Troubleshooting & Correcting your Steering

Troubleshooting & Correcting your Steering

TDHofstetter

Prefers carburetors & points
Posts
1,003
Thanks
4
Location
Bradford, Vermont
Vehicle(s)
'73 CJ5 232/T14/D20/D30/D44,

'74 CJ5 Renegade 304/T15/D20/D30/D44,

'85 CJ7 258/T5/D300/D30/AMC20,

(Not CJ: '68 M715 230/T98/NP200/D60/D70)
When you're not satisfied with the steering in your Jeep, these are the steps you need to take to find & correct the problem(s).

Step 1 - find and correct any worn or damaged parts.

Begin with the rear suspension. Rear suspension issues can cause nearly as many steering problems as front suspension issues, although they're not usually as dramatic as front suspension issues.

Closely examine all four rear spring bushings and both sets of rear spring shackles for wear or looseness. If you have two-leaf shackles instead of single-u-bolt shackles, be sure the shackles don't lean to either side. If they lean, they're too loose; when you're steering, they'll lean from side to side, allowing your Jeep to fishtail, sway, crabwalk, and oversteer. Correct any worn or loose bushings or shackles.

While you're under the rear, it's a good idea to inspect your rear shock mounts, too.

We can put the rear suspension fully out of our minds now and concentrate fully on the front, where we have much more to do.

Carefully inspect all four front spring bushings, both sets of spring shackles, and the front shock mounts. Correct any worn or loose parts.

With all four wheels on the ground, wrap your hand around the connection between the drag link and the pitman arm on the steering gear. Have a helper turn the steering wheel vigorously from side to side while you feel for looseness in that joint. Your sense of touch is far more sensitive to movement than your eyes are, so it's important to use your hand. You're feeling for movement in the pitman arm that's not matched by an equal movement in the drag link. If you feel any discrepancy, replace the drag link end.

Drag Link Pitman Arm.jpg
(Drag link to Pitman arm)

Check the other end of the drag link, where it connects to the steering arm on the knuckle, exactly the same way - by feeling the joint while a helper turns the steering wheel from side to side.


Tie Rod Drag Link.jpg
(Drag link and right tie rod end at steering arm)

Repeat the test for both tie rod ends.

Tie Rod End R.jpg
(Checking the right tie rod end)

With a jack under the right side of the axle, raise the right front wheel until it's clear of the ground. This permits the steering knuckle to hang loosely from the ball joints. Wrap your hand around each of the ball joints and feel for movement while a helper pries the wheel upwards with a length of 2x4 or any similar lever. You should feel the very slightest of play there, but only barely enough to feel. If you feel a noticeable amount of play, replace the loose ball joint(s).

Ball Joint Bottom.jpg

Ball Joint Top.jpg
(Checking ball joints)

While that wheel is in the air, place your hands at the top (12:00 position) and bottom (6:00 position) and tip the wheel in (towards the engine) and out (away from the engine) at the top and bottom, as if you were trying to pry the wheel off the hub. Here too you should feel a small amount of play - that's slack in the front wheel bearings - but if you feel any significant play, you may need to adjust or replace the wheel bearings.

Lower the right-front wheel, raise the left-front wheel, and repeat the ball-joint and wheel-bearing tests on that wheel.

Right now would be a good time to grease every greasable joint you've just tested with a high-quality grease - both ends of the drag link, both ends of the tie rod, and all four ball joints. Be sure to wipe each boot clean after greasing; abrasive dust can mix with the grease and badly wear the boots.

Last, check for looseness at the steering gear itself - with all four wheels on the ground, bridge the gap between your steering gear and the frame with your hand. While a helper turns the steering wheel vigorously from side to side, feel for flex in the steering gear. If you feel ANY flex, closely examine the steering gear mounts. Look for loose bolts, missing rivets, or cracking of the frame.

Steering Looseness.jpg
(Checking steering gear flex)


Step 2 - Adjustments

Note that NONE of the following adjustments can be properly made until ALL worn or loose suspension parts have been taken care of.

