My steering just got weird..

[DEdney1775]

I've had my 2.0 sport for a couple years now, w/ a 2.5" lift, hd ball joints, MC Sector Shaft Brace, MC front trackbar reinforcement bracket on 37's. Nothing's been changed or added to it for probably the past 6-8 months.

Just this week, my steering seems to feel like it wants to pull to either side while driving at all speeds. It also has a much stiffer feeling to it now too. I checked the power steering fluid level & it was fine.

Anybody have any suggestions as to what I could be looking for?

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[Rodeoflyer]

Tires.. rotate your tires. Alignment, tires, steering stabilizer issues? I'd start with a rotation and alignment.

 

[DEdney1775]

I took it to a reputable off road shop yesterday. After 2 hours, they came and told me that it was the tie rod and drag link. He said they didn't do the alignment because those should be replaced first.

Would those both get that loose & just suddenly affect the steering so much? Like, it wasn't something that felt like it gradually started. It was like one day it's great, and the next, it feels unsafe to drive..

 

[Spank]

Absolutely. The drag link literally connects your steering box to the passenger wheel and the tie rod continues that to the driver side. Anything being even slightly loose along that entire link will cause steering problems.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

'Reputable' in the 4x4 shop industry is somewhat of an oxymoron. Even the ones I'm really familiar with will try to get me to upgrade/buy things I don't need. It's a business and they're about making money. They'll probably sell you upgraded steering, then send your jeep to an alignment shop (likely the issue in the first place) for an alignment. It's not a bad idea to upgrade those parts anyway on 37's. I haven't in 60k miles and haven't had an issue other than frequent tire rotations and a few realignments with 37'' tires when it starts to pull.

Have you done the upgrade steering box recall?

 

[DEdney1775]

Have you done the upgrade steering box recall?

No, I figured after I did the lift and swapped out the control arms that the dealership would tell me that I don't qualify for that because of my aftermarket parts.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

No, they did mine with all of the aftermarket parts and 37'' tires. That would be a HUGE upgrade.

Call your local dealership and have that done first. They will also do an alignment afterwards if needed.

 

[flyer92]

No reason that any of us shouldn't take advantage of the steering box recall IMHO. Even if your steering is 100% perfect with the old box right now, the new one is much more robust and may help prevent related steering issues in the future. No dealership should turn you away for having other upgraded components unless they somehow prevent them from installing the new box. Given all the other "Jeep things" that should probably be recalled, it's well worth taking advantage of whenever possible.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

Even with the steering brace, they should do it. They 'might' ask you for additional service $$$ for having to remove and replace the brace afterwards, or so I've heard from other members on this forum but they will/should perform the recall nonetheless. It makes a HUGE difference in steering/control. Now that I know, I would have just paid outright for the upgrade even if it wasn't a recall.

 

[flyer92]

I would have just paid outright for the upgrade even if it wasn't a recall.

Shhhhh...don't let Stellantis see that! LOL

 

[DEdney1775]

I just called the dealership that I purchased it from. She looked it up by Vin & told me that my Jeep has not been effected by that recall...

 

[Rodeoflyer]

You can confirm by checking the color of your steering box. If it's an aluminum color, it's the old one. If it's black, it's the new steel one.

It was just a thought since you have a 2020 model like mine. I needed it.

 

[roaniecowpony]

No, I figured after I did the lift and swapped out the control arms that the dealership would tell me that I don't qualify for that because of my aftermarket parts.

If you don't have it, buy it, if you have to. It's less than $250 online 2019 Jeep Wrangler Parts - MoparPartsGiant.com

Regardless, when something changes that fast, I look for broken parts or loose fasteners. Recommend you run around your steering system with some wrenches and tighten things, starting with the tierod ends and draglink.

 

[Spank]

Before you go crazy replacing steering boxes and what not, start with the simple things and just make sure your current tie rod and drag link are properly torqured and don't have any play. While you're down there, check the trackbar, too. Just make sure everything is connected and tight. If it is, then move on to the more nuanced stuff.

I know you already went to a shop and spent a couple hours there, but it wouldn't hurt just to double check.

 

[DEdney1775]

You can confirm by checking the color of your steering box. If it's an aluminum color, it's the old one. If it's black, it's the new steel one.

It was just a thought since you have a 2020 model like mine. I needed it.

Yeah, I have the old aluminum one.

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