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Redo of Steering TSB 08-074-20

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Iggy

Iggy

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In my case the Dealer's test drive was at fault. They drove such a short distance at such low speed! Yes, it was a Jeep Thing.

The dealer that change the steering gear was a delight.

I haven't been back to get them to show me the 70F Code. Should do that. We have about the same amount of play that you had before your dealer refreshed the steering computer.
I had the free play with the aluminum box, then it was a little better with the cast iron box, but that was as good as it got. They were supposed to do the 70F RE flash, but didn’t. They basically said to live with it. Well, today the Reno dealership did the reflash and suddenly it was way better, almost just right. Good enough. It lost 1.5” of play!!

UPDATE: as of 4/15/21 the play has been reduced, but there is still about 1" hanging on. I suppose it's a constant reminder of this being an American engineered car. I've been reading the pages and pages of NHTSA complaints on steering for the 2018 and 2019 JLs. Seems I should expect the Death Wobble next...
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davis53

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Is there anyway to tell what steering flash number your Jeep received at home? As 70E RE flash or what? It does not say on work order.
 
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Is there anyway to tell what steering flash number your Jeep received at home? As 70E RE flash or what? It does not say on work order.
No clue. The dealerships want to keep this info from owners it seems so they have not printed me an Option Report yet. Yet.

The flash number I was told was the fit for mine was 70F.
 

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No clue. The dealerships want to keep this info from owners it seems so they have not printed me an Option Report yet. Yet.

The flash number I was told was the fit for mine was 70F.
I am going to delete this response till I get my steering problem corrected.
 
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roaniecowpony

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I have 2018 JLUR and it has handled so scary from day one that my wife refused to drive it.

I have read the same stories over the past two and a half years that I've owned this thing. All kinds of revisions to components that turned into mostly no help. At some point, I installed an aftermarket trackbar, which helped a lot. Then I installed aftermarket tierod and draglink, which did nothing. I still have wandering and enough slop to make it a chore to drive. When the road crown shifts from one side to the other, such as when changing lanes, I have to reverse through the center slop over to the other side. In doing this steering wheel movement, I have to pass through an area where nothing happens for 15-20 degrees. It's like it's not connected. I should have sold this thing long ago.
 

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I have 2018 JLUR and it has handled so scary from day one that my wife refused to drive it.

I have read the same stories over the past two and a half years that I've owned this thing. All kinds of revisions to components that turned into mostly no help. At some point, I installed an aftermarket trackbar, which helped a lot. Then I installed aftermarket tierod and draglink, which did nothing. I still have wandering and enough slop to make it a chore to drive. When the road crown shifts from one side to the other, such as when changing lanes, I have to reverse through the center slop over to the other side. In doing this steering wheel movement, I have to pass through an area where nothing happens for 15-20 degrees. It's like it's not connected. I should have sold this thing long ago.
Sounds familiar.
Picked up the JLU mid September 2019. Took a year to resolve. TSB said to change the steering box. It helped so much
 

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Sounds familiar.
Picked up the JLU mid September 2019. Took a year to resolve. TSB said to change the steering box. It helped so much
Since that post, I've cranked the steering box down and it did tighten the steering a lot. I had it down to the point it was like you'd expect any modern vehicle (truck, car, SUV, etc) to be. Live front axle or not.

Since my warranty was going to expire in December, I took it to the dealer for the TSB steering box replacement. They didn't have the parts, so they ordered them and told me they'd call me when they came in. So far, no call. I called them in January to ask if they had the parts. No parts. My concern about having the steering box as tight as I have it is the lock-up events others have had. Although I don't know if the lock-up events are related to the steering box itself or the pump pressure management.

I'm still hopeful the dealer will come thru. But I see that online Mopar parts dealers indicate they have the steering box in stock. Not sure what the issue is.
 

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Suggest that you contact @JeepCares

The TSB is even better than when I had the work done. That's a long story--selling dealer refused in Canada and I went the route I suggested. another dealer did the work.

I've talked to Jeep owners--a number of them--and their wives. Men here want to tough it out. The wives say they won't drive the Jeep. It's a real issue. JLU wandered badly. It was horrible at highway speeds with a strong cross wind. Bridge crossing.

I appreciate that you responded. Get it done. I suspect that if you trade it in to a Jeep Store they will do the TSB before they sell it. So why not enjoy a Jeep Wrangler that handles.

Good luck. Be safe.

@JeepCares is wonderful. They referred me to FCA Jeep Canada Customer Care. The rep there was excellent. The dealer that did the work was excellent.
 

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I had the free play with the aluminum box, then it was a little better with the cast iron box, but that was as good as it got. They were supposed to do the 70F RE flash, but didn’t. They basically said to live with it. Well, today the Reno dealership did the reflash and suddenly it was way better, almost just right. Good enough. It lost 1.5” of play!!

UPDATE: as of 4/15/21 the play has been reduced, but there is still about 1" hanging on. I suppose it's a constant reminder of this being an American engineered car. I've been reading the pages and pages of NHTSA complaints on steering for the 2018 and 2019 JLs. Seems I should expect the Death Wobble next...
Just a bit about the steering system to address this nearly year old question for readers of this ongoing saga. The "re-flash" or firmware update only controls the electric motor duty cycle, which drives steering hydraulic pump . Past models used a belt driven off the engine to run the steering hydraulic pump. The steering box has gears in it with a hydraulic assist capability. The input shaft and the output shaft of the steering box are mechanically connected by gears. Changing or revising the hydraulic pump firmware cannot tighten a loose steering box.

If there is play or slop in the steering wheel while driving, there are a number of possible causes.

In my 2018, the biggest contributor was the trackbar bushings being too soft. This allows the axle to move side to side and make the vehicle "wander". It also lets the axle displace/move laterally when a steering input is made by turning the wheel. That's why there have been at least a couple revisions to the trackbar and why the TSB of this thread requires the latest trackbar.

Other contributors to play in the system include the steering box gear backlash (which is adjustable), tierod and draglink joints, their mounting tapers in the steering knuckles (check torque on them), and ball joints (the joints themselves or the torque in the steering knuckles).
 

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Just a bit about the steering system to address this nearly year old question for readers of this ongoing saga. The "re-flash" or firmware update only controls the electric motor duty cycle, which drives steering hydraulic pump . Past models used a belt driven off the engine to run the steering hydraulic pump. The steering box has gears in it with a hydraulic assist capability. The input shaft and the output shaft of the steering box are mechanically connected by gears. Changing or revising the hydraulic pump firmware cannot tighten a loose steering box.

If there is play or slop in the steering wheel while driving, there are a number of possible causes.

In my 2018, the biggest contributor was the trackbar bushings being too soft. This allows the axle to move side to side and make the vehicle "wander". It also lets the axle displace/move laterally when a steering input is made by turning the wheel. That's why there have been at least a couple revisions to the trackbar and why the TSB of this thread requires the latest trackbar.

Other contributors to play in the system include the steering box gear backlash (which is adjustable), tierod and draglink joints, their mounting tapers in the steering knuckles (check torque on them), and ball joints (the joints themselves or the torque in the steering knuckles).
Thanks. I haven't seen the trackball bushing issue referred to before.
I know that the first TSB helped me. The Jeep JLU was much easier to steer. It was better at highway speeds with sidewinds.
 

roaniecowpony

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Thanks. I haven't seen the trackball bushing issue referred to before.
I know that the first TSB helped me. The Jeep JLU was much easier to steer. It was better at highway speeds with sidewinds.
In the TSB, there is a requirement to verify that the latest revision of the trackbar is installed. If not, the TSB installs it.
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