A complete wheel alignment includes three settings: Caster, camber, and toe-in.

Camber cannot be changed on a 4WD Jeep; it's built into the steering knuckles.

Caster is controlled by the "roll" of the front axle. If the driveshaft yoke doesn't point exactly toward the yoke in the rear axle, the caster won't be at the correct angle. A very common cause of incorrect yoke angle, and the consequent incorrect caster angle, is the use of lift shackles for the front springs without compensating with wedges on the spring perches.

Check your yoke angle with a small level, or with a cheap drafting protactor and a plumb bob. The best way I know to check the angle is to start with the Jeep parked on known-level ground. If you're not sure how level the ground is, lay two short lengths of 2x4 on the ground at the front and rear wheels. Lay a 10' length of 2x4 on the two short lengths, so it's suspended a little off the ground. Lay it vertically on edge instead of horizontally; it's much stiffer if it's on edge. Lay a framing level on the long 2x4.

If the ground isn't quite level, select the highest wheel and block the other three wheels up with small pieces of 1x4 or 2x4 until the wheels are all level with each other.

Now remove the front u-joint in the front axle. Wrap it with electrical tape to keep the bearing caps in place and set it off to the side. Turn the yoke in the differential until one u-joint journal is directly above the other; this provides you an excellent reference surface to measure against.

Lay a small (torpedo) level across the flat surfaces of the yoke. It should be completely plumb, with the bubble exactly in the center of its vial. If it's not, you'll need to either remove the long lift shackles (if you have them) or insert caster-correction wedges between the springs and the spring perches; you can buy them in several different angles of correction.

Yoke Front.jpg
(Checking yoke angle)

Toe-In/Out, the third and last part of front wheel alignment (and the only part that some alignment shops will do), is controlled by the tie rod.

Raise both front wheels and support both ends of the axle on sturdy jack stands. They must not be on the ground while you're making any of the following adjustments.

Get two yardsticks (or two slender lengths of some material similar to yardsticks, each about three feet long) and some sort of clamp. Clamp them together to make one long stick roughly 48" long, with the two sticks overlapping in the middle. Touch one to the sidewall of the right-side tire, as high as you can get, ahead of the steering knuckle. Adjust the clamp(s) until the other stick can touch a similar part of the sidewall of the left-side tire, as high as possible, ahead of the steering knuckle. The two sticks should both barely touch the sidewalls, with very little pressure. Remove the stick and make a mark where they overlap.

Toe-in Stick.jpg
(Toe-in stick)

Toe-in Front.jpg
(Toe in at front of tires)

Now do the same at the rear of both tires, again as high as possible, but behind the steering knuckles. Remove the stick and make another mark where they now overlap.
Toe-in Rear.jpg
(Toe in at rear of tires)

The measurement at the rear (the distance between sidewalls behind the knuckle) should be just about 1/8" GREATER than the measurement at the front. If they're equal, you have "zero toe". If the front measurement is greater than the rear, you have a toe-out condition. If the rear measurement is more than 3/16" greater than the front, you have excessive toe-in. Zero toe, toe-out, or excessive toe-in can cause not only excessive tire wear, but also unpredictable steering.

Toe-in/out is corrected by loosening the clamps at both ends of the tie rod and rotating the body of the tie rod - one way to lengthen it (if toe-in is excessive) and the other way to shorten it (if you have zero toe or tow-out). Make any adjustments gradually; one full turn of the tie rod will give you about 1/4" of total toe-in/out adjustment. When you're finished adjusting and remeasuring, tighten the clamps at both ends of the tie rod again.
Toe Out R.jpg
(Toe-out condition - WEARS TIRES FAST!)

Toe Right.JPG
(Toe-in, correct)

The drag link needs to be adjusted next - only after the toe-in has been checked & adjusted as necessary. You'll need the front wheels to still be raised for this adjustment.

