New steering box, wobble at 45 plus

[Mike25]

I’ve been chasing down a front end clunk for weeks now. I replaced ball joints, hub assemblies, drag link and the clunk was still there. The Gladiator drove and rode great the whole time there was just a noticeable clunk when exiting my driveway or hitting a small slow speed bump. Finally to it to a “reputable“ 4x4 shop. They found slop in the original aluminum steering box and ordered a new one. They also broke my clockspring in the process, but they fixed that as well. They called and said the clunk is now gone, BUT there is a bad wobble in the steering wheel when hitting a bump over 45mph. But claim it’s nothing they did. What should I do?

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[Mike25]

Update, now the shop has decided the factory steering stabilizer was installed upside down and that caused the wobble. (Stabilizer has never been removed since new ) They said they installed a falcon nexus stabiiizer and all is good. Oh yeah and that owe them for four hours of labor to find the cause of the wobble and for the new stabilizer.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

Holy train wreck. Suppose the 4 hours due all comes down to how the communication took place.

in my opinion. If you have a wobble which will likely turn into death wobble…. Remove the stabilizer until you find the issue…. The stabilizer is “most likely” just masking the real issue.

silly things like proper torque spec are critical to the front track bar. What may be tight, may be allowing the brackets to be wollowing out….

start going through everything. Most of this can be done in the driveway with a helper… lay under and have someone shimmy the steering wheel left and right- check each joint, then grab a torque wrench and start check each bolt/nut.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I’ve been chasing down a front end clunk for weeks now. I replaced ball joints, hub assemblies, drag link and the clunk was still there. The Gladiator drove and rode great the whole time there was just a noticeable clunk when exiting my driveway or hitting a small slow speed bump. Finally to it to a “reputable“ 4x4 shop. They found slop in the original aluminum steering box and ordered a new one. They also broke my clockspring in the process, but they fixed that as well. They called and said the clunk is now gone, BUT there is a bad wobble in the steering wheel when hitting a bump over 45mph. But claim it’s nothing they did. What should I do?

Reputable - I almost laugh each time I see that..........

stabilizer up-side-down?
Did they also update the EHPS software? Hope so.
Did the put the CORRECT steering gear on it?
(there's more than one number - make sure it's the correct Gladiator number)
They should not have done anything else at all other than make sure the steering wheel is centered.
They should not have change toe-in or anything else.
How the heck do you break a clockspring just swapping the steering gear?

Nothing they did - maybe it's something they should have done.
Reading this - not sure I'd trust anything they say.

 

[Mike25]

The shop states that the factory steering stabilizer is directional and has a sump or oil intake built into the casing and was installed upside down and causing it to suck nitrogen instead of shock oil, thus giving the stabilizer dead spots as it travels through motion, and it became aerated and the symptoms (wobble) presented during their test drive after installing the new steel steering box and breaking and replacing the clock spring. And they said they did do an update after installing the new gear box.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The shop states that the factory steering stabilizer is directional and has a sump or oil intake built into the casing and was installed upside down and causing it to suck nitrogen instead of shock oil, thus giving the stabilizer dead spots as it travels through motion, and it became aerated and the symptoms (wobble) presented during their test drive after installing the new steel steering box and breaking and replacing the clock spring. And they said they did do an update after installing the new gear box.

The Wrangler people, and shops, say once installed upside-down, it needs to be replaced.
There was even a recall for JLs a few years ago due to the issue - the resolution was a new stabilizer installed correctly but even then, some shops messed up and still did it wrong.

In any case, the stabilizer is a mask of other issues......... not a solution.

 

[Rusty PW]

I'm going to eyeball my stabilizer.

Just looked at mine. Yep, it has that spot. Plus there is a decal by that end. On it , it has Front of Vehicle with an arrow pointing to the front. And Cup Side with an arrow pointing to the side.

 

[gabrielVA]

I had a local Jeep shop look ay my 22 and they too said is was the steering box, it's aluminum and has a poor design. I opted for a PSC steering box instead of having the dealer replace it with another aluminum one, which with a set of new tires has fixed my death shimmy issues at highway speeds.

The Jeep guy said that the box was acting like a tuning fork and amplifying through the components while driving down the road. I will also say I took it to my local Jeep dealer about a month before and they switched the steering damper, so they were literally no help.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I had a local Jeep shop look ay my 22 and they too said is was the steering box, it's aluminum and has a poor design. I opted for a PSC steering box instead of having the dealer replace it with another aluminum one, which with a set of new tires has fixed my death shimmy issues at highway speeds.

The Jeep guy said that the box was acting like a tuning fork and amplifying through the components while driving down the road. I will also say I took it to my local Jeep dealer about a month before and they switched the steering damper, so they were literally no help.

