Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

[Bearded_Dragon]

Why do you say this? What happens if torqued while lifted?

It binds up bushings and doesn't allow the suspension to travel correctly. Most suspension parts must be torqued while loaded/on the ground.

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[dannko]

It binds up bushings and doesn't allow the suspension to travel correctly. Most suspension parts must be torqued while loaded/on the ground.

Ok I guess I cannot wrap my mind around this since torque is torque, but I am always listening. Maybe that is why I have a 3/8" tilt to the right side then.

 

[vavaroutsos]

Ok I guess I cannot wrap my mind around this since torque is torque, but I am always listening. Maybe that is why I have a 3/8" tilt to the right side then.

It's the position the bushings are locked into. I guess this applies more to bonded bushings like Clevite than to free rotating bushings like Johnny Joints. With Jeep there is also the issue of 14mm hardware in 9/16 holes, which is a sloppy fit. I would buy a bolt kit and use the proper size to eliminate excess play.

 

[dannko]

It's the position the bushings are locked into. I guess this applies more to bonded bushings like Clevite than to free rotating bushings like Johnny Joints. With Jeep there is also the issue of 14mm hardware in 9/16 holes, which is a sloppy fit. I would buy a bolt kit and use the proper size to eliminate excess play.

Ok I did notice some slop when I put the lift on. Didn't realize the holes were not drilled to exactly mate with the bolts. Just makes me question Jeep engineering even more.

 

[318Polara]

Ok I guess I cannot wrap my mind around this since torque is torque, but I am always listening. Maybe that is why I have a 3/8" tilt to the right side then.

When putting final torque, the bushings will be in a neutral position when jeep is on the ground. If you torque with jeep lifted you will be over stressing bushing when jeep is landed thus leading to possible suspension squeaks and premature bushing failure. When fully torqued in the air you will have preloaded the bushing when landed.

 

[MDG]

It's the position the bushings are locked into. I guess this applies more to bonded bushings like Clevite than to free rotating bushings like Johnny Joints. With Jeep there is also the issue of 14mm hardware in 9/16 holes, which is a sloppy fit. I would buy a bolt kit and use the proper size to eliminate excess play.

People keep referring to a Bolt Kit to remove slop. Is there actually one available? I think there may be for the JK but not the JL that I've seen. Someone would probably have to catalog all the bolt sizes and order individually until one is available.

 

[vavaroutsos]

People keep referring to a Bolt Kit to remove slop. Is there actually one available? I think there may be for the JK but not the JL that I've seen. Someone would probably have to catalog all the bolt sizes and order individually until one is available.

Northridge 4x4 has two bolt kits for the JL that cover all the control arms, shocks, etc.

 

[MDG]

Northridge 4x4 has two bolt kits for the JL that cover all the control arms, shocks, etc.

I do see bolt kits on thier site but the one I linked only says 2 of the 44 bolts in the kit are a different size than OE to account for any variance in bushing size.

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/hardware/jlgr8-1-northridge-4x4-hd-grade-8-bolt-kit

@Northridge4x4 : Can you tell us if this bolt kit addresses sloppy fitment of hardware? Said another way, are these bolts exact replacements of OE or do they account for any over/under size in bushings or mounting holes? (I do see the track bar variances are accounted for)

EDIT: It just hit me. The bolts in this kit are not fully threaded so is the difference in there being more material where the non threaded section is with takes up more of the "Gap" the fully threaded OE Bolts have?

 

[smartbalance]

It's become obvious to me that this issue will not be fixed by Jeep as long as people keep buying them.

Why did you buy one? Did you not notice the issue when you went on a test drive? I test drove 5 JLU's that were built between 5/18 and 9/18 and they all had this loose steering issue. I was hopeful that Jeep would have fixed the problem at the factory by the time I drove the 9/18, but I was was wrong. It now appears that it has not been fixed on the 2019's. Wow.

Competent reliable steering has been a given on every vehicle I have ever owned or driven over the past 40 years. In my opinion these Jeeps are not designed for highway use and should not be driven at speeds exceeding about 45 MPH.

I would love to own one, but I can not buy one with this issue.

 

[Tech Tim]

@Northridge4x4 : Can you tell us if this bolt kit addresses sloppy fitment of hardware? Said another way, are these bolts exact replacements of OE or do they account for any over/under size in bushings or mounting holes? (I do see the track bar variances are accounted for)

EDIT: It just hit me. The bolts in this kit are not fully threaded so is the difference in there being more material where the non threaded section is with takes up more of the "Gap" the fully threaded OE Bolts have?

@MDG - We replace most of the bolts with Grade 8 SAE equivalent sizing, which are slightly larger than the OE metric bolts they replace, that takes up a bunch of the slop.

Yes, they do have a longer shank (non-threaded section) and that also takes up some of the slop.

There are a couple bolts that we stayed with metric only because there wasn't an SAE size close enough.

