Play in the steering...

[Mudderoy]

This could easily be considered "Factory / OEM" but since it didn't occur until I replaced everything on my steering with non OEM stuff I'm putting it here.

Recently I noticed play in the steering. I guess all vehicles have a tendency to wander on the road, depending on the slope etc... but what I was noticing is I had to turn the wheel maybe 1/8 turn to correct the direction of the Jeep!

I thought that maybe the most recent off road trek had broken something, or caused something to become loose.

Saturday I pulled the electric fan and adjusted the steering box. The steering was tighter, but the play was still there, so that wasn't it, or at least not the fix.

Sunday I got my daughter to turn the steering wheel back and forth while I looked at all the steering components. I suspected the track bar or perhaps the steering box was lose or uni body cracked where it was mounted. Everything was rock solid, no movement that wasn't designed to move.

Then I noticed a slight movement in the pitman arm. The pitman arm was twisting maybe a 1/16 of an inch left and right. I was shocked since I know I torqued it to 180 foot pounds. I thought maybe it had got loose, so I re-torqued it. It was still at the 180 foot pounds!

I removed the pitman arm from the steering box to check the splines on both. They looked fine. The only thing I could think of was the lock washer and nut were not enough to allow the torque to be on the pitman arm. It was literally bottoming out on the threads. I went over to the auto parts store and picked up a couple of large thick washers. I felt one would be enough but after looking at it with one, I went ahead on put on both of them.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_b0ViaGso2Ko/TI1b4SNySkI/AAAAAAAAAbE/UQm_mIxNc9o/s800/2010-09-12%2018.00.51.jpg

I had my daughter move the steering back and forth and no movement. She said that she could feel a difference in the steering. I test drove it and boy the steering is tight now. I may need to remove some of the adjustment I did to the steering box.

I need to keep a lighter touch on the steering wheel, else I move all over my lane as my arm moves naturally. Reminds me of the tight steering on the Mustang but it is about twice as sensitive.

Too early to say if this is a cure for sure, but I noticed that it wasn't pulling to the left during heavy braking this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp4Wh_9EXqU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u91NV3OfBX8

After the addition of the two washers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huMTxjqc0HE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faa5ubArSAM

[ice_cold]

Could this be a issue with the guy whose XJ is pulling left?

[4.3LXJ]

Hey Muddy, that was that new pitman arm I sent you wasn't it?

[Mudderoy]

Hey Muddy, that was that new pitman arm I sent you wasn't it?

Yes, but I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

[Mudderoy]

Added videos of the "play" in steering in the orignial post. See above!

:bump:

[ice_cold]

Search and Destroy steering

[muddeprived]

Could this be a issue with the guy whose XJ is pulling left?

Nah, it's not. I doubled checked everything.

[Mudderoy]

I'm feeling the pull, it just isn't as noticible. Makes sense since I don't have to move the steering wheel as much to correct for it now.

[demonworks]

If you ever figure this out let me know cause I am having the same problem with mine. All new steering parts and it now feels sloppy but only at low speeds the faster I co the better it handles which makes no sense to me. I'm going to have the tires rebalanced this weekend and see if that is the problem.

[rugidone]

I have bad play in my steering too, I think I have narrowed it down to the shaft though.

We have started making steering shafts using GM parts and just cutting/extending the shaft from sunfires/cavaliers, so far so good. Best of all, replaceable joints!

[Mudderoy]

If you ever figure this out let me know cause I am having the same problem with mine. All new steering parts and it now feels sloppy but only at low speeds the faster I co the better it handles which makes no sense to me. I'm going to have the tires rebalanced this weekend and see if that is the problem.

Well I did figure out what the problem was. The dropped pitman arm was twisting about 1/16 of an inch on the shaft. I checked the torque, it was correct, so I removed the nut and lock washer, added to large washers, and put the lock and nut back on. Play is gone.

Yesterday I backed out some of the adjustment I did to the steering box and now it feels like it did before. I don't have to have a light touch on the steering wheel and any adjustments I make while driving are slight ones, where as before I may have to move the steering wheel 1/8 turn.

I didn't feel like I was going to hit anything, it was just weird having to do so much work driving down the road.

[muddeprived]

Hey mudd have you tried swapping tires left to right?