Turn the steering wheel as far to the left as it will go and note its position (1:00, 4:00, 9:00, etc). Now turn it as far to the right as it will go, counting complete turns and one partial turn at the end, and note its position again. Turn it back to the left exactly half as many full turns plus half of that last partial turn, stopping when it's pointing exactly halfway between the full-left position and the full-right position. Your steering gear is now exactly centered between the stops, and your front tires should be pointing straight ahead (disregarding toe-in). At this point, the steering wheel's position is totally meaningless - you'll adjust that next, after the drag link is adjusted.

Steering Wheel 7.00.jpg
(Example wheel ending left at 7:00)
Steering Wheel 4.00.jpg
(Example wheel ending right at 4:00)
Steering Wheel 10.00.jpg
(Example centered about 10:30)

From the front or rear of the Jeep, sight along the outside surfaces of the tires. If you're working from the rear as I like to, you'll be sighting along both sidewalls of the rear tires, looking at the rear of the front tires. You should not be able to see the front sidewall of either front tire (because of toe-in), only the rear sidewall. It's easy to see whether the wheels are pointing straight ahead or not - the two sides should look like exact mirror images of each other.

Drag Link Pitman Arm.jpg
(Example drag link out of adjustment)

If your front wheels are not pointing straight ahead, adjust your drag link until they are. It's adjusted the same way as the tie rod is adjusted, although the adjusting sleeve is much shorter. Your adjusting sleeve may be at either end of the drag link - mine is next to the steering box. Loosen both clamps and rotate the adjusting sleeve one way to loosen it (steering both wheels further to the right) and the other way to tighten it (steering both wheels to the left). When the front wheels are pointing straight ahead with the steering gear centered, tighten both clamps again.

Drag Link Adjustment.jpg
(Example correctly adjusted drag link, gear centered)

After the drag link is adjusted, you can adjust the steering wheel. It should still be in the "steering gear center" position. If the steering wheel isn't now pointing straight ahead, correct it by pulling it off the steering shaft with a steering wheel puller and reinstalling it in the new position, pointing straight ahead. DO NOT just "correct" the steering wheel's position by adjusting the drag link! If you do, the steering can't work correctly. By design, the steering gear is slightly tighter in the center position than it is to either side of center. If the drag link isn't adjusted correctly, your steering will tend to pull to one side or the other, and will be slightly harder to steer one way or the other. For your steering to be RIGHT, you MUST adjust both the drag link and the steering wheel's position until they're both in agreement with the steering gear.

Last, you'll adjust the steering gear itself. Two adjustments can be made to some Jeeps - worm bearing preload and the Pitman shaft (overcenter) preload - but some Jeeps don't have any worm bearing preload adjustment. Ideally, both these adjustments will be done with the Pitman arm removed.

At the end of the steering gear, exactly opposite the steering column, there may be a very large jamnut surrounding a very large screw or bolt head. If you have that nut and bolt head, you have adjustable worm bearing preload. If not, it's not adjustable... but it may not need adjustment anyway so don't loosen it unless it needs adjustment. If you do decide to adjust it, mark the exact orientation of the Pitman arm on its shaft and remove the Pitman arm.

Gear Adjustable.jpg
(Adjustable worm bearing preload)

Gear Nonadjustable.jpg
(Non-adjustable worm bearing preload)

Turn the steering wheel all the way either left or right as far as it will go without forcing it. Turn it back the other way 1/2 turn and stop. Remove the horn cover and fit a socket onto the steering wheel nut. Turn the wheel 1/4 turn either way with a small torque wrench. If the Pitman arm is removed, it should take 5 to 8 inch-pounds (NOT FOOT-POUNDS) of torque to turn the wheel that quarter-turn. If the Pitman arm isn't removed, it should take somewhat more - perhaps 16 to 20 inch-pounds - because you're also turning both front wheels. If in doubt, leave it as it is. If you decide to adjust it, and your Pitman arm has been removed, loosen the big locknut and turn the adjusting screw or bolt clockwise to tighten the preload or counterclockwise to loosen it. Tighten the locknut again, to 90 foot-pounds torque, and check the preload torque again.

