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Jerky steering, any ideas?

2

2k2wranglerx

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Pittsburgh
hey guys,

i have a 99 with 145k miles on it. i haven't had it more than a few weeks and i noticed that the steering isn't smooth. when you make a turn it gets easier and harder and is kind of "jerky". you notice it the most when the steering wheel is returning back to straight.

the steering also feels a bit tight. it's like there's not as much assist as there should be. the pump isn't whining at all.

I checked the fluid and it's pretty nasty. I'm going to pull the low pressure line and flush it and replace it with new fluid.

Anything else i should check? do the ujoints in the steering shafts go bad in these?

Thanks guys!
 
All the joints in your steering need to be checked. Best way is to enlist a slave, and have them rotate the steering wheel back and forth while you observe. Welcome to the greasy taint of your jeep.
 
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h
962drrhino said:
All the joints in your steering need to be checked. Best way is to enlist a slave, and have them rotate the steering wheel back and forth while you observe. Welcome to the greasy taint of your jeep.
Click to expand...

ah i should have mentioned that. when i got the jeep i checked all the ball joints and tie rod ends just because my wife is going to be driving it... i'll check em again anyway.

and it doesn't seem to do it when it's just sitting there. Just when you're rolling. i can't move the wheels/tires at all with them off the ground. the balljoints/wheel bearings all seem tight.

bails85 said:
check you steering dampener as well if its shot or bent it could cause a little bit of the problem.
Click to expand...

that's actually a good idea... i'll disconnect it and see if it makes a difference. i didn't even think about that. I have an OME SS laying around from a previous build... maybe i'll toss it on for the heck of it...

it's not bump steer though, it's like the steering binding or not getting enough pressure from the pump... it's really wierd
 
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While not real likely, the steering gear lash could be set too tight, but like the man said, front axle joints first.
 
In addition to the above, don't ignore the simple: if your belt is slipping it will catch the pump, but doesn't always squeal. Make sure your belt tension is good. If you're not familiar with the XJ, you'll be surprised at how tight the belt has to be. A tension gauge is definitely worth having here.
 
Ok, glad you checked all your joints out for your wife, not many people care what others drive..

Check the bolts attaching your steering box to the frame, really look em over up close and under load. Might want to back em out and put some threadlocker on em.

If those are good, check your track bar bushings, easier said than done, but it sounds like your no dummy.

After all hope is gone, take it to a friend. Usually they pick up where you left off with out being burnt out.

The last possibilty is alignment.

I can't tell you how many times I've racked my brain with a problem, then a fresh pair of eyes finds it right away, and vice versa. Friends are worth a million!!
 
Matthew Currie said:
In addition to the above, don't ignore the simple: if your belt is slipping it will catch the pump, but doesn't always squeal. Make sure your belt tension is good. If you're not familiar with the XJ, you'll be surprised at how tight the belt has to be. A tension gauge is definitely worth having here.
Click to expand...


Strongly agree.
 
Thanks for all the input guys! I'm betty its the ujoints in the front shafts... I was diagnosing last night (didn't have time to pull any wheels or anything) after working on the jk and it doesn't jerk when standing still. Only when rolling. So the only variable that I can see there is the ujoints or alignment.

Let me ask this though, is there any super slick way of checking the ujoints without pulling the shafts? I know the "pull the three unit bearing bolts" trick to pull the shaft out quicker, but I didn't know If there was any other way to check em.

Since I have 297 joints I was contemplating trading my buddy for his new set of cv's that he's putting in his zj... It's an upgrade for him and my street jeep gets smoother cv shafts...

Il update tomorrow after I pull the shafts. It goes in tonight to have the ac vacuum tested. Stupid thing will run but then just keeps building pressure... I have a feeling a fitting needs a new o ring.
 
sometimes you can just reach into where the joints are and wiggle them. There should be no play. You can also jack up one wheel at a time, by the axle (out of gear, in 2WD), and crank the steering to full lock in either direction. Now rotate the wheel, look for play, listen for noise, and feel for binding. A good joint should rotate smoothly even when steering. A dry joint will often run tight until the wear eats it up enough to rattle.
 
for those that say U-joint ding ding ding!

turned the wheel all the way to the right, jacked the front end off the ground. the driver side wheel/tire spins freely but the passenger side wheel/tire binds REALLY badly. you can turn it about 60 degrees but then it binds and i can barely push the wheel/tire past that point. then it frees again and then binds again. looks like a ujoint to me.

thanks for all the input. in 10 years and 20+ i've never had one do this! thanks again!
 
Got it done. There were still needle bearings in there but rusted solid. I couldn't even move the ujoint in the one direction. It was rusted solid!

It drives so much nicer now. The weird wander it had is gone too!
 
2k2wranglerx said:
for those that say U-joint ding ding ding!

turned the wheel all the way to the right, jacked the front end off the ground. the driver side wheel/tire spins freely but the passenger side wheel/tire binds REALLY badly. you can turn it about 60 degrees but then it binds and i can barely push the wheel/tire past that point. then it frees again and then binds again. looks like a ujoint to me.

thanks for all the input. in 10 years and 20+ i've never had one do this! thanks again!
Click to expand...

I hate to bring up an older thread, but how much should a tire spin freely? A complete revolution or more?
 
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