Hard steering after being in shop

A

Abrao865d

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Jun 5, 2020
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Las Vegas, NV
Had my Jeep in the shop for new gears, rear locker, 2” springs front and rear, rancho shocks. It went in and steering was easy. Now it is much harder to steer especially at slower speed. It had PS fluid no leaks that I can see. I wonder why the steering is so much harder now??

also I got home and I see dripping from the back what is that?

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Assuming that leak in the rear is fuel, was there any provisions made for filler neck/tube when they did the lift? Have you checked to see if there is PS fluid in the pump?
 
Yeah it doesn’t look or smell like fuel smells like gear oil but I’m wondering how it got up there and why it’s dripping from up there. This shop does not seem to do clean work...
 
Abrao865d said:
Yeah it doesn’t look or smell like fuel smells like gear oil but I’m wondering how it got up there and why it’s dripping from up there. This shop does not seem to do clean work...
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Dont be too surprised... like Fliver250 said, follow the breather tube. Also when my SYE seal blew I had fluid all over the bottom of my gas tank. Only located it by where the majority of the drips were in my garage.

Breather tube might be clogged or the diff overfilled.
 
ok so this is normal after a gear change then? nothing to worry about or have the shop do? still not sure why the power steering is so much harder to steer
 
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Let’s not forget... either way the hard steering doesn’t make sense for where fluid is being seen, at least not to my knowledge. Maybe if the new rear locker isn’t functioning correctly and is locked up?
 
Yeah definitely unrelated issues. So the locker seems to work fine I can't think of why the steering would be different cause the things I had worked on don't seem to be related at all
 
Check your steering A-Z. Start by checking the fluid and then visibly inspect your entire steering sector. I am not a guru, but I don't think the differential work or a 2" lift would ordinarily alter your steering dramatically. Look for areas where it might bind or hit something. Can you put jack stands under the axle housing and cycle the steering?
 
So, this may be hard to put in words, but does the steering problem feel like it is before the steering box (should be a bit rough feel that is slightly intermittent) or after the box, which should feel smooth but jus require more input from you? That should help narrow down the possibilities of what issue you have.
The steering will most likely be from the shock (very unlikely) or the spring install. If it feels smooth, but needs more input it is possible that the lift has affected your alignment and they didn't correct the toe in setting. Or the slight change in pinion angle from the lift is what you are feeling. That would be most evident in your steering wheel return to center.
 
Something kinda obvious... did the shop install a new steering stabilizer? My Fox stabilizer shock made a slight difference in steering wheel feel at low speeds.
 
Abrao865d said:
ok so this is normal after a gear change then? nothing to worry about or have the shop do? still not sure why the power steering is so much harder to steer
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No, not normal and not correct. The diff is probably overfilled. As stated, follow the vent line up from the axle housing and find out if we are correct.
 
Thanks for the help! I’ll look into the vent hose and see if that is it it sounds right. I have one more questions about the springs. The driver side (first pic) is not centered like the passenger side. Is this an issue?

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Abrao865d said:
Thanks for the help! I’ll look into the vent hose and see if that is it it sounds right. I have one more questions about the springs. The driver side (first pic) is not centered like the passenger side. Is this an issue?

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View attachment 172057
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Very common issue. The spring company missed the inner diameter of the pigtail on top of the spring and it won't center on the isolator correctly. Your choices are to make a centering ring or get the springs warrantied.
 
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mrblaine said:
Very common issue. The spring company missed the inner diameter of the pigtail on top of the spring and it won't center on the isolator correctly. Your choices are to make a centering ring or get the springs warrantied.
Click to expand...

Welp, there’s another thing I learned today...
 
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