Hey all,
I have a new to me 2005 LJ Rubicon with 70,000km. Shes been used (and apparently abused) in her previous life (dented skid plate, exhaust, etc.). Its completely stock other than a new set of 265/75/16s and an alignment it got 2 weeks ago to replace its original 17 year old MTRs it came with. It has essentially sat for the last 10ish years, its had just over 1000km put on it since 2014.
Im currently in the middle of some steering issues. It will track straight down a road that is perfectly flat. However, if I need to turn while going around a corner, for the first 1-2 inches of steering wheel play it will turn slightly/slowly, then at a certain (and consistent point) the jeep feels like it veers hard to the side you are steering to. It happens when turning to either side, but it is definitely worse when turning left. It feels dangerous driving on most roads around here, as any turn that is being made while driving over a bump (we have terrible roads here) can result in the vehicle aggressively turning in the direction of the steer, possibly over the yellow line or onto the shoulder depending on the direction you're headed.
I've replaced the front track bar (Crown), both TREs (Mopar), the pitman arm side drag link end (Mopar), both front calipers and rubber brake lines, and the rear driver caliper. All OEM style parts
Ball joints are original, and while crusty they have no play at all. The Same goes for the hubs. The front axle ujoints feel a little loose but no excessive play.
There is an audible clunk when turning the wheel back and forth, and it can be felt when grabbing the Drag link/tie rod/steering shaft. This clunk is absent on my 2003 Sahara, and I suspect that this clunk it is the cause of my steering issues. The issue is that I'm not sure where this clunk could be coming from. All of the joints look tight, including the steering shaft. I'm suspecting the steering box itself may be the issue, but the vehicle only has 70,000km (whereas my sahara has 200k on its original steering box with no issues). Has anyone had similar issues/symptoms caused by a worn steering box?
I have a new to me 2005 LJ Rubicon with 70,000km. Shes been used (and apparently abused) in her previous life (dented skid plate, exhaust, etc.). Its completely stock other than a new set of 265/75/16s and an alignment it got 2 weeks ago to replace its original 17 year old MTRs it came with. It has essentially sat for the last 10ish years, its had just over 1000km put on it since 2014.
Im currently in the middle of some steering issues. It will track straight down a road that is perfectly flat. However, if I need to turn while going around a corner, for the first 1-2 inches of steering wheel play it will turn slightly/slowly, then at a certain (and consistent point) the jeep feels like it veers hard to the side you are steering to. It happens when turning to either side, but it is definitely worse when turning left. It feels dangerous driving on most roads around here, as any turn that is being made while driving over a bump (we have terrible roads here) can result in the vehicle aggressively turning in the direction of the steer, possibly over the yellow line or onto the shoulder depending on the direction you're headed.
I've replaced the front track bar (Crown), both TREs (Mopar), the pitman arm side drag link end (Mopar), both front calipers and rubber brake lines, and the rear driver caliper. All OEM style parts
Ball joints are original, and while crusty they have no play at all. The Same goes for the hubs. The front axle ujoints feel a little loose but no excessive play.
There is an audible clunk when turning the wheel back and forth, and it can be felt when grabbing the Drag link/tie rod/steering shaft. This clunk is absent on my 2003 Sahara, and I suspect that this clunk it is the cause of my steering issues. The issue is that I'm not sure where this clunk could be coming from. All of the joints look tight, including the steering shaft. I'm suspecting the steering box itself may be the issue, but the vehicle only has 70,000km (whereas my sahara has 200k on its original steering box with no issues). Has anyone had similar issues/symptoms caused by a worn steering box?