Steering Gear Replacement, Help!

[stewmaster]

Hey Jeep peeps, please bear with me, as there is some back story that will help put my current issue in context.

Last summer, I installed the AEV overland 2.5 inch lift on my '22 JT Sport S Diesel. I did the install myself, and we love the feel and ride. However, I made a mistake that night after a long day under the truck, and when I went to correct the steering wheel which was not straight, I chose the similar looking bolt underneath the proper one, and instead adjusted the toe of the truck.

It took me a few days to figure this out, and when I adjusted the toe back, I went off a youtube video with bad information which had me measure my back tire's width rather than the back of my front tires compared to the front. This worsened my toe without me knowing. Fast forward a few months, on a 4 hour drive I was fed up with the feel that my truck was drifting. So I looked at the toe again and found that it was way off. That time I took to the forum and found the proper method for adjusting the toe and got it right. (and I informed the creator of the original youtube video of his drastic error)

So finally, my wheel was straight and my toe was in by an 1/8 inch. Perfect. Being the psycho that I am, I drove the truck around to see how it felt and now realized my steering wheel had a bunch of play in it. Sometimes its a non issue, but around my area the roads are somewhat rutted from studded tires and chains in the winter. Not to mention windy days. Again I took to the forum and found that there was a simple adjustment that would fix the issue.

The adjustment is rather simple, loosen the nut on top of the steering gear which holds the adjustment bolt tight. Use a 4mm hex to make slight adjustments until the play is reduced. I followed the instructions. Anyone with an older JT should know the original steering gear was aluminum, and it was recalled and replaced with a steel one. Mine was made early '22 and has the steel one. What I found was that the anti corrosion paint that factory put on, also coated the bolt and inside of the hex adjustment screw. I tried every single Allen key I owned and none of them would fit. It seemed the 4mm was the closest, but it was slightly too big to fit all the way in.

Here is where I screwed up. I was using an Allen key socket, so I lightly tapped the socket into the bolt to get it all the way in. I felt it bottom out, and I slowly and lightly began to turn my wrench. With hardly any strength used, it slipped. Upon further inspection it appeared to be stripped. I am mad at myself and also frustrated that this was so difficult when everyone else seemed to have no problem adjusting theirs.

I gave up and called my dealer to ask them to replace the whole steering gear since the bolt itself doesn't seem to have a part number. They quoted me $1200. Insane, I know, but I am desperate to get my less than 1 yr old truck steering smoothly. And I don't discount that this is all my fault to begin with.

But now, my dealer and I have called dozens of other dealers to find the part. Every one in Colorado (where I'm located) and most in surrounding states. Everyone says the same thing, the part (68551690AA) is back ordered with no ETA. The latest parts guy told me he searched his data base and "the pipeline" and no one in the country has the part. Surely someone, somewhere has one on a shelf, but how many hundreds of dealers until I happen across that. And for anyone still reading, most part websites say that it is in stock, but you have to call to confirm and they will tell you they actually don't have it. I have cancelled two orders because of that issue

So now, here I am writing this long boring story disclosing my idiocy, hoping someone might have an idea of what I can do beside waiting who knows how long to get my truck riding right. The JT is our only car and my wife drives it more than I do, and with our 3 kids in the back. So I am worried it will worsen or have an ill effect on a defensive driving situation. Or maybe, someone on here has put in an aftermarket steering gear for some sick upgraded crawler and could sell me their original? I don't even know if thats a thing.

Anyway, thanks for reading and brainstorming with me!

Sponsored

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Not sure why you took that action to deal with "play" in steering. Oh, wait - I do, too - it's because everyone says that's the fix.
Please skip youtube as a source for anything very good.


