79 CJ-5 Manual Steering adjust?

[Tankstew]

I have the hereditary loose steering syndrome that I keep reading so much about. I have thought seriously about converting to power steering, but I've checked local junkyards and no cars older than 1990 to really be found right now to salvage steering box and pump and it seems that buying new is putting me up around $900. If someone has a better shopping list that would get me down closer to $500 in parts, then I'm in!!

However, in the meantime, I would like to eliminate the play in the steering. There is no lift on the jeep, original suspension and new 31" tires. At 65mph, the jeep tracks well. I did the inspection by turning the steering wheel and looking for the "loose parts". The shaft turns all the way into the inlet side of the steering box but no resultant movement out of the other side of the steering box through the "range of the play". That leads me to believe that I just need to adjust the box. Any tips on how to do that? I see a nut and screw on top of the box but people keep calling it a "hex" screw and from appearances it seems to just be a threaded screw with a slot in the top. If I can get this slop/play out, I think I can be happy for a while and maybe even go ahead and do the Yj Spring conversion and 2" spring lift instead of the power steering conversion.

My dad is the car guy and I'm just a wanna be. I can do basics, change spark plugs, oil, wires, etc, just not a lot of in depth experience besides watching my dad do those things years ago and of course I was distracted watching the bugs crawl around instead of holding the flashlight straight!! Point is, give me the layman's version on the adjustment tips!!

 

[Torxhead]

How to Adjust the Steering Box | eHow.com

 

[Tankstew]

Torx, thanks for pointing me to that ehow document, but it's a little muddy in it's description for my level. It talks about turning the steering shaft with a torque wrench but doesn't say which way. I've used torque wrenches in the past but they were typically socket style. Is this a different type? Also is it referring to the steering shaft coming into the box from the steering wheel? How far do I turn it?, where do I grasp it with a torque wrench? It states to use a wrench to turn the set screw but as I mentioned the only thing I see on the top of my steering box that looks like that is a nut with a threaded screw with a notch on top like it would be turned with a screw driver. Is that the set screw that I adjust?

Sorry to sound like an idiot but those directions sounded a little generic. In light of all that, does my description describe a situation where I will be able to remove that 2-3" of play from the steering wheel or am I better off buying a new/rebuilt steering box?

 

[Tankstew]

Oh, one other item, it mentions adjusting the setscrew to get 2 in-lbs of force. Is that supposed to be 2 ft-lbs? I'm looking for a torque wrench with that kind of accuracy and am finding it hard to find one. Sorry for the green behind the ears questions.

 

[Torxhead]

Those Saginaw boxes were an excellent for the CJ, any tire upgrade will make it pretty tough to steer especially in the rocks. By now they are usually tired and need replacing, and a power conversion would be great. A simpler way to do it would be to crank the screw in a 1/8 turn increments, then testing it. Torque wrenches come in inch pounds and foot pounds, 12 inch pounds equals one foot pound. You might also find an easier explaination on adjusting a manual box possibly in a Jeep related page. When you are having steering slop issues the steering box is the last thing that needs to be addressed.

 

[tarry99]

Oh, one other item, it mentions adjusting the setscrew to get 2 in-lbs of force. Is that supposed to be 2 ft-lbs? I'm looking for a torque wrench with that kind of accuracy and am finding it hard to find one. Sorry for the green behind the ears questions.

Tankstew

The adjustment nut you are referring to is only a "fine" adjustment that adds a little more pre-load to the recirulating ball bearing pack inside. The amount of gain normally is minimal unless the box is worn out and if it is then this fix is just temporary anyway.
I would continue to check all aspects of the steering system all the way to the wheel bearings.......tie rod ends, ball joints, etc.

 

[Tankstew]

Thanks for the input. I agree that the tie rods and other components may also have problems but when I did the visual test, turning the steering wheel, the steering shaft, bell coupling and shaft entering the steering box all turned in kind with the wheel. HOwever, through the range of "play", there was no resulting motion on the output shaft to the pitman arm. That's why I determined that most of the steering play was in the steering box.
I'm still planning to do the power steering upgrade but if I can get the play out of the steering I'd rather do the YJ spring upgrade and 2" bds lift first.

 

[tarry99]

Thanks for the input. I agree that the tie rods and other components may also have problems but when I did the visual test, turning the steering wheel, the steering shaft, bell coupling and shaft entering the steering box all turned in kind with the wheel. HOwever, through the range of "play", there was no resulting motion on the output shaft to the pitman arm. That's why I determined that most of the steering play was in the steering box.
I'm still planning to do the power steering upgrade but if I can get the play out of the steering I'd rather do the YJ spring upgrade and 2" bds lift first.

Tankstew,

You almost have to have someone in the seat turning the wheel and then another person watching the motion created downstream............From the steering wheel to the tires it does not take more than a little hear and there to be amplified to the point it seems extreme at the wheel. This can even be a suspension problem with worn bushings at the springs or shackles........