Steering is very loose
Steering is very loose
- Thread starter Schumm1
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Techlight
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- California desert
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- 1984 CJ7: 4.2l i6 (mild cam), Team Rush, Howell TBI, T5, D300, D30-front, AMC20-rear, 33/10.5/15 BFG A/T's........................
1964 Kaiser CJ5 (sold),
1960 Willy's CJ5 (sold)
My steering issues on my 84 ended up being multiple things: wheel bearings, bushings, steering coupler, and shocks. I'm sure someone knowledgeable will come along in a few. In the meantime you can peruse the link below, since invariably they'll start talking about what's listed in it (it's from the technical section of this forum)
Good luck with it...post back when you get it figured out
http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f99/troubleshooting-correcting-your-steering-4106/
Good luck with it...post back when you get it figured out
http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f99/troubleshooting-correcting-your-steering-4106/
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- Springfield, Missouri-U.S.A. Earth
- Vehicle(s)
- '85 CJ-7, 258/4.2L 6cyl. Bought new in 1985. Full cage, Warn 8274 winch, Ford 9" rear, front/rear Detroit Lockers w/4:88 R&P. T-5 tranny and 4:1 t'case. 33X12.50-15 BFG/AT, MSD ign, on board air---
Very good info in that link.
LG
LG
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- 1965 CJ-5 Buick V6 Ford T-18 4-Speed Spicer 20/18,Warn Overdrive Dana 30 & 44 w/Powr-Lok posi / both,4.27 gears 33" tires.
Does it still have the original Ross steering gear box ( mounted just forward of the firewall between the frame and engine?) and bell crank under the front cross member?
That steering box and related components can all be rebuilt and many folks still like and use them to this day.......the problem is that steering is 1940's technology and has many metal to metal moving parts that wear out and require constant maintenance. And, I'm sure you have already noticed the muscle force required to steer one of those.
Adding a later Saginaw Power steering gear box to that Jeep is common upgrade and has been covered in many Jeep writings for several decades dating back into the 1970's.
Basically the later Saginaw GM gear box gets mounted forward of that front cross member on the drivers side frame rail......your old column has to be cut up and removed from the old gear box , a series of at least 2 u-joints and collapsible double d style steering shaft transmits the steering motion forward to the new gear box.......a pittman arm then transmits steering via the drag link to the passengers side spindle and a new tie rod completes the process........Been done thousands of times to early Jeeps.
The new steering system mirrors what AMC / Jeep did in the mid to late seventy's and beyond to all of the Jeeps once they bought Willys in the early seventies ........that same system is still in play today in many modern vehicles.
Rebuild or Upgrade?
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- Pittsboro, NC
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- 1981 CJ5/258 4.2L I6, Tremec T-176 4-speed, Dana 300, Power Steering, Howell Throttle Body Injection System, Warn Locking Hubs, Warn Rock Crawler front/rear bumper with Tire Swing Carrier, Full Roll Cage, Pro Comp ES9000 shocks
I had the exact same problem with my 81 CJ5 . At the time, I had people telling me I needed to spend hundreds on a new Steering Column and/or Box.
I finally found someone who knew CJ's, and he told me there are a couple bolts in the steering column that got loosened up. Not being an expert, I had a shop disassemble the upper column assembly and tighten down the bolts. It took a couple hours, and about $AMC 150 worth of labor. After that, everything worked great.
Before you start replacing steering boxes and columns, you may want to have someone check if it's just a loose bolt. Good Luck!
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c80cj7
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- 1980 CJ7 258ci, T5, Mickey Thompson rims/<-BAD WORD-> Cepek tires.
My 1980 CJ had same issue. Read where I had to adjust steering coupler, bearings, steering box etc. Was at dealer getting inspected, inspector was CJ7 Fanatic, showed me my issue in 10 seconds. Have someone hold the steering shaft(below the knuckle that attaches steering wheel to shaft, in engine bay by firewall) , and you turn the wheel. See if there is play. Mine had half inch play, bought new streering shaft, tighter than my newer cars.
Not saying this is your problem, as I could be anything, but worth a look.
Not saying this is your problem, as I could be anything, but worth a look.
ksouthw80
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- 1978 CJ7.304, t150,D20 w/teralow- twin stick, dana 30/AMC20. 35 sst's on procomp wheels.
I agree with c80cj7, If I had to pick a starting point all over again, I'd start with shaft and then tackle the rest of front steering points. I did it completely opposite of what I just said and once I put the shaft on it made the big difference. As usual it can be ALL of the many factors, but start with the shaft, at least you'll feel better about driving it. Be careful tho, If I had known what all was wrong with mine, I would have never drove it home when I bought it, at night...