21' Diesel Gladiator Steering Dead Spot/Wandering Problem after Clayton Offroad Lift

[MarkusAurelius]

Hey all. Looking for some help here.

Just had my 2021 Rubicon Diesel Gladiator lifted by Total Offroad & More in Cleveland Ohio with;

-Clayton Offroad 2.5' Premium Diesel kit and HD springs, Falcon adjustable Shocks and steering stabilizer
-37" Nitto Ridge Grapplers (37X12.50R17/8 124Q)
-Method Race Wheels 703 (17X9 5X127 -12MM)

After, I noticed 2-3" of slop or play in the steering when trying to hold center. Basically the steering wheel is unresponsive for those 2-3" causing a constant correction back and forth to keep the vehicle straight. Super unstable. I called Clayton Offroad, the only thing they offered was that is wasn't an issue with their kit and to maybe check the steering box to ensure it was not the aluminum version. I confirmed the steering box is not aluminum and is the updated version.

Took the jeep back to Total Offroad. They adjusted the castor after I suggested such from reading up on forums to 4.5 which helped a little but the vehicle is still unstable at highway speeds of 60-70mph. I am having to over correct and at times feel as if I could flip the jeep if I don't pay critical attention to the steering. A constant back and forth to keep it steady. There's no way I can take the jeep on a 4 hour trip somewhere to Offroad. How can I fix this.

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[Rusty PW]

Check your tire pressure. Top high will make it wonder. Second your caster should be around 5 +. Check for loose bolts. Tighten the adjustment on the steering stabilizer .

 

[MarkusAurelius]

Check your tire pressure. Top high will make it wonder. Second your caster should be around 5 +. Check for loose bolts. Tighten the adjustment on the steering stabilizer .

-PSI 37 all around
-Stabilizer is set on the tightest setting (Firm)
-Bolts have all been marked and checked for tightness on 2 seperate occasions.
-Castor was at 6 before they adjusted to 4.5 which was worse.

 

[Hootbro]

Clayton stuff is usually pretty well sorted. Did the kit include also include new drag link and tie rod bars for the steering? If not and running stock, the lift may have exacerbated issues already there with those items that just were not evident when at stock height.

IIRC, Total Offroad & More is just a rebranding of 4WP stores that had a less than stellar reputation. I would be leaning more on them than any suspicion of any design issue with Clayton's stuff.

 

[Badunit]

First thing would be to crawl under and look while someone turns the steering wheel from slop-to-slop to see what is and is not moving.

You might try backing off the steering stabilizer firmness, too, to see what that does. Damping decreases return-to-center, especially near the on-center point, and decreases road feel. Both can make it feel like it is wandering. I put a non-adjustable Falcon stabilizer on my otherwise stock JT and, while it increased the stability by a whole lot (which has been terrific), I feel like my on-center driving now consists of nudging the wheel to one side or the other versus actual steering.

 

[Theereverand]

I have 2020 gladiator with 4 " Falcon lift kit and running 37" tires. I would check all front end adjustments. I had same issue with my vehicle 2-3" of play. I adjusted mine at the steering box adjuster on my aluminum box. Mine is not perfect but ended up about 3/4 " of play in wheel.

 

[21JTRUBI]

I have a 21 Diesel as well with 4.5” of lift on 38’s. Never drove it stock…… so I can’t comment on before and after the lift.
Mine was fine for about 40k. By then all of the steering was worn out and replaced, the dead spot was more pronounced but all of the popping and funky noises in the steering were gone.
I installed a PSC steering box and it’s great now.

 

[JT1]

-PSI 37 all around
-Stabilizer is set on the tightest setting (Firm)
-Bolts have all been marked and checked for tightness on 2 seperate occasions.
-Castor was at 6 before they adjusted to 4.5 which was worse.

37psi on a 37" tire is too high. Drop it to 31 and see if it's any better. If you don't want to go that low, try 33, but either way, too much air pressure is definitely part of the issue.

 

[KrashEd]

37psi on a 37" tire is too high. Drop it to 31 and see if it's any better. If you don't want to go that low, try 33, but either way, too much air pressure is definitely part of the issue.

37 inch tires, 37 psi, and drive all day with no wander. Lowering pressure will help but possibly mask a real issue.

OP, it's been a minute since I had the stock drag link and tie rod on, but my current set up will wander some if the drag link is not centered in the range of motion correctly. In other words, the ball and socket of the drag link ends are flopped and at the end of their range of motion. As others state have some one saw the steering wheel and see what doesn't move indicating slop.

 

[JT1]

37 inch tires, 37 psi, and drive all day with no wander. Lowering pressure will help but possibly mask a real issue.

OP, it's been a minute since I had the stock drag link and tie rod on, but my current set up will wander some if the drag link is not centered in the range of motion correctly. In other words, the ball and socket of the drag link ends are flopped and at the end of their range of motion. As others state have some one saw the steering wheel and see what doesn't move indicating slop.

This has been discussed to death here.. the 37 psi the 33's need per the door sticker doesn't translate to what the 37s need.

It's great it works fine for you, but it still isn't correct.

 

[KrashEd]

This has been discussed to death here.. the 37 psi the 33's need per the door sticker doesn't translate to what the 37s need.

It's great it works fine for you, but it still isn't correct.

It doesn't matter how long or how many times it's been discussed. Lowering 4 PSI is not going to fix a dead spot problem, just mask it. Fix the issues and set up the suspension right and you can run whatever pressure you want.

 

[JT1]

OP, your current tires at current pressure are able to support 5600 pounds per axle. At 25 psi they are able to support 4300 pounds per axle. Drop them and see if it helps your issue at all. Then reset your caster to something near 6*. If that solves your issues great. If it doesn't let us know if it helped at all or made it worse and we can go from there.

I would also confirm that all 4 bolts that hold your steering box on are tight. There have been multiple reports of them being undertorqued from the factory or loose after a few thousand miles.

 

[PuddleJumper]

tire psi is a bit high but that shouldn't cause a whole 3-4 inches of play. Whats your toe set to? Assuming you didn't mess with the tie rod during your install it should be fine but you did change out your stabilizer so theres a chance you moved something around. if your toe out maybe could be a piece of this problem. My gut says this is a drag link/ track bar issue. Something has to be loose for that amount of play.

 

[Vtur]

Check the drag link joints for play. Have someone turns steering wheel back and forward and check for steering box play. Did you recenter the axles with f+r trackbars? If not, your thrush angle is probably off by over an inch and might be crab walking.

 

[MarkusAurelius]

The

Check your tire pressure. Top high will make it wonder. Second your caster should be around 5 +. Check for loose bolts. Tighten the adjustment on the steering stabilizer .

I’m sure maybe tire psi may help some. But the dead space in this steering there’s no way. I’m handing this thread info over to the shop guys working on it. Most of it’s well over my head. When we get it dialed in (hopefully) I’ll be able to get a legit diagnosis posted on here and get back on the trail. Thanks for everyone’s tips.

Jeep has been out of commission since October 23’ waiting on parts for a new fuel system from Jeep.

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