Loose 'Dead' Steering?

This problem has been plaguing me ever since i bought the jeep from my brother. When i first bought it the steering was REALLY bad.

I replaced;

- Track Bar (IRO Double Shear)
- Tie Rod/Drag Link (Currie HD Steering. New TREs & Everything.)

Steering was instantly better with that, but i still had a dead spot from about 12-2o'clock. I dealt with this for about a year and just became good at steering with it like this. It increasingly got worse. About a week ago from about 10-2o'clock was a dead spot.

I bought a Dodge Durango steering box off eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/150975156505?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649).

I swapped this box in (i didn't put a 1/4" spacer between the unibody and the box because i didn't have longer bolts, and i had no other vehicle to go buy them. A forum member advised i put this spacer here) I do have a JCR Steering box brace though.

Got the jeep all back together and took it out for a test drive. Steering feels better, but it's still not tight. 12-1 is minimal steering, and it just doesn't have that new tight steering feel to it.

Should i try to adjust this new box? I mean it's new, it shouldn't need an adjustment, should it?

I understand i'm driving a lifted jeep, but i think the steering should be better than this. Am i missing something? Is there any component to the steering that i'm overlooking?

Any advise would be SERIOUSLY appreciated.

There is a little trick I use to find where the play is, I stick a block of wood between the pitman arm and the drag link (or stack them until they are snug), then tighten that down with a big C clamp, in effect jamming the pitman arm against the drag link and making it imobile. Unlock the steering wheel and have someone rotate it a coupe of inches left and right of center and look for the play between the steering wheel and the pitman arm. Don't forget to check the steering shaft in the engine compartment. If the sector shaft goes up and down you likely have an out of adjustment worm gear.

Then have someone grab a tire at the 9 O clock and 3 O clock position and twist it back and forth (hard9, and look for the play in the lower steering parts.

Then have someone put their rear end against a fender (up high so you don't bend it) and push (rock) the front sideways. look at the top trac bar mount, the bottom trac bar mount and the top trac bar mount itself where it bolts to the frame.

Put a block in front of the tires and rock the XJ forward (somebody pushing on the rear bumper with that handy rear end) so it hits the block pretty hard and rebounds, then repeat as many times as necessary and watch the UCA and LCA bushings for movement.

A little pay here and a little there and it adds up, even the wheel bearing hubs or ball joints can add to the problem-

I'm with 8Mud on this.

BTW--that box wasn't "new", it was re-manufactured per the ebay ad, and that doesn't tell you much--China, India, Mexico, Bangladesh, Pakistan?

8mud, could you please explain to me where to put this block of wood? How exactly do I wedge it between the pitman and the drag link?

I'm going to do what you've said to do word for word tomorrow. Just wanted clarification on where to put these blocks of wood.

I put a four inch square block and a small 3/4" block between the pitman end of the center link and the drag link, then used a big C-clamp to clamp the blocks tight to the center link and drag link. I lifted the front, just picked up on the bumper a little, to get the last 3/4" block in there. The distance may be different on yours depending on whether you have a lift or how old your springs are. The blocks sit at about a 45 degree angle (front top to rear bottom). The object is to immobilize the pitman arm as much as possible and check for play on the top half of the steering system. I would not try this with the motor running and the power steering fired up. If the pitman (sector shaft) moves up and down you likely have some play in the steering box.

You can do the same between the trac bar and the drag link. and twist the tire while holding it at 9 and 3 O'clock positions. I've tried it both ways with the tires on the ground and the front axle jacked up some with a floor jack (if you have one big enough) to take some of the weight off the tires, either way works.

This just helps me to see the play and spot the worst offenders. There is likely a little play in many of the end joints, I look for the worst ones, by isolating as much as possible.

You say the play is at 12 and 2 O'clock. You say your trac bar is new? That 12 and 2 slop screams trac bar to me. Maybe the play is in the bottom trac bar mount? Maybe the top bolt on the trac bar wasn't tightened all the way? I akways use a flashlight and get my eyes as near as possible. I've heard the top trac bar mount can get egg shaped instead of a typical wedge shape and cause issues. The bottom mounting bolt for the trac bar is an odd size any old bolt won't do.

Don't forget to look at the upper and lower control arm bushings.