 

[MDG]

@MDG - We replace most of the bolts with Grade 8 SAE equivalent sizing, which are slightly larger than the OE metric bolts they replace, that takes up a bunch of the slop.

Yes, they do have a longer shank (non-threaded section) and that also takes up some of the slop.

There are a couple bolts that we stayed with metric only because there wasn't an SAE size close enough.

Thanks Tim. This is Perfect. Thank you for the explanation.

 

[practicaltact]

It's become obvious to me that this issue will not be fixed by Jeep as long as people keep buying them.

Why did you buy one? Did you not notice the issue when you went on a test drive? I test drove 5 JLU's that were built between 5/18 and 9/18 and they all had this loose steering issue. I was hopeful that Jeep would have fixed the problem at the factory by the time I drove the 9/18, but I was was wrong. It now appears that it has not been fixed on the 2019's. Wow.

Competent reliable steering has been a given on every vehicle I have ever owned or driven over the past 40 years. In my opinion these Jeeps are not designed for highway use and should not be driven at speeds exceeding about 45 MPH.

I would love to own one, but I can not buy one with this issue.

I bought one because I thought the actual rate of problems would be less than 1% of all wranglers sold, so I took my chances. I did not notice the issue on my test drives (I test drove 2 JLUs and 1 JL). These Jeeps were most certainly designed first and foremost for off road driving, and secondly for on-road highway driving. I don't blame you for not buying one.

 

[Markham]

I’m glad I’m not crazy. I just bought my first Jeep, a 2018 JLU. I came from a 17 Subaru WRX. The steering is really “loose” and floats compared to my WRX, but I thought I was being too picky and couldn’t compare the two, but it’s hard to keep this thing in its lane. Sometimes I think other drivers around me must think I’m driving drunk! Build date is 9/18. I’m making an appointment for service next week.

 

[HiJinx69]

I actually have something good to post about the wandering and loose steering. I'm just posting my experience with this issue and what I did. I'm not saying this will be the same for others, but it is something to consider.

I adjusted the toe-in yesterday and put 60 miles on it since and I can tell you that I'm very happy with the results, compared to how it drove before. Having increased the toe-in, it now tracks straight, therefore the seesawing action is diminished greatly! I took it on the Interstate for a quick test ride, but it drove so good that I did a complete loop around the city. Then this morning, I thought I would adjust it slightly more to feel the difference. I then drove through two lane back roads where I would normally have to be very cautious. It felt great!

On my Jeep, there was this phenomenon where it was tracking slightly left or to the right. That's where the seesawing came into play. This is now gone.

Here's what I did.
Jack up the front, under the pumpkin, just enough where the left front wheel is off the ground. The pumpkin is off center, therefore this side will come off the ground first.

Then, I took a marker and marked the position of the locking nut on the bracket. This will allow you to lock it back in place at the same spot.

Then, I marked the original toe-in position. Make sure you mark the tube and thread. The bracket moves freely once loose. Here, I already moved it slightly inward. This was yesterday.

This is the current position. I don't know if this is too much, but it's something I'll have to keep in eye on as far as the tire wear.

So, this is where I'm at with the loose/wandering steering. Dealer would not apply TSB/even though mine fell within build date, said it was normal for the JL. Have been waiting for a fix as many of us have and pretty much gave up. Thought I'd share my experience with others who might want to try this. The key take away here for me, is that I feel I have control.

 

[JimmyDoom]

I just wanted to throw this out there. Many are asking why there hasn't been a recall on our loose steering issue yet? I personally would love it if they did and save me all the trouble of dissecting what the hell it could be, not to mention save me some money. Well the problem is, they can't define specifically what is actually causing it. People are doing various things and claiming that there steering problems are fixed, some have to do several changes to notice a difference. They will never do a recall on a problem that they don't have a definitive solution for, and they certainly won't tell dealerships to bring in a Jeep and check a dozen possible issues and hope one of them works.

Below is a list of most of the "fixes" I have read/heard of to fix the loose steering (I'm sure I've missed a few). I have tried 4 out of this list and my issue has only improved slightly (1 - loosened and re-torqued front hardware, 2 - tire pressure (mine actually drove better at 42psi with Nitto ridge grapplers E-rated), 3 - Nexus 2.2 steering stabilizer and 4 - front alignment. I still have about 2" of play in my wheel while driving at highway speeds

· Replace steering gear box

· Adjust steering gear box by an 1/8” of a turn

· Ask dealership to flash your PCM to the correct configuration

· Ask the dealership to run the TSB #08-092-18

· Replace your steering stabilizer with an aftermarket one

· Replace your lower LCA on Rubicon’s (fixes camber)

· Adjust casters

· Front end alignment to fix toe-in

· Replace entire front-end steering mechanisms with aftermarket parts

· Decrease tire pressure

· Increase tire pressure

· Replace hardware with HD Grade 8 bolt kit

· Ambient temperature matters (some say it’s better in the cold, others say it’s worse)

· Hardware not torqued correctly on front steering mechanism

· Cracked welds (very few had this)

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