Whether or not you've adjusted the worm bearing preload, you may now adjust the overcenter torque. If you adjusted the worm bearing torque, you MUST now adjust the overcenter torque. In the top of the steering gear, accessible through a hole in the front crossmember, is a jamnut surrounding a screw. That screw controls the preload pressure between the ball worm (on the steering column) and the ball nut internally attached to the sector gear (on the Pitman arm). Turning the screw inward (clockwise) tightens the lash and the steering. To check and adjust the overcenter torque, turn the steering wheel back to the steering gear center (so the wheels are pointing straight ahead, if the Pitman arm is still in place, or if it's not, find center by counting turns). Turn it 1/2-turn either direction of center. Use a small torque wrench on the steering wheel nut. Turning the steering wheel back past the center position should require between 9 and 18 inch-pounds of torque with the Pitman arm removed, and a bit more - perhaps 24 to 36 inch-pounds - with the Pitman arm in place. If an adjustment is needed, loosen the jamnut on the top of the steering gear and make the adjustment with the screw it holds in place. Turn the screw clockwise to tighten the overcenter torque, counterclockwise to loosen it. Tighten the jamnut to 25 foot-pounds of torque and doublecheck your overcenter torque.

Steering Adjustment 2.jpg
(Overcenter adjustment screw and jamnut)

If you removed the Pitman arm, put it back now - in exactly the position you marked when you removed it - and tighten its nut to 185 foot-pounds of torque. Stake the shaft threads in one spot with a punch or chisel so the nut can't possibly work its way off accidentally. Put the horn button back on.

Step 3 - Tires

Finally, look to your tires. They should all be matched by brand, model, and size. At the very least, they should all be the same size and have exactly the same number of plies in the tread and sidewall, AND those plies should all be the same material (steel and polyester plies are NOT a good match) in all the tires. The tire pressure should be the same in all four wheels.


Other documents worth reading.
 

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Great post and should help a lot of people here, thanks for the effort.
 
I learned a lot of new things off this post. Well thought out, well written (in english for a change, no need for a translator! :woohoo: ) and backed up by good photography skills!
Thank you for this post! :ty:
 
Thank you for this post. It is extremely helpful and unbelievably well written. I feel very confident now, that I will be able to diagnose and repair my CJ's steering issues now.
 
Excelent post.
I have a question or two on the actuater preload adjustment.
The torque measurment, with the pitman arm on, is with the wheels off the ground??

Please confirm that there is a sugnificant difference in the steering torque between the center and near-lock position? The difference between 5-8 and 9-18 inch pounds.
 
Excelent post.
I have a question or two on the actuater preload adjustment.
The torque measurment, with the pitman arm on, is with the wheels off the ground??

Please confirm that there is a sugnificant difference in the steering torque between the center and near-lock position? The difference between 5-8 and 9-18 inch pounds.

The preloads should all be done with either the front wheels off the ground (Pitman arm intact) or the Pitman arm disconnected.

There is a definite difference between the torque at center and the torque at near-lock. At center, the steering should be significantly stiffer.
 
I'm having an issue with my steering, I think. Around 60 and above, it feels like it wants to wander. I just had it at the alignment shop and they told me it was within specs. They told me my tire pressure was a little high, 40 lbs., they brought it down to 32. They also said my steering gearbox was a little loose. I'm not sure on that because the steering wheel only turns about an eight of a turn from center either way. Now I know my steering shaft is a little loose. Any thoughts on this? Perhaps the steering stabilizer (the horizontal shock in the front)?
 
The stabilizer won't help much (if at all) with wander. Now... the Jeep is GOING to wander a little, since it has such a short wheelbase (CJ5s are more so, but I like to think of that as "nimble").

