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Power steering issue..

Daven75

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Plainfield, IL
Hey guys, I'm new to XJ's but not automotive. I have a 2000 xj 4x4 4 door with the 4.0 and an automatic trans. It has 145,000 miles and right now I am having an odd power steering issue. Whenever I turn, mainly at lower speeds is when i notice it most, the steering wheel is kinda jerky or bumpy. Theres no resistance, I can turn fine but when I turn and have the wheel return it is jerky/bumpy. I was alittle low on power steering fluid so I topped it off but the problem is still there. I heard that a possible problem could be the U-Joints? How would I go about checking this?

Any help is useful!
Currently I am at school so my options of working on the jeep are limited, hopefully it's something easy.
 
Just crawl under the jeep, back side of the wheel assy is the exposed u-Joint. I would check the belt tension, and the belt of oil. Also make sure the fluid is not foamy, indicating air still in the system from a leak. Air bubbles in the fluid will do that I think. Does the engine bog down at all, or is just the return cycle that is jerky?

I would get under there and have someone turn the wheels slowly why you shake the steering parts, drag link, tie rods, and look for loose parts or bad bushings.
 
mkay, and Ive been checking the power steering fluid for the past week now since I noticed it was alittle low and I have not seen any bubbles or foam or anything.

I looked at the U joint, like I knew what it is and how it works, nothing seems TOO off from it. Belt tension is good, I could probably use a new belt sooner or later but I dont think thats having an effect on it right now. only time Ive ever had an issue with the belt was when I went through alot of water and it slipped for about 2 seconds and the only other time one day my jeep seemed to lose all power and got really dim but then after a few seconds it fixed itself. Maybe I could use a new belt soon. how exactly tight should the belt be? It is definitely NOT loose. Also, "and the belt of oil"? I'm assuming u meant make sure theres no oil on it making it slip? If so, no, the belts dry.

Engine does not bog down at all, its not like its starving for power. Its both initial turning and returning of the steering wheel which is jerky. Its more of a bumpy steering, its not like I have to fight it to turn, its just NOT smooth, it feels like air in the lines but nothing points to that. I have checked everything out underneath, to the best of my knowledge. I also had all my fittings greased last oil change. wasnt my choice but they did it lol.

Could it be possible my steering stabilizer is bad? From what I know of its the original one.

Thanks for your help!
 
Never heard of a stabilizer doing that. But how does it look? Maybe the steering gear in the box is going?
Does it do it while stopped? If so I would at least partially rule out the u-joints.
 
Wasnt sure on the stabilizer, its pretty old but not leaking or anything. it does not do it while stopped. How could I determine if its the box? If it was a bad pump wouldnt I get it all the time? Just clearing that up for myself.
 
Could be a bad high pressure power steering hose, bubble on the inside of the hose, or clogged inline filter if it has one?

old_man rebuilds the gear boxes, so he is a good one to ask!!!
 
Just a thought, if your front end is out of alignment, the tire opposite the direction you are turning tries to climb the outside edge of the tire more than normal. And you can get a catch-slip type of thing going on. You can feel it in the steering wheel. It is most noticeable during very low speed sharp turns. More noticeable still if you have snow or mud tread on your tires.
 
1-Jack up both sides of the front axle..place on jack-stands
2 Un-lock steering wheel
3 By hand--at tire,,,turn steering to full lock
4-Spin tire/wheel assm.Look at the axle joint...any rust....any tight spots ?
5- Turn opposite lock...do step 4 again..inspect other axle joint..

I expect one or both will have a bad joint

This bad joint will show up as a pulse in the steering wheel as you turn.
 
the drivers side was fine....but.... the passanger side binded when hand spinning it at full turn... :[ damn, so im pretty sure its a bad U joint then.

Anyone know the average cost for a shop to do this? I have no time to do it with finals coming up soon. ugh.

If anyone's local to Edwardsville, IL and willing to help me out, I'll gladly pay you or buy ya a case of beer. PM me if you can!
 
Ok, axle shaft change on the trail with a high lift is about 30minutes to 1 hour. U joint change is a 5 minute job. So I'd say a shop might charge you an hour labor or so plus 20ish for a new u-joint.

Here's a video on swapping a joint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuGHRh17cfo

If you just jack the passenger wheel up, you can pull the shaft without draining the diff. You just need the axle tilted with the passenger wheel high or the drivers wheel depending on which one you're going to change.

Mark
 
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