt the tightest of the two.

 

[2mnycars]

He is still right!

"Do the simple things first..."
It's a lesson I've had to learn a few times... that's sometimes painful! (Put a shift kit in the tranny of my S15 Jimmy. Shouldn't have done that. Should have paid a tranny shop. It was more complicated than I thought. I didn't have the skills...) That mistake sucked the courage right out of me.

 

[Ottawavalleylad]

Wanted to thank all those people who took time to share their experiences and tips on trying to fix their JL steering. Here is what worked for me.

Issue: I had the 2 inches of dead play, worse in heat, with extensive wondering since the day it came off the assembly line. It was scary and exhausting to drive. Slack in steering box got worse quickly over a couple years.

JL Specs: 2018 Jeep JL Sahara, 3.6, hard top, all original suspension/tires etc. Currently has around 16k miles/26k kms. Factory order, picked up in June 2018 with around 5-7 miles on it from dealership.

What we have done to date:

• Dealership verified that suspension bolts torque to spec (I personally checked with recently calibrated torque wrench) in Fall 2018. All were to spec – no change.
• Dealership performed software update in Winter 2019 – no change.
• Dealership updated mopar steering dampener - Felt worse for some reason.
• Dealership updated mopar track bar in Fall 2019 – slightly stiffer feeling, but still wondering with dead-play and tracking all over.
• Dealership performed new alignment using revised specs that came with the new track bar – no change.
• Pulled the fuse (waited, put back in, turned wheels) to reset – felt better, but may have been subjective (wanting it to be better).
• Tightened factor box very slightly (1/8), made it feel more darty/dangerous (wheel still centered by itself) so put it back to factory setting – no improvement.
• Dealership replaced the steering box (AE version) the end of July 2020 and adjusted the toe - Steering has improved 90% !! Far better than when I picked up new from the dealership! There is only a small ½ inch in play now, wondering is much better and steering is thankfully stiffer.

The new steering box made the greatest change to the overall driving dynamic. It is still not as good as my Jeep JK was, or any IFS vehicle, but after many visits to the dealership, it is finally livable! May try the longer control arms to get it above the 90%. Good luck to you all.

 

[californiajeeping]

Wanted to thank all those people who took time to share their experiences and tips on trying to fix their JL steering. Here is what worked for me.

Issue: I had the 2 inches of dead play, worse in heat, with extensive wondering since the day it came off the assembly line. It was scary and exhausting to drive. Slack in steering box got worse quickly over a couple years.

JL Specs: 2018 Jeep JL Sahara, 3.6, hard top, all original suspension/tires etc. Currently has around 16k miles/26k kms. Factory order, picked up in June 2018 with around 5-7 miles on it from dealership.

What we have done to date:

• Dealership verified that suspension bolts torque to spec (I personally checked with recently calibrated torque wrench) in Fall 2018. All were to spec – no change.
• Dealership performed software update in Winter 2019 – no change.
• Dealership updated mopar steering dampener - Felt worse for some reason.
• Dealership updated mopar track bar in Fall 2019 – slightly stiffer feeling, but still wondering with dead-play and tracking all over.
• Dealership performed new alignment using revised specs that came with the new track bar – no change.
• Pulled the fuse (waited, put back in, turned wheels) to reset – felt better, but may have been subjective (wanting it to be better).
• Tightened factor box very slightly (1/8), made it feel more darty/dangerous (wheel still centered by itself) so put it back to factory setting – no improvement.
• Dealership replaced the steering rack (sorry I don’t have the part number, wasn’t on the work sheet) the end of July 2020 and adjusted the toe - Steering has improved 90% !! Far better than when I picked up new from the dealership! There is only a small ½ inch in play now, wondering is much better and steering is thankfully stiffer.

The new steering box made the greatest change to the overall driving dynamic. It is still not as good as my Jeep JK was, or any IFS vehicle, but after many visits to the dealership, it is finally livable! May try the longer control arms to get it above the 90%. Good luck to you all.

And what is your tire PSI at? Depending on what your caster is at, you may see a major difference with the longer LCAs.

 

[Ottawavalleylad]

And what is your tire PSI at? Depending on what your caster is at, you may see a major difference with the longer LCAs.

I should have mentioned that above. Over the past couple years I have tried various tire pressures (from low 32 psi to 38/40) and even a second set of brand new OEM tires. I have it at 34/35 right now, may drop it down a little more. I felt there was a very slight change for the better with lower psi, but again it may have been subjective (wanting it to feel better).

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