If it feels like it's wandering more than you think can be accounted for by the steering looseness you know of, doublecheck the alignment shop's work yourself (it's a Jeep thing). It's easy to do. While you're on your back already getting dirty, this'd be a very good time to doublecheck the condition of your pivot bushings & shackle bushings, too.

All my last experiences with alignment shops have been pretty disappointing - not a one really knew or cared very much about the customer's alignment.

What've you got for tires? Size, ply type, number of plies tread & sidewall? That info will all be embossed on each tire, in small characters right around the rim of the wheel. Are your lug nuts all tight? How are your wheel bearings? Tie rod ends? Ball joints? Drag link ends?
 
Tires are BFG 33x12.50x15. All of the components, tie-rod ends, ball joints, etc. are good. The shop did tell me my bearings were a little loose, which I saw when they had it jacked up on the rack. I've had this going on for awhile. I changed the bearings about 6 months ago. I guess I'll need to tighten them or better yet, get a new set (they're inexpensive). But when I changed the bearing before, it didn't make any difference. I have a 3 inch suspension lift on this, at least that's what it appears to be. Installed by the PO.

I was standing in the shop when they had it on the rack and saw the alignment myself. Everything did show within specifications. I thought it may be the caster when I took it in to have it checked.

I've been under and checked everything myself. It all seems to be in pretty good shape (doublecheck the condition of your pivot bushings & shackle bushings, too.).

I had an 86 CJ7 about 10 years ago. It didn't wander at all. It didn't have a suspension lift, just a body lift. But I didn't have a problem driving it anyplace, at any speed. As a matter of fact I got a ticket driving back from West Virginia one time 75 in a 55. I didn't even realize I was going 75.

I'll address the bearing issue, then install a new steering shaft. See what that does.
 
nitor, how long are your shackels.
 
My front shackles are 5 1/2 inches from top to bottom, from above the top grease fitting to below the bottom fitting.

These are pictures of the front and rear of the front spring.

IMG00047-20100413-1221.jpg
IMG00048-20100413-1222.jpg
 
Love your post it very helpful but i do have to dissagree with one part (Camber cannot be changed on a 4WD Jeep; it's built into the steering knuckles.)
I beleive this is not completely true . If you remove the ball joint from the mounts in the axle tube there is a screw in ajuster or shim that will ajust the caster camber . Tho i dont have the ability to correctly do so. I do know it can be done . That being said i agree that most shops wont do it . But there are a few around my area that will and do. Thats how i know it can be done and i have replaced the screw in shim several times in my jeep when putting a new ball joint in . No offence intended you posts are great love the reading PS my jeep is a 81 so i wouldnt know if the older ones have it but i know that mine does
 
great pic and is exactly what i was lookin for but u seem to know your stuff about this so my rear axle just keeps snapping and i know i need to move my axle up but with that said i dont know how far to go. and will it help the road walking? because thats pretty bad
 
When you say your rear axle "keeps snapping", do you mean... that it makes a clacking sound, or do you mean you've broken an axle shaft more than once? If you've repeatedly broken axle shafts, ya don't suppose it might have something to do with all the torque you get out of that hot 401, do you? That's a lot of motor for a small axle, especially if you stick your foot in it a lot (which you probably do, 'cause I might).

What do you mean by "I need to move my axle up"? Do you mean you need to shift it forward (because for some reason it's too far rearward), or do you mean you need to lower the Jeep because your lift is too high, or do you mean you need to rotate the axle to get it back into a sensible alignment with the transfer case?

