Possible steering solution?

[Space ace]

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[TheBrandon]

@JeepCares

 

[Bearded_Dragon]

Wrong, wrong wrong, you guys just have NEVER drove a Wrangler, or a solid axle vehicle, or this wheelbase, or lowered tire pressure, or blah blah blee blah it's all in your head.

This is good news! I still think I need a new steering box as I can turn the steering wheel and no movement happens to the wheels. Hopefully Jeep sees this video and will start investigating the caster issue more.

 

[Space ace]

Wrong, wrong wrong, you guys just have NEVER drove a Wrangler, or a solid axle vehicle, or this wheelbase, or lowered tire pressure, or blah blah blee blah it's all in your head.

This is good news! I still think I need a new steering box as I can turn the steering wheel and no movement happens to the wheels. Hopefully Jeep sees this video and will start investigating the caster more issue.

He also adjusts the steering box in the video.. so you don’t need a new one, just your current one adjusted..

 

[Lee Woiteshek]

Video should be sent to Manley.

 

[Bearded_Dragon]

He also adjusts the steering box in the video.. so you don’t need a new one, just your current one adjusted..

Already adjusted mine and posted results in the 100+ page thread. The stock steering box from March is still shitty.

 

[Space ace]

Already adjusted mine and posted results in the 100+ page thread. The stock steering box from March is still shitty.

Ah...

 

[PavementWarrior]

Dont assume you have only one issue, its good to go through and check tire pressure, loose bolts, update the pcm, and then tighten /adjsut as needed.

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

Dont assume you have only one issue, its good to go through and check tire pressure, loose bolts, update the pcm, and then tighten /adjsut as needed.

I like the idea of adding the teraflex square washers to keep the arms from shifting in the mounts. If they produce them with offset holes, they might add just a bit more caster also.

https://teraflex.com/shop_items/jk-front-lower-rear-upper-flexarm-cam-bolt-washer-kit?vehicle=JKU Wrangler Unlimited

 

[bwilliam79]

I was finally able to adjust my steering box today, and holy cow what a difference! I had tried to adjust it previously and stripped the hex head like so many others. Figuring I was just SOL, I never tried again. After watching this video and seeing it is safe to back the jam nut off until it bottoms out, I was able to adjust mine 1/8 turn further and it made all the difference in the world. I even had my wife drive it without telling her what I had done to the Jeep and she immediately commented on how much tighter the steering felt. Completely eliminated the dead spot we have struggled with from day 1 and the Jeep actually tracks straight when you let go of the wheel now (before, it would drift to the right even after three alignments).

I do have the 2" Mopar lift and MetalCloak adjustable track bars on the front and rear of JL. The MetalCloak's felt like they made a little difference, but that could have simply been a result of the wheels being in line with one another again.

As for the caster, would some adjustable length lower control arms not accomplish the same thing vs. cutting a larger hole where the control arm attaches? Seems it would give you a little more flexibility with a means to go back to where you started. Cutting things is pretty permanent, even if there are stops for those fancy caster adjustment washers. Not saying what was done in the video is wrong, just asking the question.

Thanks for posting!

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

I was finally able to adjust my steering box today, and holy cow what a difference! I had tried to adjust it previously and stripped the hex head like so many others. Figuring I was just SOL, I never tried again. After watching this video and seeing it is safe to back the jam nut off until it bottoms out, I was able to adjust mine 1/8 turn further and it made all the difference in the world. I even had my wife drive it without telling her what I had done to the Jeep and she immediately commented on how much tighter the steering felt. Completely eliminated the dead spot we have struggled with from day 1 and the Jeep actually tracks straight when you let go of the wheel now (before, it would drift to the right even after three alignments).

I do have the 2" Mopar lift and MetalCloack adjustable track bars on the front and rear of JL. The MetalClokak's felt like they made a little difference, but that could have simply been a result of the wheels being in line with one another again.

As for the caster, would some adjustable length lower control arms not accomplish the same thing vs. cutting a larger hole where the control arm attaches? Seems it would give you a little more flexibility with a means to go back to where you started. Cutting things is pretty permanent, even if there are stops for those fancy caster adjustment washers. Not saying what was done in the video is wrong, just asking the question.

Thanks for posting!

Yes, adjustable control arms would be the best solution to adjust caster.

Glad things are working better for you.

I was thinking for those who strip out the allen if you could cut a slot on the tip of the screw with a dremel so you can use a screwdriver to adjust the screw after you break free the loctite with heat if necessary.

 

[bwilliam79]

Yes, adjustable control arms would be the best solution to adjust caster.

Glad things are working better for you.

I was thinking for those who strip out the allen if you could cut a slot on the tip of the screw with a dremel so you can use a screwdriver to adjust the screw after you break free the loctite with heat if necessary.

A friend of mine suggested using the dremel to cut a slot in the top of the screw, but I never got around to it because it seemed like it would be a hassle to get a dremel in such a tight space. Backing it out all the way was *much* easier.

After backing it out, I did have to grab the top of the screw with vice grips and turn it to get it started back down, but that was easy enough. When I first tried tightening the jam nut back down, the screw stayed bottomed out. Just a tip for anyone else who may try this approach.

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

A friend of mine suggested using the dremel to cut a slot in the top of the screw, but I never got around to it because it seemed like it would be a hassle to get a dremel in such a tight space. Backing it out all the way was *much* easier.

After backing it out, I did have to grab the top of the screw with vice grips and turn it to get it started back down, but that was easy enough. When I first tried tightening the jam nut back down, the screw stayed bottomed out. Just a tip for anyone else who may try this approach.

My only fear with bottoming out the allen screw to break it free from the jam nut is it may cause the screw head to snap. It has a a special head that is designed to rotate. Here’s a video that shows the mechanism. While not a JL box, I imagine the setup is similar.

 

[bwilliam79]

My only fear with bottoming out the allen screw to break it free from the jam nut is it may cause the screw head to snap. It has a a special head that is designed to rotate. Here’s a video that shows the mechanism. While not a JL box, I imagine the setup is similar.

Believe it or not, it broke free surprisingly easy. Almost to the point of wondering why I couldn’t break it loose with a hex bit and wrench previously. My only thought is the screw metal must be on the soft side, which would indeed be cause for concern about snapping it off.

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

Believe it or not, it broke free surprisingly easy. Almost to the point of wondering why I couldn’t break it loose with a hex bit and wrench previously. My only thought is the screw metal must be on the soft side, which would indeed be cause for concern about snapping it off.

Just curious. Did you apply heat to soften the loctite as other have suggested? Wondering if that might have helped.

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