06 Rubicon front end questions

Liv2Ryd

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
May 7, 2020
Messages
132
Location
Sutton MA
I recently bought this 06 Rubicon w 34K miles. It was used as a beach cruiser and has not seen any real off road action. I spent the better part of a week cleaning then painting the frame/undercarriage with Eastwoods rust encapsulator (great stuff) and hit the trails. So far its been a blast in the woods and very capable. My one issue is steering wander. I believe it has a Rubicon Express short arm kit (not sure if its 3.5 or 4.5, any way to tell?). I replaced the stock steering stabilizer with a rough country but didn't notice any major change. I re-centered the steering wheel by adjusting the drag link and lubed all the grease joints. Also checked all the bolts. I'm wondering if a steering kit upgrade might be the ticket and looking at a Currie setup. Since I'm new to the Jeep world, I'm hoping a few experts on this subject can weigh in. Thanks in advance and stay well

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First, check the front end alignment. If I recall correctly, it should be 1/16" to 1/8" toe in and it's really easy to adjust yourself. Next check the control arm bushings for cracks or dry rot. Even though your vehicle is low mileage, it is still 15 years old and some of these things are probably due for replacement. Also do a dry steering test. Have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth with the engine off and the vehicle stationary. Look at the linkages and note any movement that could indicate worn linkage parts.

I would check the three things I listed above and if you see no issues there, come back and we'll walk you through it.
 
Take it to an alignment shop, toe is not likely your issue but caster could be.
 
First thing is to do a dry test to confirm all points of the steering are tight. No wiggle, no mushy. Tight end links. If you find any then a 1 ton ZJ steering is all you need. The Currie is great, but the ZJ parts will do everything you need. Now be sure the steering wheel is 100% centered. Then set toe in to 1/16 to 1/8 inch. Confirm all ball joints and wheel bearings are good (should be with that mileage). If you still have problems your tire/rim may play into the equation.
 
I found the track bar end mounted to the frame was loose. Its much better now, steering is much tighter and wallow is significantly reduced. The dry steering test did the trick. I also centered the steering wheel by adjusting the drag link.

All I have to do now is figure out the intermittent clunk on the passenger side front area.
 
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