How are your shocks? Are they good enough to kill skipping on washboard roads? It's got nothing to do with how long they are, or how much travel they have, or what brand & model they are, or how new they are... it's got everything to do with how well they damp the axles' motion. If they're not damping well, you're likely to break axle shafts on washboard roads if you have a lot of horsepower; that's from shock loading. You hit the crest of a washboard and your axle goes airborne for a moment - it speeds up dramatically. You land, and the axle is forced to slow down dramatically. That speed-slow shock is REALLY HARD on axles.
 
yeah that 401 has plenty of hp and torque however it seems to do it no matter if im on it or not. I also failed to say that my rear u joint going to the axle also snaps three times as much as an axle breaking but i checked my angles today and they seem ok as far as i can tell but if with my u joints snapping like that and my axle some to leads me to say my angle or my full posi trac. I would agree on the power however i put 2 new axles in and went 2 blocks without ever getting on it and my u joint and axle both snapped so something else has to be out of wack. thanks for any help
 
Good GRAVY - two blocks on new metal & you broke stuff up that bad without romping? Something's AWFUL.

Now - your u-joint. Have you got a crazy lift in that thing so the drive shafts are tilted to some amazing angle? That can eat u-joints like crazy. Another thing that can do it is too long a drive shaft, or one that's been welded at the slip joint so it can't telescope. It MUST telescope without bottoming, even when the suspension's fully bottomed out.

Can ya toss us a couple pics of what you have under there? Side view, and one peeking up underneath?
 
i would like to give you some pics unfortually its at my barn and im away for college. i am just trying to figure out on what i need to plan on doing it. i have a 8" lift. it seems like my tranny have been dropped 1 1/2 inchs down but maybe the angle could still be off? whats the most accurate and simple way to know if my pitch angle is correct? and it still does have a stock driveline that doesnt seem to push in or out any. it looks like it supposed to but i tried it and nothing moves. and more ideas? sorry your probably getting worn out talkin about my problems
 
Na - peoples' PROBLEMS are what I LIVE for! :) :) :)

I sure don't like the sound of that driveshaft not telescoping like it should - if it was mine & I didn't think it was telescoping, it wouldn't be fifteen minutes before I'd have it outta' there & finding out why - it might be full of crud inside, or rusted solid inside, or some wise guy might have thought he was being smart by welding it in two or three spots around the spline. That can't be tolerated - it NEEDS to telescope or it'll continue to break stuff. Maybe more expensive stuff next time.

To check your alignment... the simplest thing to do is to get a little pocket-sized torpedo level. Park the Jeep on a level surface - you know it's level 'cause the Jeep doesn't want to roll anywhere in neutral. Unbolt both ends of each driveshaft. Lay the torpedo level across the u-joint yoke on the differential, with the level standing vertical as if you were checking a door for plumb. You may need to rotate the yoke a little by pushing the Jeep a short distance until the two ends of the yoke are straight up & down so you can get a good reading. The little bubble at the top of the torpedo level should show exactly LEVEL. Do the same at the other differential.

Now repeat the same level-checking at the transfer case - both front & rear. They should show exactly level, too.

An 8" lift is quite a lot - really QUITE a lot. That cramps the u-joints badly, since the driveshafts are tilted to a pretty steep angle, and as long as it's lifted like that the u-joints WILL be weak spots. The steeper the angle at each u-joint, the greater the mechanical strain it sees under load.

It's like... pick up a D-handle shovel sometime at the hardware store. Dangle it straight down, holding it only by the D-handle. Twist your wrist back & forth to spin the shovel. No problem, right? Now hold your arm straight out in front of you with your wrist straight... with the shovel still hanging down from your hand. Try twisting your wrist to spin the shovel NOW. Hurts like HECK, and it's really hard to get the shovel to spin now. That's exactly what your u-joints go through when the driveshafts are at a steep angle like that... because of the high lift. Yeah, you've got a lot of ground clearance... but it doesn't come for free... and all that lift will also make it handle funny at speed on hard, dry pavement. Like a crop sprayer truck... :) :) :)
 
well thanks for all the critisim but im not quite understanding you checking the angle with a level. do u set it up an the joke on the rear end and with the leval verticle or horizontal? if i moved it to level wont that make my final angle from the drivelive sit in worse of an angle or does the angle matter acording to the driveshart? or just on the jokes?
 

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