Massive Steering Play

[Norseman]

Hey everyone. I just picked up an 86 CJ with manual steering. Only issue I have is some serious play in my steering wheel, about 6-8" of play. When I move the wheel back and forth, the shaft moves with the wheel of course, but at the bottom of the steering box it only moves a bit, and everythign else seems tight. Also, after driving it home, about 50 miles or so, the box was leaking out the bottom. Could this be as simple as swapping out the box with a new one? I have a line on a saginaw box, a new one, but before I do i'd like to be fairly sure that it'll fix the problem.

Thanks!

 

[73CJ]

If the ujoints are tight and the steering box input shaft is moving with the steering shaft, then it sounds like the box. Have someone crank the wheel back and forth while you are watching the box input and outputs.

 

[DHugg]

Hey everyone. I just picked up an 86 CJ with manual steering. Only issue I have is some serious play in my steering wheel, about 6-8" of play. Could this be as simple as swapping out the box with a new one?

Thanks!

The steering wandering on my '80 CJ7 was and is a combination, not one single fix to clear it up.

The OEM steering box mount is trash, and mine was bending under strain like a willow. The spring shackles were twisting. The steering shaft had rusted-out knuckle sleeves. The tierod ends are sloppy-worn. Based on how the frontend likes to dart downhill when moving across a crown in the road, I believe the bearings and other wheel-mounting hardware needs replacement. The only other culprit I know, the steering column, seems to be in OK shape.

There are some very good links "stickie'd" as headings on this forum to lead you through trouble-shooting sloppy steering. One thing I've learned in two years with this CJ - To ASSUME does exactly what the rest of this quotation says it does.