Why is my steering so soft and 'sloppy'?

Rook

Rook

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Messages
116
Location
Kent, WA
I took my 2002 Jeep Wrangler on a road trip this past weekend. One of the things I noticed was that whenever I'd hit bumps in the highway the steering seemed to want to go all over the place and almost seemed 'sloppy' so to speak. In addition to that, it feels like I have super power steering or something, like the steering is so soft that it's actually annoying, particularly over bumps. Any idea what's going on and how I can fix this?

Also, I should mention I just recently added a 2.5" OME lift to my Jeep along with JKS adjustable track bars.
 
What you're referring to is called 'bump steer', it's pretty common among lifted vehicles and can typically happen due to a variety of reasons.

First and foremost I would ask if your lift was installed correctly. Secondly, I would ask you what your suspension components look like in terms of wear? For instance, do you know how many miles are on your ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.?

There's a lot of reasons bump steer can happen, and often times it has something to do with worn suspension components. However, one of the other major contributors to bump steer is incorrect toe-in settings on the front wheels. This is something that is commonly overlooked, but if your toe is off on your Jeep, that can play a huge role in bump steer.

I personally have driven with really bad toe settings and found that it drastically affects bump steer on my Wrangler.

So, assuming all of you suspension components are in good shape, I would check your toe settings (and alignment) and make sure they are spot on.
 
Chris said:
What you're referring to is called 'bump steer', it's pretty common among lifted vehicles and can typically happen due to a variety of reasons.

First and foremost I would ask if your lift was installed correctly. Secondly, I would ask you what your suspension components look like in terms of wear? For instance, do you know how many miles are on your ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.?

There's a lot of reasons bump steer can happen, and often times it has something to do with worn suspension components. However, one of the other major contributors to bump steer is incorrect toe-in settings on the front wheels. This is something that is commonly overlooked, but if your toe is off on your Jeep, that can play a huge role in bump steer.

I personally have driven with really bad toe settings and found that it drastically affects bump steer on my Wrangler.

So, assuming all of you suspension components are in good shape, I would check your toe settings (and alignment) and make sure they are spot on.
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I had all of my suspension bushings replaced at the same time as the lift. I had them do the ball joints and various other things as well. All of that stuff is pretty much brand new.

How can I check my toe in and my alignment? Is that something I need to take it to a shop for?
 
Rook said:
I had all of my suspension bushings replaced at the same time as the lift. I had them do the ball joints and various other things as well. All of that stuff is pretty much brand new.

How can I check my toe in and my alignment? Is that something I need to take it to a shop for?
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NO NO NO NO! Do not pay anyone to align your TJ or check the toe in. Assuming you're a mechanically inclined person it's ridiculously easy to align and set the toe in on a Wrangler yourself.

This was taken from another site I found:

Here's how to check and adjust your own toe-in that also includes how to center the steering wheel. Using the info in Basic Jeep Front End Alignment, set your toe-in so the fronts of the tires are 1/16" to 1/8" closer together in front than in the rear. This is done by loosening the clamps that hold the tie rod to the tie rod ends, then rotating the tie rod until you get the desired amount of toe-in.

If the tie rod is too tight to turn using pliers or vise grips, spray the ends with something like Liquid Wrench or PB-Blaster (no, WD-40 is not a suitable substitute) and use a pipe wrench on the tie rod to break it loose from where it is seized to the tie rod ends. Better yet, entirely remove the tie rod and put some Antiseize on its threads so it will never seize again.

For an easier and more repeatable way of measuring your toe-in than measuring between the tires, use a pair of 1" square aluminum tubes as in the below photos and use them to measure between. Center and hold the square tubes to the rotors with spring steel clamps after marking them at points equal to the diameter of your tires.

Using just a little care, your toe-in setting will be just as accurate as an alignment specialist can produce using an alignment rack. Plus you can be done in 5-15 minutes from start to finish, quicker than you can even drive to the alignment shop. Not to mention you can do this on your own for free vs. the $70-90 an alignment shop charges for something that is far easier to do than most people would ever guess.

This is all that an alignment shop can do to your t TJ, this is the sum extent of an alignment where a TJ is concerned. Neither your caster angle nor your camber angle is adjustable without aftermarket parts so without those, only your toe-in is adjustable. There is no real need to waste your $$$ by paying an alignment shop for an alignment since all they're going to do is set your toe-in and center your steering wheel. Both of which are too easy to do for anyone here to pay for.
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Again, this assumes that you're mechanically inclined. If you're not, you are probably better off taking it to an alignment shop and having them do it for you. If you are, then this should be very, very easy to follow.