Check the steering shaft where it comes out of the firewall. There is a rubber coup The shafts are different lengths for different years(97-01 is different from the early years)

On my trail rig, I welded this coupling as it kept slipping and cocking my steering wheel to the right when off road. Not advised for a street Jeep though, you will feel every crack in the road through the steering. This rubber coupling acts as a vibration dampener.

I wanted to see if there was any update on this because I bought the exact same steering box from that vendor on ebay and mine's too stiff to turn so I wanted to see if the looseness was the box or something else?

muddeprived said:

I wanted to see if there was any update on this because I bought the exact same steering box from that vendor on ebay and mine's too stiff to turn so I wanted to see if the looseness was the box or something else?

Click to expand...

I think I posted on your thread.

Just FTW--years ago I trusted most remanufactured parts. I haven't now for a couple of decades. There are 40-foot shipping containers that leave America everyday filled to the max with parts for rebuilding. Where they end up, NOBODY knows. They get cleaned, tore down, and reassembled--by whom, NOBODY knows, with what parts, NOBODY knows.

I want a RELIABLE VENDOR standing between me and the 10-year old "technician" squatting on a mud floor in a hut someplace putting steering boxes, or alternators, or something else back together.

Ok. Off the soap box.

joe_peters said:

I think I posted on your thread.

Just FTW--years ago I trusted most remanufactured parts. I haven't now for a couple of decades. There are 40-foot shipping containers that leave America everyday filled to the max with parts for rebuilding. Where they end up, NOBODY knows. They get cleaned, tore down, and reassembled--by whom, NOBODY knows, with what parts, NOBODY knows.

I want a RELIABLE VENDOR standing between me and the 10-year old "technician" squatting on a mud floor in a hut someplace putting steering boxes, or alternators, or something else back together.

Ok. Off the soap box.

Click to expand...

Yeah you did.

I think I will just give up on remans now and just go new. I wish I did in the first place but was too short on cash and i wanted the steering fixed so my gf could drive a safe vehicle. The steering is fixed but it's just too tight for her.

Pm-ing you in a second.

Honestly, i haven't done anything else for the steering since making this thread.

Steering is still loose as all hell. I think i might of got a dud steering box, but honestly, i don't know.

Where the hell is the 'worm gear'? I heard that thing might be worn out.

Kingkong0192 said:

Where the hell is the 'worm gear'? I heard that thing might be worn out.

Click to expand...

The worm gear is what is inside the steering box but attached on the outside to the steering shaft. As you turn the steering wheel, so to, you turn the worm gear.

I have the same problem you have. loose steering from about 11:00 oclock to 1 oclock. It's kind of inherent to a lifted XJ. There are work arounds but most are costly and labor intensive....

But like most, I bought a re-manufactured box. And like most, mine is loose. The sector shaft slops left to right about an 1/8" as I turn the wheel.

I guess the next step is a PSC box....

When I did my WJ swap, it eliminated the slop due to the 5.5-6" lift, but there was still about 2-3" ply at the wheel before the tires would react. As time went on, it got worse ... to 4" of steering wheel input before tire movement. My tie rods were all new and tight, trackbar was heimed and tight.
turned out to be the box ... with my daughter truning the steering wheel I could see the input play. Replaced that with a YJ box which although better, leaked like a seive, ended up finding a used TJ box from a pavement bound TJ and now I have nice tight steering again. Just my expeirence on the subject.

To the OP - if you didn't add the spacer, it's possible the box is rocking on the frame even my YJ box I swapped in required a couple washers to space it out and fit right. IIRC the durango box is even larger on the piston. Check for excess movement at the steering shaft u-jionts, input shaft, sector shaft and at the box itself ... unless the frame has been reinforced it's not overly strong where the box sits.
There will be some dead space due to steering angles once lifted but it shouldn't be as bad as you describe. if all other factros are new as you described, look closely at that box (or what's attached to it).

Check and dial in caster and toe in.

Next, I bet all/some of your ball joints are bad. jack up one tire at a time and move it back and forth and watch/feel the outer knuckle for movement, because there should be none.

I bought a Durango box from the same eBay vendor (Detroit Axle) and I had to tighten the over-center adjustment about half a turn. The steering seems tight now, but it was never hard to turn -- just loose at center.

My guess is that the small children who reassemble these boxes in Kharakastan play it safe with the over-center adjustment and don't tighten it to the factory spec.