Len
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the post! Good info.The Story
I bought a '21 Stock Mojave in February.
The drive home that night, about 2 hours in moderate winds, had me thinking I'd be taking it back the next business day.
As usual, my wife was the calming voice, and after a night's sleep we took the Jeep out on familiar roads and in the daylight. It was better under less windy conditions, but it still wandered quite a bit.
Still, it's a gorgeous truck, and it was the ONLY one we could find that had everything we wanted PLUS $4,000 worth of upgrades for sticker price.
Mojave / Color matched hardtop with freedom panels / Bestop Sunrider / N-fab step rails / Line-X bed liner /Revolver X4S Cover / Safety Group / Cold Weather Group / White Leather .... There wasn't another one like it anywhere. It even had the 50 cal antenna
So I began to research the steering wander issues and look for solutions.
I found everything from "It's a Jeep, deal with it." to "It will kill you. Get rid of it."
A dizzying myriad of gadgets and aftermarket doo-dads claiming to fix the problem that CFA just builds into their $60,000 trucks for fun.
Tire Pressure
Per some Internet findings, reducing the tire pressures to about 33 (by my gauge) helped, but it was still a drifter on the highway, wind or no wind.
The Failure
After verifying that I already had the steel steering gearbox I decided to give the SteerSmarts brace a shot.
Ordered. Done. That'll fix it!
After a day of fighting that damned thing and trying to get the Mojave's unique extra steel piece trimmed to make it fit, and getting nowhere, I surrendered. The bolts would not line up, despite all the Youtube assistance and coercion I could muster. Simply put, the geometry was impossible.
I had already drilled the steel line relocation hole in it, so it was not returnable.
It's in my pond now holding down some fish structure. Seems pretty effective in that regard, albeit pricey compared to a concrete block.
A Better Investment
More research lead me to steering stabilizers. I don't know if you've looked around, but there are a few out there.
I settled on the falcon Nexus 2.2 - The passthrough adjustable one.
Got it installed, and I must say, there was noticeable improvement in the wander and drift from dips and bumps in the road.
The Gladiator was now drivable.
Still... could it be better? Is it right?
Head to Head With a 22 Rubicon
As fate would have it the engine light came on again. Cylinder 5 misfire. That's ongoing and I am working through the process with a more local dealer. I wanted to buy from them, but they had an empty lot at the time. Now they have a few on hand.
So I stopped by the dealership to see about the light, but while I was there I requested the key for a 22 Rubicon that was close to the specs of our Mojave, but lacking the safety group. Still, it was an opportunity to try another and see if the "It's a Jeep, deal with it" argument held water.
It does not. The Rubicon drove like a dream, and the first thing I noticed was that there was no dead spot in the steering wheel. Move the wheel, move the tires.
Now I have useful information!
*** The Cheap and EFFECTIVE Fix ***
I starred that in case someone wants to skip to the good part.
There's Scotch. I'm wordy. Deal with it!
I knew the steering gearbox was adjustable. I've had vehicles that had this design before, but why would a brand new vehicle not be set right from the factory? The ones I could recall from the past only needed a good snugging up after 100,000 miles or so.
Still, I recalled this video from my earlier research and even though I already have the steel box, I decided to give it a shot.
* The allen key size is 4mm
The only thing not covered in the video is that the steel box adjustment screw and locknut have been bonded in unholy matrimony with red Loctite, and heat, a good bit of it, is required to initiate the divorce.
I used a heat gun and melted my windshield washer hose in the process. Easy fix. Snip and stick it back on. Still worth mentioning, so you don't do the same.
It's a gift.
After breaking the thread locker, I moved the screw about 1/8, as mentioned elsewhere on this forum in another thread.
Locked it back down, put everything back together, and hit the highway.
FINALLY!!! This is what was missing the entire time!
The truck drives wonderfully, even though we had pretty good winds today. It stays where it's pointed and is easily managed with one hand.
It's likely that the stock stabilizer was OK, but I really like the Falcon, so that's staying. So is the reduced tire pressure, as the ride is softer and I'm still getting 20 MPG on average.
Regardless of mileage - 2 or 200,000 - If you have dead play in the steering wheel, tighten the gearbox up and enjoy the drive again.
It's a Jeep thing!
Sponsored
