Is my steering gear shot?

I pulled the steering gear and measured the torques per the TSM -
output torque spec maximum is 18 inch-pounds and I measured about 40.
I'm thinking this thing is toast and needs replacement, but I'm looking
for a second opinion.

Thanks!

90 Cherokee, 160,000 miles, wandering all over the road.

Isn't it the input torque that is supposed to be 18 in-lb max? If you have a wandering problem, my first suspect would be the track bar. Adjusting the box per the FSM procedure can help with the steering slop.

PaulJ said:

Isn't it the input torque that is supposed to be 18 in-lb max? If you have a wandering problem, my first suspect would be the track bar. Adjusting the box per the FSM procedure can help with the steering slop.

Click to expand...

I cracked open the FSM to check the procedure after reading your post.

First step is measuring the wormshaft bearing preload - spec is 4 to 10 in-lb. I measured about 3.

Second step is checking the Pitman shaft overcenter drag torque. I backed out the adjustment screw counterclockwise, then rotated back 180-degrees clockwise and measured 40-in-lb. Tightening the adjustment screw increased the torque further. Spec is 4 to 10 inch-lb more than the wormshaft preload to a maximum of 18 in-lb, so this torque was way high.

With the steering gear on the jeep and the jeep jacked up I can see slop in the input shaft before the pitman moves. The steering wheel moves only a little more than an inch before any action starts in the pitman arm. Even so, the play in the steering is unnerving on the road. With the jeep jacked up, I didn't find any play to speak of in the rest of the steering components, so I'm thinking the gear box is a main player in this problem.

Can you give me some insight into how the track bar contributes to loosey goosey steering?

Thanks!

The loose track bar will allow the axle to move slightly side to side, which changes the relationship between the pitman arm and the right knuckle, causing steering deviation.

I had the exact same problem you do (188K miles). I tried tightening the box and it was better for a while, but then got quickly worse. I'm guessing the worm gear wore in the center and then when I would steer it would intermittently bind.... not a good thing. On top of that, the u-joint a the top of the steering shaft was bad. One side was frozen tight and the other was sloppy loose... another thing to look at.

I ended up buying a low mile box from a boneyard and all the trouble went away.

bob-n said:

The loose track bar will allow the axle to move slightly side to side, which changes the relationship between the pitman arm and the right knuckle, causing steering deviation.

I had the exact same problem you do (188K miles). I tried tightening the box and it was better for a while, but then got quickly worse. I'm guessing the worm gear wore in the center and then when I would steer it would intermittently bind.... not a good thing. On top of that, the u-joint a the top of the steering shaft was bad. One side was frozen tight and the other was sloppy loose... another thing to look at.

I ended up buying a low mile box from a boneyard and all the trouble went away.

Click to expand...

Bob -

Thanks for the info - I'll check out the track bar and see if it's messed up, too. Any recommendations on sources for track bars? Dealer? Aftermarket? I've looked around and found prices in the range from $33 to $175, but wonder about the quality of the lowest priced one.

Source would really depend on mods and personal preference. There seems to be quite a range on opinions on aftermarket units on lifted rigs. You may want to do a search and see some of the emotional responses.

I dropped the drag link from my pitman arm and could still feel quite a variance in turning resistance with no load... it was pretty well defined.

bob-n said:

Source would really depend on mods and personal preference. There seems to be quite a range on opinions on aftermarket units on lifted rigs. You may want to do a search and see some of the emotional responses.

I dropped the drag link from my pitman arm and could still feel quite a variance in turning resistance with no load... it was pretty well defined.

Click to expand...

Mine jeep is stock with no plans to lift it since it is 2WD so I'm wondering if the cheapest aftermarket track bar will be OK.