steering stabilizer

just a quick question how long does a steering stabilizer last? mine has 163k miles or so on it and i don't do any off roading with it. And why are they so expensive

Zuul99 said:

just a quick question how long does a steering stabilizer last? mine has 163k miles or so on it and i don't do any off roading with it.

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If it was an OEM one, it was probably shot 5-6 years after the XJ left the factory.

And why are they so expensive

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Because people will spend money on them as an upgrade item. Which ones have you been looking at?

The reality is that you can run without a steering stabiliser without any major issues, but it depends on how much you like the feel of it or not. I prefer having one in there, but that's just me.

What prompted you to call it out? Is it weeping or is something else up with the front end?

I have a rough country one for sale, $20 you pay shipping :thumbup:

My TJ has had 35s on for for 50k of its 120k miles, and still runs the stock one. My XJ one bit the dust around 100k, and it's real sensitive to wobble so I run an OME one on there.

casm said:

If it was an OEM one, it was probably shot 5-6 years after the XJ left the factory.



Because people will spend money on them as an upgrade item. Which ones have you been looking at?

The reality is that you can run without a steering stabiliser without any major issues, but it depends on how much you like the feel of it or not. I prefer having one in there, but that's just me.

What prompted you to call it out? Is it weeping or is something else up with the front end?

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Their is no doubt in my mind that its OEM one, it was bought back in '97 with 65k miles on it, and as far as my steering goes i noticed it was very mushy and not precise. i was looking a Rancho, OME, and skyjacker

Zuul99 said:

Their is no doubt in my mind that its OEM one, it was bought back in '97 with 65k miles on it, and as far as my steering goes i noticed it was very mushy and not precise. i was looking a Rancho, OME, and skyjacker

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OK. If it's OEM and has been in there from new, there's pretty much no doubt that at 163K it's shot.

Having said that, with the way you're describing the steering feel and lack of precision it sounds like it's just time to renew everything down there that contributes to this. The ball joints and tie rod ends are probably worn out by this point, and the steering box may require adjustment. Replacing the stabiliser may improve things a bit, but I wouldn't expect it to cure the symptoms you're describing by any means. Add an alignment to the list for once everything's been R&R'd down there.

FWIW, I'm about to turn 160K on my 2000, and I'm in the same boat despite having replaced the stabiliser about 20,000 miles ago with an OME unit (it was one of those smoking-hot deals that made replacing my OEM with another Mopar unit pointless, so I snagged it). FWIW, if you do end up doing ball joints, do the unit-bearing hubs and (if necessary) steering U-joints at the same time - the procedure to get at one gives you access to the others, so it makes sense to do them all in one shot.

$30-35 is expensive??

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.a...oogle&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=product

http://www.quadratec.com/products/5...utm_medium=compshop&utm_source=googlemerchant

they're very common to go, especially around pot hole ridden areas where they're really put to work. Definitely makes a difference in driving with a new one vs blown one.