2 O'clock Steering Wheel

[Dutch]

During another off-road adventure my GW got slammed hard from a diagonal direction (deep ruts frozen in the mud). After inspection there is no damage except that my steering wheel now faces 2 o'clock. The alignment is fine and everything tracks straight. Do I need to pull the steering wheel or is there another fix to bring it back to center?

Dutch

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360 Bored and Smoked
Edlebrock Carb, Cam, Covers and Manifold (They have a line item on my pay-stub).
K&N, MSD, Taylor, American Racing,
Goodrich, blah, blah, blah...Way to many stickers (for my wifes taste)

[lanierboy]

My steering wheel is off center from the 4" lift I just installed. I'm not sure what to do to line it back up. Any words of wizdom helps here also!

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1987 GW "Christine"
AMC360 / NP229 / TF727
Holley Projection 2bbl
TFI Ignition upgrade
Skyjacker 4" Spring lift
GY Workhorse 31/10.5

[Mopar4ever420]

That sucks. Ask Brian, this happened to his truck back in March, i think when he slammed down, he ripped the steering box off the frame, he can tell you more about it than I can, but I know he had to get it re mounted.

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John
1994 Honda Accord Coupe
100% Bone Stock
NOT A RICE ROCKET!

Jeep- "The toughest 4 letter word on wheels, second only to God and country"

[Langdon]

On mine, there is an adjusting sleeve just past where the ?drag link? connects to the Pitman arm. Loosen the 2 bolts, twist sleeve to adjust, tighten bolts. Hope this helps,

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Langdon
'79 Cherokee (PO)S
360 2bbl, TH400, Q-Trac
"My heart's in the Jeep, but my Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley is in debt!"

[Brian]

Dutch check your steering box and steering linkage. After some HARD hits on a trip to Death Valley my steering wheel would go anywhere from normal position to a complete 180 of where it should have been when the wheels were straight. It turns out the box came off the frame and the likage from the steering shaft to the box was trashed. I just ordered a steering box brace through 4Wheel Parts. I hope this is gonna prevent future steering troubles off road(along with more careful driving techniques hehe). Hope this helps.

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Brian
66' J-3000 "Great White Ghost"
327AMC/T-18a/Dana20
Dana 44 front & rear
32x11.50 BFG A/T KO's
My FSJ (http://www.geocities.com/punkrock405/myfsj.html)

[Ralph]

If the steering box is okay, all you have to do is: (1) park the Jeep such that it would go straight if it were moving; (2) loosen the adjusting sleeve that connects the drag link and inner tie rod; (3) turn the adjusting sleeve until your steering wheel is centered; and (4) tighten the bolts on the adjusting sleeve.

Here's a jpeg diagram of the steering components: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1326319&a=9858797&p=34757804

[Wagthe78]

I am not a front end mechanic, but I assembled my steering from a new box up to the steering wheel, and my .02 wonders the following:

If it was good before and you presumeabley bent your drag link, doesn't she drive a little differently now? I'm just wondering, because the box has a detent "sweetspot" that you center with the wheels dead ahead, and that makes a nice "sweet" in the middle spot in the steering for when your cruisin' down the road straight.

I would check things out, like everyone said. To check the sweet spot, you may be able to raise the front end and move the tires by hand to feel the centered spot of the steering box, but I dunno for sure, because I set mine by hand when the box was unattached, so it was easy for me to feel and center it. I would suspect that a change in the drag link woulda shifted that centered spot on the steering gear one way or the other.

Another option, depending on how things check out, would be to pop the pitman arm (on the box end with a puller) and adjust the arm a couple of teeth one way or the other. It's a little tricky, but you can scratch or punch mark everything so you know from where you started.

Okay, so I gave about .03 cents, but I really would want to know what happened and then fix it the best way, which prolly is adjusting that drag link, but then it shouldn't be steering the same now, should it??? Of course, maybe whatever happened set everything pretty on your rig (except the wheel) Maybe the jeep gods where with you http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/wink.gif

In that case maybe don't do a thing, but really a GOOD alignment shop could check your front end (make sure the steering gears is centered) and then you could adjust the wheel (or if it's like mine, the actual steering column coupler attachment) to make it right.

$.04

[reddog]

Waggy has a good point. If the box is still correctly attached to the frame then you want to make sure the box is centered and then go hunting down what has happened to tweek it.

[This message has been edited by reddog (edited December 05, 2000).]

[Dutch]

Okay, power washed the front end and inspected most everything. Box is still firmly attached and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.

While wheeling yesterday morning (we have a 10 acre construction site going on right now with huge mounds of dirt, mud...almost like it was made for it) I had to back out of a spot. While turning to the drivers side (in reverse) the passenger front wheel rode up on a log (maybe 10 inches high). No biggie but while coming down I hear a loud pop. Not gunshot loud but still very noticeable. The pop wasn't a grating or a rubbery sounding just a very loud pop/knock. When I straightened up and kept going (no way to inspect it on that rough ground) the steering wheel was closer to center (say 1 o'clock position). Got onto a road and again the truck tracks straight with no vibration.

I know something is tweeked but what the h%#l. Whatever it is it doesn't jump out at you.

