New ball joint steering feel and wander

[gearhead22]

Hello all, recently changed all 4 ball joints with dynatrac ball joints. While it was apart I ended up changing the brakes, hub/bearing assemblies and added a metal cloak sector shaft brace.

Upon reassembly and first test drive the steering and driving of the jeep is…. Scary lol. I’m aware that new ball joints can be sticky and reduce return to center for a few hundred miles, which I definitely am experiencing. But, the jeep now wanders a bit now which it didn’t do before.

My last alignment I was set at 1/16” (.13 degrees) total toe in, and 6 degrees of caster on the driver side and 6.4 on the passenger side as measured on an alignment rack. New ball joints shouldn’t have changed that in any way.

The wandering is definitely new and a little scary. I really don’t like how it drives. Is it normal after new ball joints? Should it resolve after break in?
The only changes that would affect it I would think are the ball joints and sector shaft brace but I haven’t heard of anyone complaining about wandering after a sector shaft brace.

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[gearhead22]

I guess the best way I can describe it is that small movements in the steering wheel feel like you’ve turned the wheel half way around. It darts you around like crazy. It drives so weird and just crazy. It’s mostly near the center and straight line steering. If you’re going around a corner and such it feels stable. But when you’re going straight down the road (or trying to) it seems like it drives all over and any correct results in overcorrection.

 

[whysoserious]

Have a 4" lift with 37s. Metal Cloak suspension including sector shaft brace. Steering was great. Later, swapped out OEM ball joints for Dynatracs. No change in steering.

 

[whysoserious]

Have you thought about a follow-up alignment?

 

[gearhead22]

Have you thought about a follow-up alignment?

Rechecked this evening. Caster still the same. Toe was neutral so I moved it to 3/32-1/8 toe in. No change

 

[whysoserious]

If something isn't loose then I've no clue. Sorry.

 

[Stan H]

I guess the best way I can describe it is that small movements in the steering wheel feel like you’ve turned the wheel half way around. It darts you around like crazy. It drives so weird and just crazy. It’s mostly near the center and straight line steering. If you’re going around a corner and such it feels stable. But when you’re going straight down the road (or trying to) it seems like it drives all over and any correct results in overcorrection.

What year is this Gladiator?
If it is manufactured in 2019 is may be a holdout that the steering box gear recall was never performed on. What your describing sounds like what was going in with many over the very early model Gladiators.

 

[gearhead22]

What year is this Gladiator?
If it is manufactured in 2019 is may be a holdout that the steering box gear recall was never performed on. What your describing sounds like what was going in with many over the very early model Gladiators.

It’s a 2021

 

[gearhead22]

Little update:
Tonight I checked the toe with my bleepinjeep plates, I was getting 0 toe. So I toed it in approximately 3/32 or so. Hard to tell as my tape measure only reads in 16ths. I went just under and 8th and just over a 16th.

Test drive and no difference. So I moved on to my other part that could affect it, the sector shaft brace. I pulled the brace off and realized I must have applied too much loctitie to the new pitman arm nut because there was dry loctite in between the nut and bronze bushing. This was causing the nut and bushing not to move as fluidly as they should. I left it off and test drove again. The driving is much better. There is a slightly amount of steering memory and stiffness but it’s greatly improved.

I’m going to leave the brace off for a while, work on cleaning the loctite out of the bushing or buying a new bushing and will reconsider reinstalling it at a later date.

I will update further as time goes on and I get more miles on the jeep.

 

[Stan H]

It’s a 2021

I want to know the Date of manufacture on the Door mine is a 21 also but was manufactured in September of 2020 if yours was manufactured earlier like June it could be a hold over . I would take the Vin call the dealer and see if it is eligible for the steering box recall.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I want to know the Date of manufacture on the Door mine is a 21 also but was manufactured in September of 2020 if yours was manufactured earlier like June it could be a hold over . I would take the Vin call the dealer and see if it is eligible for the steering box recall.

There wasn't a recall.
The TSB clearly states 2020 only.

I'd bet there's no "hold-overs". But he can easily tell by the part number and the color.

 

[gearhead22]

I want to know the Date of manufacture on the Door mine is a 21 also but was manufactured in September of 2020 if yours was manufactured earlier like June it could be a hold over . I would take the Vin call the dealer and see if it is eligible for the steering box recall.

The aluminum steering box was only on 2020 model year trucks. The 2021 model year trucks all came with the updated steel steering box, which mine has.

 

[Stan H]

The aluminum steering box was only on 2020 model year trucks. The 2021 model year trucks all came with the updated steel steering box, which mine has.

Well all that is left to do is go back over everything.

 

[gearhead22]

Well all that is left to do is go back over everything.

I left an update above

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