When i did my rotation, i did it in a "X" pattern and the pull was still there. Recently I did a direct side swap instead and the pull has been reduced alot. Since it changed from that swap, I'm strongly thinking it's a radial pull.

My steering has a little play in it where there's no reaction at the tires. It's been like that since I lifted it.

Have you replaced your steering box?

[Mudderoy]

Hey mudd have you tried swapping tires left to right?

When i did my rotation, i did it in a "X" pattern and the pull was still there. Recently I did a direct side swap instead and the pull has been reduced alot. Since it changed from that swap, I'm strongly thinking it's a radial pull.

My steering has a little play in it where there's no reaction at the tires. It's been like that since I lifted it.

Have you replaced your steering box?

The pull persists no matter what tire is where. They've been moved around many times, but thanks. (I need to change calipers, they are original.)

My steering was great after the lift, in fact I was surprised how easily I was able to turn it. I think part of it is the front bumper. There's a lot more metal that the steering box is bolted to now.

Nope, factory original steering box. 12 years old 160k+ miles.

[muddeprived]

The pull persists no matter what tire is where. They've been moved around many times, but thanks. (I need to change calipers, they are original.)

My steering was great after the lift, in fact I was surprised how easily I was able to turn it. I think part of it is the front bumper. There's a lot more metal that the steering box is bolted to now.

Nope, factory original steering box. 12 years old 160k+ miles.

Sometimes when pitman arms are swapped often, the splined portion of the shaft gets "crushed" a little and the pitman arm has to go up higher to fit tighter and that seemed to be your issue which required washers to get more thread contact with the nut.

See what happens with that caliper swap. Maybe that will eliminate the pull.

Do you remember when the pull started?

[Mudderoy]

Sometimes when pitman arms are swapped often, the splined portion of the shaft gets "crushed" a little and the pitman arm has to go up higher to fit tighter and that seemed to be your issue which required washers to get more thread contact with the nut.

See what happens with that caliper swap. Maybe that will eliminate the pull.

Do you remember when the pull started?

No, but it was after the lift and tires. I suspect that it was there before, and the larger heavier tires amplified the issue.

[muddeprived]

Anything odd on the alignment spec sheet?

[Mudderoy]

Anything odd on the alignment spec sheet?

Well not sure what you mean, but if you are talking about if they found anything strange during the alignment, no. The day that I had the lift installed, I went to the tire shop and had the wheels mounted to the tires, then on the Jeep. Then they moved it over to the alignment thingy and aligned it.

After replacing the wheeling bearing assembly I had it re-aligned.

Since replacing everything on the front end, it has NOT been aligned by a professional, just me.

[muddeprived]

Well when you go in for an alignment, you should request a print-out of the specs. You'll be able to tell if there's a difference in caster on each side and also see camber specs. Not all shops know how to adjust these and usually just adjust the toe-in when doing an alignment, unless it's a lift shop like 4wheel parts and places like that.

My dad's friend is a manager at Midas and I usually take it to him for alignments. Back when I had my TJ he aligned it and noticed caster was off, gave me the printed spec sheet, and said I would have to adjust it cuz he's not allowed to make adjustments to aftermarket lifts and such, only OEM.

[Mudderoy]

Well when you go in for an alignment, you should request a print-out of the specs. You'll be able to tell if there's a difference in caster on each side and also see camber specs. Not all shops know how to adjust these and usually just adjust the toe-in when doing an alignment.

Thanks! I will that makes perfect sense. After I've learned a few things here I'm going to ask several questions. I know they adjusted the lower control arms during the first alignment, which must be the caster adjustment. I wonder what they will do when they see all that NON-OEM front end parts!

[Mudderoy]

BigJim350 mentioned to me at the last Houston area meet and greet that he had the exact same problem with his steering and the solution was the same. Install washers and tighten up the nut holding the pitman arm to the steering box bolt.

I recently started having a problem with the steering again. I was CERTAIN the pitman arm wasn't the problem. Since I replace all but the knuckles I decided to tighten up all the tie rod ends. After doing so I started moving the pitman arm and DAMNED if it wasn't moving a little. Not as bad as before but still visibility moving. I torqued it to 200 foot pounds!

Steering is back to normal today. I suspect that the alignment needs to be checked. I get the feeling that it is wandering on the road and the lose steering was causing me to make bigger movements to correct the course. So I have probably only fixed half the problem.