Here's some photos to help:

AlignmentCombinedVertical.jpg
FrontEnd.jpg
 
Damn, @TJDave beat me to the punch (BTW nice first post man!)!

Just like TJDave said, if you're mechanically inclined it's easy to do yourself (I've done it many times). If not, take it to an alignment shop and they'll do it.

This is the first step I would take in the process of elimination. If it's not the alignment or toe-in, I would next start checking for worn or loose suspension components.

Last but not least, make 100% certain you don't have a pitman drop arm as that could contribute to bump steer big time.
 
Thanks everyone for the super fast and helpful responses.

I'm not a very mechanical person so I'll probably just take it to an alignment shop.
 
Rook said:
Thanks everyone for the super fast and helpful responses.

I'm not a very mechanical person so I'll probably just take it to an alignment shop.
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No problem! Always happy to help a fellow Wrangler owner!

Let us know what they find and if this resolves the issue!
 
KhakiKraken said:
i work at a tire and service shop, the list and instructions on this page are dead on.
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Ahhh, finally we get to hear from a guy who works at a tire service shop. I always wanted to ask one of you guys if these instructions were good ones. Sounds like they are!

I've used this method numerous times and I find that each time it aligns my TJ dead-on!
 
It will get the job done 99 % of the time. The only issue is if the thrust angle in the rear is off, then the jeep will dog walk but it wont wear tires. We can align to counteract that but like I said, dog walking wont wear tires. If you do crazy amounts of parts changing, I recommend an alignment at a shop, but after that you can do it at home pretty easy.
 
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KhakiKraken said:
It will get the job done 99 % of the time. The only issue is if the thrust angle in the rear is off, then the jeep will dog walk but it wont wear tires. We can align to counteract that but like I said, dog walking wont wear tires. If you do crazy amounts of parts changing, I recommend an alignment at a shop, but after that you can do it at home pretty easy.
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Is there any easy way to adjust that thrust angle in the rear, or is that one of those things you need machines for?

I remember when I used to have an E46 M3. I attempted to align that thing myself and I just said screw it... Way more complicated than aligning something as simple as a Wrangler!
 
KhakiKraken said:
It will get the job done 99 % of the time. The only issue is if the thrust angle in the rear is off, then the jeep will dog walk but it wont wear tires. We can align to counteract that but like I said, dog walking wont wear tires. If you do crazy amounts of parts changing, I recommend an alignment at a shop, but after that you can do it at home pretty easy.
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Very helpful into @KhakiKraken!
 
You can measure it at home but like I said I recommend going to a shop to get it done right the first time. After that you can keep it pretty good using the method described above after a wheeling trip so that you don't destroy a set of tires.
 
KhakiKraken said:
You can measure it at home but like I said I recommend going to a shop to get it done right the first time. After that you can keep it pretty good using the method described above after a wheeling trip so that you don't destroy a set of tires.
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Good to know! It's very easy to do at home as well, I've done in numerous times. One time my toe was so off in the front that it was causing major bump steer, just like the OP is describing. I made the foolish mistake of trying to set the toe-in while the vehicle was on four jack stands with the front axle completely sagging... Stupid me!
 
Well everyone, I took it in (since I'm not that mechanically inclined) to a reputable shop and it turns out my toe was off by a substantial amount!

They adjusted everything for me and aligned it. I drove it immediately after and I can tell you that all of the softness and slop in my steering is completely gone!

Thanks for everyones help
 
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Maybe a stupid question, but how do you ensure that the wheels are 100% straight when aligning at home. It seems that it would be really easy to be an 1/8 off from center.
 
Hcwlsu101 said:
Maybe a stupid question, but how do you ensure that the wheels are 100% straight when aligning at home. It seems that it would be really easy to be an 1/8 off from center.
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Just drive the Jeep up & down a short distance a couple times in the garage or driveway, they will be straight enough for the toe-in setting. What you're looking for is that the fronts of the tires are 1/16" to 1/8" closer together than they are in the front. Follow the directions in post #4 above, the information included "from another site" are what I wrote years ago. :)
 
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We have a guy who sells basically clean 4.0 tjs in Alabama...I occasionally stop in and drive a few.

Every one drives different . Most bad.

Why? There is no end to the way folks screw these up, that's why.

In addition to the neglect and beating they often take , assorted and hybrid lifts , and endless combinations of mods, they are all over the place as far as steering performance ( often literally )

TJs really can drive really well if set up right. I'm a true believer.

I think one issue is the era of production, shop turnover and diffusion of lift and set up knowledge out there.

You can't group them with full size trucks, imports or anything else really .. Jeeps have their own unique requirements.

Congratulations on getting it right.
 
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