Steering gear box ? Knock sound source

OK guys, this time Ecomike needs some opinions and help! Please!:wave:

MY 89 has been back on the road as a DD for my daughter for just a week (new head gasket, plus a few other repairs) now and it starting making a knock sound mostly on left turns. Figured out with the engine off, key in, sterring column (SC) unlocked, I could get a repeatable knock turning the SC to the left, but no sound turning it to the right. I only needed to turn it just enough to barely move the tires to hear and feel the knock. Power sterring was off, engine was off.

Got under the jeep and found a bad ball joint on the drivers side track bar. Replaced the track bar with a new one. Could not see or feel any other bad joints (yet), only noted a leaking steering stabilizer. Could a bad steering stabilizer make it knock?

Not sure if it is power steering fluid or the sterring stabilizer (shock), but a friend of mine says he saw clear fluid come out of the steering stabilzer on a simulated sharp turn while installing the new track bar. He installed the TB for me today.

Now here is the deal, it now makes the knock sound just like before replacing the known bad track bar, except now it makes that sound turning the SC right or left!:doh: So I made it worse!

My friend (mechanic I use on stuff like this when I get too busy) says he thinks the sound is coming from the steering gear box, internal. I had to replace the steering gear box on my 87, but it had 240,000 miles, this one is barely at 125,000. Also, I think that steering box was more noticably, obviously bad, but I forget the details. I do recall it knocking, but I recall it knocking with out the wheels moving. I think this one only knocks when the wheels start moving.

This jeep only has 125,000 miles on it, but is 19 years old, so I am having trouble believing the steering gear box is bad on this one. It rides and steers perfectly so far!!!!

I have not checked the steering drive shaft and u-joints, but like wise it has low miles too, and I checked it before when I had the head and manifolds off the engine.

So four more questions to begin the fun with. Could this be a loose steering gear, and can it be adjusted to tighten up the steering gear so it is not so noisy?

Note that it makes no suspension knocking sounds while driving or stopping on a straight away. It was only making the sound on left turns before installing the new track bar. I have not drive tested it for right / left turns with the new track bar yet.

Second question, since the wheels seem to move (engine off, power steering off, manual steering only) by the time it makes the knocking sound wouldn't that make the problem external to the steering box?

If the steering gear lash (?) can be adjusted on this style box, what is the proper procedure?

Could it have enough wear to make a lash noise that can be adjusted out safely????

I have a 99 XJ and the stearing gear box started making a knocking noise at about 60k. It still drives fine even after about 10k miles but I plan on just replacing it. I bought this jeep lightly rolled and just figured that was the cause.

My 99 is doing the same thing - I had a known bad track bar, and a known bad control arm, a bad ball joint and a bad spring. I fixed them all, and it STILL knocks. It doesn't do anything else. It doesn't wander, shimmy or wobble. It just knocks.

However, I know that mine has a bad pitman shaft bearing in the steering box, and I suspect that's where the knock is coming from. Don't get too deep into trying to adjust the box before checking that. You should also make sure there is no frame cracking where the box mounts.

You should also check the U-joints, because they can cause the axle shafts to knock if they are beginning to bind.

Double check the axle end bolt on the new track bar, to make sure that it is tight, and the mounting holes aren't elongated, and make sure the frame end bracket is tight.

I've been kind of busy, so I haven't attacked my front end again recently. It's been knocking for some time, but not getting any worse, so I'm ignoring it. If I ever do solve it, I'll post back. It's had some kind of knocking in the steering since I got it 60 thousand miles ago.

As far as adjusting the steering gear, you need to be careful. Properly, you should first adjust the preload on the input shaft, and only then do the lash adjustment. In reality, you can touch up the lash, but you must be careful not to overdo it. It's normal to have a little click when there is no power, that goes away when the fluid is pressurized, so don't feel you have to remove every little bit of play. Make absolutely sure that the steering is centered, too, because it's designed to be tighter on center. If you adjust it snug off center it will bind on center and you will crash, burn and die (well, maybe not die, but it's serious stuff if you goof that one). However, don't bother to do any adjustment if the pitman bearing has slop. You can test that by having someone in the car wiggling the wheel, while you look down at the steering gear. You'll see the shaft move sideways before it starts to move the wheels.

