slack in steering wheel

Okay I searched and it sounds like its the box itself or the steering shaft. When driving down the road I have about 2"+ of play in the steering where I can move the wheel, but the tires don't move. Problem is I also have a leak in the steering and din't know if maybe it a bad steering box or should I look into adjusting the nut ontop of the box to tighten everything?

Problem is being an XJ and being there is sunck ontop of the box I have yet to see or feel and big nut to adjust. Plus I still can't find my leak, errr.

ZachMan said:

Okay I searched and it sounds like its the box itself or the steering shaft. When driving down the road I have about 2"+ of play in the steering where I can move the wheel, but the tires don't move. Problem is I also have a leak in the steering and din't know if maybe it a bad steering box or should I look into adjusting the nut ontop of the box to tighten everything?

Problem is being an XJ and being there is sunck ontop of the box I have yet to see or feel and big nut to adjust. Plus I still can't find my leak, errr.

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I think you really need to get down there, perhaps with another person wiggling the wheel, and see if you can find out where the play is coming from. One thing you should not do is simply try to adjust the play out with the over-center adjustment. A common area for play to develop is in the bearing of the pitman shaft (the output shaft of the steering gear). When this happens, the shaft moves sideways before it starts turning the pitman arm. There is no adjustment for this, and when it gets bad enough it might also be the source of your leak.

Whatever you do, though, you need to find the problem before you figure out how you're going to fix it, and don't just go ahead and adjust the box, which could result in binding steering and even an accident if done wrong.

Zachman,

One thing I would suggest is to check your trac bar. This part commonly fails and causes steering wheel play and front end wandering, along with tire cupping and other wear issues.
I drive an 87 Cherokee Laredo, and work as a service manager for an auto repair shop in the San Francisco Bay Area where we service all makes of cars, and many, many Jeeps.
Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

I second the tracbar statement, I've got some play in my wheel, and I had a buddy crank the wheel while I was under there.
TRE on my tracbar is shot.

i think the steering box gears are within spec if you can move the wheel up to 1/4 turn. i had issues with loose steering and the box was the last resort. it was time to replace the TRE's and tighten things down including the track bar. check eveyrthing else and then if you really have to, do the gear box. i went through all that last weekend. with the car on the ground, get someone to move the wheel left to right and check play at all joints. that way the tires on the ground will create resistance. then if you need to get as far as the steering box, jeck it up onto stands and tune the box from there.

here Eagle has some words of wisdom:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3850

also, if you have to adjust, make sure wheels are pointing straight! make little adjustments and check turning 1/8 turn at a time is safe. some folks have had steering locked up on them after they "over adjusted" clockwise with the allen grub screw is tighter. when you get to the adjustment you want, hold that position with the allen key and tighten the 16mm bolt around it firmly.

seems with gear boxes, a little noise is acceptable and normal. i thought it was not at first then i looked at some other xj's and they all seem to have some kind of noise like that.

Check your steering tie-rod ends,if there bad they will have play.

Thnaks guys, as soon as my friend comes over I am gonna take a look under it. I also have stock steering off my 99 if something is worn out on the 97. Much rather it be the tracbar or TRE than the gear box I guess.

I have noticed on flat ground stopped, if I turn the wheel the right side of the Jeep seems to lift up as I turn the tires.

So a worn out TRE on the pitman arm could cause this? Thats my problem if so. The arm would move some then the TRE would move.

sounds like you've located it then.
Go getyourself a pickle fork, and have at it.
Most of the time you can get the TRE out if you hold one hammer on the backside of the pitman arm, then smack it a few ties with another hammer.
If not, have fun ith the fork