Loose stearing...WHY !!! ??

[generalleexj]

alright, i have a 2001 jeep cherokee limited 4x4 4.0
i have a 6" lift ( 4.5 springs with 2" spacer/shackle )

i have a rocky road outfitters adjustable track bar and the front axle is centered under my jeep. last week i replaced ALL the Tie rod ends which improved stearing but i have a lot of play in the wheel. its just kind of annoying. i have RE fixed lower control arms, and STOCK upper control arms, this EXACT set up come off of my 1989 cherokee and with that i also had a lot of play in the wheel. ive read alot about the drop pitman arm, but found that if i do that i also have to lower my track bar to make it parallel. so what is my best option for tightening up the play in my wheel??? thanks in advance , ive been searching alot but no exact anwsers yet.

 

[RCP Phx]

Get some adj uppers,your caster has to be horrible.
With that must caster your not "steering" the wheels your "rolling/tipping" them side to side,making it feel loose,cause of the amount of input required to get the tires to do something.
You may also want to look into a good trackbar at that lift.

 

[generalleexj]

i know i need uppers, but my question is would that fix the loose stearing???

 

[cal]

It could yes. With your caster that far off, your not steering from the 'front' of your wheels, but rather a ways up towards the 'top' of them, and it makes the steering wishy washy .. like driving on sand.

 

[xjj33p3r]

A stronger tie rod could also help a bit. It's not much, but it's noticable.

 

[jonboy]

last week i replaced ALL the Tie rod ends which improved stearing but i have a lot of play in the wheel.

My money says it's a worn steering box - how many miles on this thing?

 

[87manche]

My money says it's a worn steering box - how many miles on this thing?

or a worn out ragjoint in the steering shaft.
Get under the Jeep and ghrab the steering shaft with the wheels on the ground.
If the shaft moves side to side or up and down the bearing is shot.
If you can turn the shaft a bit and the pitman arm doesn't move the box is shot. For reference I can turn the shaft in my MJ less than a 1/4 turn, and my steering is tight feeling.
You can adjust the nut on the top of the box to set the backlash, but I don't know enouh about it to give instructions. Search for steering box backlash or some sort.

 

[offroadman83]

He needs drop brackets or long arms to properly correct this---------Kyle

 

[kubtastic]

If the steering is loose at any speed (including a stop), it's not caster. If it's tight at parking lot speeds but is bad otherwise, it is caster.
If it's not caster, best strategy would be to visually inspect the whole suspension while someone else steers the vehicle. Or have someone else look at it.

If it were caster, then this thing wouldn't get over 45 mph anyway. An 01's LP with the pinion pointed at the t-case with 6" of lift is going to just suck.

 

[generalleexj]

i already have drop brackets.

 

[txredxj]

all you can do is live with it. the pinion should be pretty level stock and that is were caster camber is set to. when you lift it the pinion is tilted up to correct drive line angles so the axis the wheels turn on is tilted back so your tire contacts on the sides when you turn, like a motor cycle.

 

[joecool]

Maybe I am misinterpreting what he said or maybe I'm just mistaken. I know that I have a dead spot in my steering, and I was under the impression that it was common once you lift your rig and still have the stock steering.

 

[kleake]

I'm at 4.5" lift, RE fixed uppers, adj. lowers, HD track bar and bracket, but all stock steering pieces, and I don't get any slack in my steering. It did feel like I had to move my wheel a little more to get the same amount of turn in a corner, but that has minimized as well once the new oils wore off my tires... New tread depth and new oils allowed the tire to push more than I was used to on the old tires before the lift... I think the best way to inspect is have someone turn the wheel back and forth while you look for loose parts underneath. Has found many issues on my other vehicles...