Great feed back guys, Thanks!!!!

I drove it twice on good and bad roads last night, and no matter how hard I tried I could not find anything wrong with the steering, braking, drive train......etc., , no more front end noises at all with the engine running, so I told her to drive it for now and to listen for any new noises or strange steering or breaking issues.

Looks like the new track bar fixed the left turn knock issue.

I plan to test my 87, engine off, to see if it knocks the same way with power off. If it does, I am going to assume it is normal.

Well guess what? I checked my 87 4x4 Wagoneer, and with the engine off it has the same exact knock - knock sound turning the steering wheel slightly right and left, but everything on it is new and working perfectly, so I guess it is a normal quirk until it does it when driving, braking and or turning. I replaced everything on the front end including the gear box (rebuilt) on the 87 in the last 10,000 miles, except ball joints and the steering shaft which is OK. The tires have normal wear for the last 30,000 miles and the steering is perfect, so the ball joints are still OK too.

I have been getting a similar knock coming from what appears to be my steering box the past few months. Am I to understand from this thread that I don't have to be too worried about this knock? As I don't have any slop in my steering response, and besides this knock, everything seems to be working fine. I've got 170k+ on my 96 XJ.

mine does this periodically, i just tighten up the bolts and it goes away..

which bolts do you tighten up?

i always have to tighten up the two on the outside driverside frame rail..should be a 5/8ths i beleive. maybe you might want to remove them one at a time and add some loctite

I found the knocking on my '99 to be coming from the track bar bracket. The holes wallowed out, and I could see it move when I had someone turning the wheel.

BigG said:

I have been getting a similar knock coming from what appears to be my steering box the past few months. Am I to understand from this thread that I don't have to be too worried about this knock? As I don't have any slop in my steering response, and besides this knock, everything seems to be working fine. I've got 170k+ on my 96 XJ.

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If the noise is like mine was in this post, internal to the gear box, just like you described, then I would just ignore it. I did and no worries. If it is external, like it was in my other jeeps, then it is probably worn, bad front end parts, tie rods, track bar (drag link).... If it gets worse and steering response gets real sloppy, or loose, then replace the gear box. I have had all three situations on three different jeeps, similar noise had three different causes.

I check the mounting bolts for the steering box, couldn't get them to tighten any. The knock seems to be getting a bit worse, in that it's happening more often. A rough road can cause several knocks in almost a rattle, and there are lots of rough roads here in central MI.

The steering isn't any more sloppy than it has been for most of it's life. But I know that my bushings are pretty much shot. replacing those may clean things up. A weird thing I have noticed is it doesn't seem not knock when the suspension is articulated even a little. Higher speed turn, turning up a slope from flat, etc.

I was hearing a clunking noise every time I hit even a small bump, as well as every time I applied the brakes. A professional mechanic friend checked all the usual sources: control arms, tie rod ends, brake caliper, shock mounts, track bar mount, etc. Everything seemed tight except the DS tie rod end. the boot was torn up and it needed replacing. I replaced the whole TRE, as well as the TRE where it connects to the drag link, since teh boot was also torn, and the noise didn't disappear. This weekend I took the front skid off and wiggled the top of the drag link, and I was able to hear a metalic clunking sound. I couldn't tell if it was the TRE on the end of the drag link, or the pitman arm, or steering box, so I disconnected the TRE from the pitman arm, and I could still make the noise by wiggling the pitman arm without much force. The steering box is solid; I can't make the noise by applying force to the box; I can only make it by grabbing the arm. Now that I've located the problem, any suggestions for what needs doing? The arm is not obviously damaged in any way. It is a slight movement, but produces a noticeable metalic clank every time I move it.

The PA bolt is torqued on there with 185 ft/lbs, according to the factor service manual, and the sway bar looks like it will interfere with working on it. It sounds like from this thread that this is not a big worry. Steering is not sloppy.