How much slop is too much in steering gear? (Dead spot)

I've settled in at about 2.5" of lift on my '95 XJ. I'm running a stock steering setup except for a Black Diamond adjustable track bar. Toe is about 0.25 degrees in, caster is about +6.5 degrees (adjustable LCAs). All ball joints and TREs have been recently replaced, as well as the steering stabilizer. I have a pretty significant dead spot in steering when the wheel is centered. The symptom is that the Jeep wanders at higher speeds.

I disconnected the drag link from the pitman arm and didn't feel any slop in the pitman arm. With the motor running, there's still no discernible slop in the pitman arm when centered. As the steering wheel is turned farther from center to either sid, I can feel some slop in the pitman arm (slight clunking when moved back and forth by hand). Should I feel any slop in it at higher angles?

I've sat and looked at the steering as my wife moves the wheel back and forth, but I don't see any obvious play in the various ball joints and TREs. I'm at a loss to explain the dead spot other than the steering box. It looks like the pitman arm has about 5-10 thousandths of side play even at center.

Thanks,
fiz

i have the same issue... did you figure yours out?

JeepZiggy91 said:

i have the same issue... did you figure yours out?

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Nope. I put in a rebuilt steering box, which helped some, but I still have a pretty significant dead spot that makes long highway drives a pain in the butt.

Connect everything back up. Without the engine running, center the steering wheel and have someone rock the steering wheel from side to side, just to take the slop out.

Get under the rig and put your hand on the pitman arm and watch the input shaft to the saginaw unit. If the slop is in the steering gear, you should be able to see it easily. If that isn't the culprit, watch or put your hand across every joint in the drag link and tie rod. If that doesn't show the problem, try the track bar joints and mount. If still no culprit, watch the control arms.

This is a simple and pretty foolproof test, but it takes two people.

One other thing that can cause overly sensitive steering is not having the steering gear centered because the track bar length is off by almost a whole revolution of the steering wheel. Check that it is the same number of turns to lock both left and right.

old_man said:

Connect everything back up. Without the engine running, center the steering wheel and have someone rock the steering wheel from side to side, just to take the slop out.

Get under the rig and put your hand on the pitman arm and watch the input shaft to the saginaw unit. If the slop is in the steering gear, you should be able to see it easily. If that isn't the culprit, watch or put your hand across every joint in the drag link and tie rod. If that doesn't show the problem, try the track bar joints and mount. If still no culprit, watch the control arms.

This is a simple and pretty foolproof test, but it takes two people.

Click to expand...

I've done this, which led me to the steering box (the most slop seemed to be in the steering box output). I didn't feel any obvious slop in other components, including all the way up the steering column. I need to get back under there and repeat the test now to see if the reman box is any better.

One other thing that can cause overly sensitive steering is not having the steering gear centered because the track bar length is off by almost a whole revolution of the steering wheel. Check that it is the same number of turns to lock both left and right.

Click to expand...

Interesting.... It is certainly possible that I screwed up adjusting my track bar. I'll do this check tonight;thanks!

i got my problem fixed. it was a crack (turned into a spider web) in the frame. i had my fabrcator make up some plates to wrap around the frame. between that, new tie rod, new tires and fresh alignment i would be willing to bet my title that my steering is somehow better than stock. ill post pics when i get a new camera. lost it out the window one day while mobbin hahaha

In for pics :cheers:

Have you tried adjusting your steering slop on top of your geerbox?

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1045227
Try this dude... won't take long at all and it might be your fix.. its worth a try!