Thoughts?
Dutch

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360 Bored and Smoked
Edlebrock Carb, Cam, Covers and Manifold (They have a line item on my pay-stub).
K&N, MSD, Taylor, American Racing,
Goodrich, blah, blah, blah...Way to many stickers (for my wifes taste)

[Narnian]

Langdon and Ralph's comments about adjusting that sleeve should not go unheeded. If I unnerstan' right, Jeep designed that steering to give a bit in case you did some bad news banging around off road. I know I've adjusted my steering with those two little bolts twice and ne'er had a problem afterwards.

One note: Last time I did it I didn't properly straighten my tires, so now the steering goes the other way! I need to straighten it again after I fix all the injection stuffs and put the dashboard back together.

[Dutch]

Okay, here's the poop. There are two adjustment sleeves- the one on the left end of the tie-rod is for adjusting toe-in: the one on the drag link is for centering the steering wheel after the toe adjustment has been made. By loosening the two pinch bolts and the clamp sleeve it can be done in about 15 minutes if the rod/sleeve is reasonably clean. As much as I hate messing with the steering and it's geometry this was a no brainer. BTW count on doing it twice since it's really hard to know "exactly" where dead center on the steering wheel is.

Thanks to Ralph for the picture. The layout is the same on later year GW's just a little closer on the parts position.

To those guys wanting to fix there own off-center steering wheel, if the truck tracks straight (it's aligned properly) this is so much easier than pulling than steering wheel.

Dutch

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360 Bored and Smoked
Edlebrock Carb, Cam, Covers and Manifold (They have a line item on my pay-stub).
K&N, MSD, Taylor, American Racing,
Goodrich, blah, blah, blah...Way to many stickers (for my wifes taste)

[Wagthe78]

Great, it's a simple system the tie rod makes your toe set, yeah, and the link can straighten your wheel and saggin and raisen will require adjustment, but you keep saying your wheel is changing, again with the latest bump???

So that loud thud may make this a brainer, I dunno, but if your wheel changed again I would now check:

1) Drag link sleeve to see if it's loose and popping threads (doubt it)

2) The big nut on the bottom of your steering gear is torqued to spec., therefore pressing and holding the pitman onto the drive cog and getting enough bite on those teeth (sound could be from the pitman jumping teeth on steering gear shaft. (Check torque spec. I remember it's heavy, and you need to punch set the nut into place to lock it)

Check 'em out to be sure.

[Dutch]

Maybe let sleeping dogs lie. I know, I know... I'll look at it Saturday morning and post back.

Dutch

[Dutch]

Alright this one is over my head. I can see no damage/alignment problems to the steering parts. Saturday morning I'm out visiting the troops and it's lunchtime so I get an offer to go head to head with an early 80's GMC Full Size. You gotta understand this is rough grade with 20 foot tall mounds of dirt/clay/mud and absolutely some of the slickest flats I have ever seen. To the GMC's credit we had a seriously wild ride. Well, you guessed it, one more pull out with a Pettibone (off-road 8 ton forklift). While dragging me backwards and when the wheel was slightly turned I get another loud pop. I don't know who to describe exactly. It comes from the front passenger side, it doesn't sound metallic and it is not a grating sound, just a loud pop. This time after letting the mud come loose from the tire the wheel is at about 3 o'clock but again the steering tracks straight at highway speeds and there is no sign of anything wrong. I powerwashed the front/bottom and I swear I can't find anything wrong. The ball joint/bearings and tie rod end bushing were all replaced about 9,500 miles ago so I am at a loss. The shock and shock mount appear to be solid (Rancho 5000 about 1,500 miles).

Absolutely any ideas.
Again passenger side noise.

Dutch


------------------
360 Bored and Smoked
Edlebrock Carb, Cam, Covers and Manifold (They have a line item on my pay-stub).
K&N, MSD, Taylor, American Racing,
Goodrich, blah, blah, blah...Way to many stickers (for my wifes taste)

[Wagthe78]

The only other place I can think of a possible spline slipping (jumping teeth) is on the driver's side. Your column probably locks into the steering gear's toothed spline with a bolted locking coupler end like mine.

Maybe it is just the column connection down there jumping teeth and making your steering wheel change, but nothing else.

[reddog]

Maybe try this: Blast everything clean. Get one of those yellow paint pens they use to mark parts at the junkyard. Mark the joints of any and all parts that you think may be shifting (the pitman arm and shaft, the sleeved couplings - drag link & tie rods, the steering column joints, maybe mark both the input and output shafts of the steering box so if the problem is internal to the box you can detect the difference in the alignment of the shafts -- you get the idea). Wait for the "pop" that no doubt will happen and then go clean things off if needed and take a look to see if you can tell what has shifted. You may be able to tell that way what is moving around.

Just an Idea..

Kerry

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87 GW - Stock (but it looks like RiverBeast when I'm sleeping)
TFI upgrade
360,727,NP229

[Dutch]

I'll try the marking idea. This can't be the first time this had happened. Then again I could just stay the heck out of dirt piles....naaaa.

Let ya know soon
Dutch

------------------
360 Bored and Smoked
Edlebrock Carb, Cam, Covers and Manifold (They have a line item on my pay-stub).
K&N, MSD, Taylor, American Racing,
Goodrich, blah, blah, blah...Way to many stickers (for my wifes taste)