Any parts on these will be metric. So don't use standard/SAE tools, including hex keys.
They also use a thread locker on there to prevent amateurs from easily adjusting something that actually has a long process explained in the tech manuals. (some day someone is going to take that adjustment a bit far and have an accident - I'm waiting for it to happen, and it will)

Why do you want the steering gear replaced now? Youtube has convinced you that your issue is absolutely that adjustment? (I swear YT has more misinformation than much of other "social media")

Start looking at other things first.
The 2021 and 2022 don't typically have a problem with the steel housed steering gear over-center adjustment.
You have a lift - what all is included in that? Geometry correction for the track bar? Adjustable track bars?
Is the axle perfectly centered now?
Control arms - adjustable? Geometry correcting brackets?
Did you properly TORQUE all fasteners to factory settings with the truck sitting on the ground, all 4 tires on the ground, and not jacked up?
If it doesn't include adjustable control arms - at a lift height of over 2" you likely have caster way too low. That will lead to 'wandery' feelings, etc.
If it did come with adjustable control arms or geometry correcting brackets, firs thing you need to do is get it aligned - not by you, by experts.
IF your toe isn't correct, it can lead to wandering, loose feeling.
Maybe you'd better check it again. Using tire tread isn't always accurate because tires can have runout. If you have changed tires and wheels - that 1/8" may not be correct for YOUR truck.

Tire pressure - size tires? What pressure are you running? Too high a tire inflation pressure will cause "loose feeling" in some cases. (never bothered mine, but it can)

Unless you broke that steering gear - leave it alone, don't mess with it - look elsewhere first, especially if it wasn't feeling that way before the lift. (and if it was, sorry, but you should have never installed the lift until the loose steering was resolved)

I drove the truck around to see how it felt and now realized my steering wheel had a bunch of play in it.

This suggests that it wasn't that way before - you really should not start messing with things like installing lifts and other mods if the steering is loose.
So if it wasn't loose before - or it's worse, then something you changed made it that way.
Fix what's broken before ever installing mods like lifts. That can only make things worse.

Go back and check your work on the lift install. Make sure it's all TORQUED to proper specs using a good torque wrench - and while it's on the ground.
If you tightened things with it jacked up, loose them all again, lower it, and torque them back to specs.
Those control arm bolts are SOB to get tight enough - over 190 ft/lbs of torque. (people use 190 for a couple of 'em but the factory is torque plus degrees and that comes out 200 or so)

Again, stop assuming it's the steering gear. YT isn't always right (and it's usually the other way about tech stuff)
If it is - these are EHPS - Electro-hydraulic power steering. You can't go tossing on other parts. It's a system, it's controlled by computer, it has an electric power steering pump. There are other steering replacements out there - but you are looking into a deep hole there.
At this point, you are actually only guessing it's steering gear related.
You may replace it and find you still have the same problem.

 

[stewmaster]

@ShadowsPapa
That is a lot to dissect and I appreciate the help. I had a feeling there could be more to this.
I wish I could have you come drive it to see what you thought.
The issue didn’t become apparent to me until well after the lift was installed and I had finally corrected the toe issue.
And for the record, the idea of adjusting the steering gear and how to do it came from this forum. I felt what I was experiencing was the same as people in that thread.

I think the toe being too far out for a time is what caused the issue I’m experiencing. But that is based on how I remember it feeling immediately after the lift and how it feels now. The best way to describe it is, when going straight at any speed on a level road, the steering wheel can be jiggled 1.5 inches to either side without the tires on the ground moving.

I had an old Chevy Suburban for my first car that my family had owned for a long time. It’s steering wheel did the same thing except with 3 inches of jiggle. My dad always told me it was an old GM thing!
The lift came with geometry correction brackets that I installed. It also came with longer sway bar links, but they are not adjustable. I have an adjustable track bar on the way to get the front axle perfectly centered. I held off on it because the thread I read on this forum on the install said it wasn’t a big deal to leave it.

I torqued everything down to specs, but I’ll check it again since that would be an easy fix. Getting to that torque was brutal. I’ll use the trench in the shop this time instead of lying under the truck moving a click at a time. I blame those torques for me messing the toe up in the first place. I was fried after that and could barely move my arms haha.

After checking torque and the new track bar I will again re asses. This is my first Jeep so it’s a bit different than working on and diagnosing the 07 Tacoma I had before. I really do appreciate you taking the time.

Sponsored