Steering Sanity Check

[TimmyTXJ]

So I'm shooting for a Guiness World Record in longest amount of time to complete a Durango steering gear swap. I think I'm going on 5 or 6 weeks to get this done...

Here's my current dilemma.
The gearbox and new pitman arm are installed. When I went to reconnect the drag link I found that the TRE was totally trashed. Clearly I'll need to replace it. I'll inspect the other TREs as soon as I get the wheels back off the ground so I can shake the tires but in the meantime I'm thinking this might be a good opportunity to upgrade if they turn out to be bad.

Can someone double check my parts list below and verify I've listed everything... I'm a bit confused by the nomenclature. "Teh internets" doesn't know the difference between a drag link and a tie rod.

ZJ Tie Rod
1 ea. DS1312 Left Tie Rod End (V8 Engine)
1 ea. ES3096 Right Tie Rod End (V8 Engine)

XJ Drag Link
1 ea. DS1238 Right Tie Rod End
1 ea. ES2095 Left Tie Rod End

Common to both
2 ea. ES2079S Adjustment Sleeve

Thanks!

[girlyjen78]

The only thing I can help you on is "teh" typo :P

[NW99XJ]

The issue is ......that on BOTH the XJ AND the ZJ stock steering set ups, only ONE of the rod ends on both are serviceable. Meaning that if you have a bad end, and its the end that is not replaceable, you're screwed.....you have to replace the whole bar, ends and all.

Notice in this picture the passenger side (left in pic) tie rod end on the ZJ set up (upper) is "built-in" to the bar...... there's no way to service it or replace it.
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h328/jbchill1/IMG_2467.jpg (http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/jbchill1/media/IMG_2467.jpg.html)

And I dont see how the adjuster sleeve on EITHER the drag link side or the tie rod side is interchangeable between the XJ and the ZJ as the thread size is different between the two....
In the pic below, you'll see from left to right.....XJ / ZJ / GM 1-ton
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h328/jbchill1/IMG_2441.jpg (http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/jbchill1/media/IMG_2441.jpg.html)

Here's another shot of the comparison between the XJ and ZJ TRE's
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h328/jbchill1/IMG_2014.jpg

Here is a good close up of the rod end of the drag link on the tie rod side....
You'll see how the actual road end is molded into/a part of the rod itself and not able to be replaced/pulled off.
http://imageshack.us/a/img694/5255/steeringupgrade029.jpg

I was in your shoes a while back....and have gone thru three phases of steering upgrades.....
My advice is to add up the cost of all this.... new rods, rod ends, sleeves, etc. (although you can prob re-use your old sleeves with no issues)
And to weigh that against a replacement system like the ORO U-turn or even better the Currie Currect Link set up (which is strictly bolt on with zero modification)
Yes these may be a bit over what you have to spend right now, or are a hundred buck or so more than what you would be into the ZJ replacement stuff....
But why not consider a substantial upgrade while you're doing it?
The non-servicable aspect of the XJ and ZJ steering set-up have always bothered me.
But that may be just me.
I hope some of this helps. Good luck.

[NW99XJ]

oh....also, it took me several weeks to get my Durango box in too.....
And i'm STILL not driveable yet......
but that's mostly due to my steering set up (1-ton OTK) and not the box.

[XJ Wheeler]

I bet the reason the sleeve shows up the same is because its searching for a I6 zj, not the V8. I believe the steering is the same on those.

[bigjim350]

You will need the adjustment sleeve for a v8 zj on the tie rod. But the drag link adjustment sleeve is the same. The V8 zj drag link, and xj drag link are the same. And as far as the aftermarket systems go, you can do the v8zj upgrade for bout $75 with lifetime warranty on all parts, so who cares about serviceability. And I havent priced the currie setup but i think its a bit more than $175

Edit: The currie setup is $480, ORO U-turn setup is $600...**** that!!

[TimmyTXJ]

Thanks all for the great responses! I figured the TREs were different sizes between the v8 zj and the xj, I appreciate the confirmation. As a mechanical engineer myself, I can rightly say the guy that designed the steering system on the jeeps needs a good swift kick to his man bits. What an unserviceable design! I'd love to go with the Currie setup, but but Im not quite ready to spend that much on steering yet. It doesn't look like I'll have a chance to mess with it until the weekend, but I'll post an update after I've checked the other TREs.