Your 2022 did not have an aluminum steering gear. No dealership would replace it with aluminum, either.
So that shop is wrong, and the idea that they still put on aluminum steering boxes is wrong. Those went away with the 2021 model year and all replacements since the TSB came out are not aluminum.

That tuning fork bit is a bit of a laugh, sorry - they don't understand how a steering gear is actually constructed - amplifying through the components....... grasping for a simple explanation no one would question.
My bet - the tires actually resolved the issue. A shimmy is often tire related more than anything - either tire itself or balance issues.
The steering gear can't cause a shimmy or even be a part of it. It's just along for the ride. If there's PLAY in it, it can allow the shimmy to be undampened by your holding things firm, but it's not a cause or even a player otherwise.

The bit about the shop's explanation and claiming you had the aluminum gear long since gone and not installed on anything other than 2020 models tells me - they aren't the best at what they do, but often get lucky by replacing the right parts.

 

[TomD]

I brought my 'Certified' 2020 Glad 6 speed i've owned for less than a year and about 4k miles (I'm semi retired and have other 'toys') in for steering issues to the dealership... for death wobble. I have a Metalcloak lift and 12.5x33's on it for about 6 months and started having steering issues soon after installing the lift and tires. I had a clunk turning the steering wheel, especially left, at a stop or low speeds, constant correction on the highway and taking a turn, left especially, and hitting a patch or divot on the highway would send the front end shimmying like a hula dancer. I looked under and had my wife turn the steering wheel and the pitman arm/shaft was moving around, the housing looked like it was aluminum. I take it in and after a serious lack of communication they said that my 'numerous' aftermarket parts resulted in the steering gear and outter tie rod on the left front is wearing out. No work performed due to aftermarket accessories.

I've worked with metal all my life and for the life of me I don't see these items wear out this quick, 6 months and about 4k miles. The service tech alludes the wear is due to the lift kit. Hmmmm, nothing I touched putting it in and the tech said all was tight as it should be underneath. Of course its out of warranty so they are wiping their hands of any responsibility. I'm still fighting with them, I say they missed this problem even though there is a TSB on this year's Glad steering box. I feel the wear was well on it's way before I bought it and the lift/tires just made it more obvious. I'm not a very happy camper. The Service Manager doesnt respond to calls. Thoughts?

And I'm still waiting for a clutch fix. I have an 05 Rubi with 150k miles on it, 4" lift, 35's and I used to crawl....nothing nutz but it's still on it's original clutch. How do you screw up a clutch, they've been around forever. ?

Sorry about the novel

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm still fighting with them, I say they missed this problem even though there is a TSB on this year's Glad steering box.

The TSB is only covered under warranty if the problem is reported DURING the warranty period.
Otherwise, a TSB is just "if customer complains, do this to fix it (and charged them)"
The aluminum housing isn't the problem and isn't what wears. It's just that there were issues with the design that had that aluminum housing. The aluminum itself doesn't make it bad.
It's the internals that matter.

Also, if you read the TSB - it also states that if the vehicle is outside of the original design parameters, the TSB isn't likely to help.

On the other hand, that's some healthy width on the tires, adding to the stress on ALL steering components, including the steering gear, tie rod, drag link, pitman, etc.
And the lift could add to the stress, depending on how high the lift is and if the parts like tie rod are now operating at a more extreme angle. Instead of pushing straight out on the tie rod, it's pushing on it at an angle. That can cause things to bow and flex. The geometry has changed, as have the pressures on the parts.

You need to check all parts for wear, grab the correct torque specs for steering and suspension parts and check the torque (don't use the stuff floating around the internet, much of it aimed at Wrangler - there's a thread here with the factory correct Gladiator torque specs here)

If you have a tie rod worn - replace it. It's not a warranty thing now. And yes, a lift and wide/fat tires can add stress and wear, the parts are made pretty much for stock steering and tires, so as things wear, replace them with heavier duty parts.

 

[TomD]

I understand all that but these things dont wear that fast, my Rubi proves that. I feel they were already worn and their 'certification' process missed it.

TheTSB states have a 'professionally installed' lift kit that are within service limits of the alignment wheel specifications are eligible.....blah blah
However if vehicle is lifted or modified beyond the limits then its not.

Who professionally installls lifts? MOPAR? Would I then have a claim?
What are the limits? How do i know I exceeded them with a 2 1/2" lift? They never stated this, just the tech didn't do anything because of the lift.

I know Im going to end up paying but I'm not paying them. I've been waiting now over three hours to get my final price and when I can pick it up....I only authorized $341 and their 'fix'is a new steering stabilizer. Yeah, safety....until that one goes?

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