Steering Problem

I know there are many threads about steering problems but I can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for. I have a 73 cj5 with 360 v8 no lift of any kind and normal size tires. I have replaced the tie rod ends and all bushing in the steerinf suystem. I bolted up a skyjacker steering stabilzer. The jeep turns and rides fine and low speeds. Only when I get around 45 to 50 mph, I get a wooble. It seem alittle scary it woobles so much. I have to small kid that want to ride, but I want it to be safe. I looked at it while someone else turned the wheel I cant see anything noticeable that is loose. Any Ideas?

 

That's "death wobble"

Something is still loose, worn, or cracked.
First , is your toe in correct or at least tape-measure close?
Maybe loose wheel bearings, or cracked frame?

Jack the whole thing up so the wheels have 1/4" of air under them and wrap your hand around every joint or connection that moves and feel for slop or "dislocation" while someone moves the steering wheel side to side.

Same goes for prying the wheel up and down and shaking the wheel while grabbing it at the 12 and 6 and the 3 and 9 oclock positions

 

I did a lift on mine and got the death wobble. I took it in and had it aligned and guess what? The wobble went away.

 

Too little caster can cause that as well. Also check the bushings in the frame, check the ubolts, check for cracks in the frame and crossmembers
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I have check for cracks in the frame. When I started rebuilding this jeep I boxed in the front of the frame and put supporting cross members in the front. It also has a heavy duty front bumber to stiffen it up. I have not checked the toe in. I dont know much about steering and suspention componets. I have replace the tie rod ends, but I noticed my connecting rood is slightly bent, is this common or is suppose to be stright? I have reseatched this alot. What is death wooble???. I saw a video of a guys tire just bouncing all over the place, it was very violent. I am not having that kind of problem. Its like once I get up around 45 to 50mph the jeep gets real loose steering, it wonders all over the road. Thanks for the replys. Oh what about wheel bearings or kingpin bearings? These I have heard alot about. I have not checked them dont really know how!.

 

If you repalced steering parts, you must have the alignment checked. That's job #1. The going price around here for a complete alignment is about $50 (just had the VW done).

You pretty much need to be systematic, and look at all the possible contributing causes. It could be more than one thing. In the day, they fitted a steering stabilizer to eliminate a slight wobble that you could feel through the steering, at about 40-50mph. This was not a death wobble though, and did not have any effect on the steering feel or tracking of the Jeep.

IMO the first thing to do, after a thorough visual inspection, is to get an alignment and tire rotation and balance. Certainly bad tire balance can cause a wobble.

I'd certainly look at the spring and frame bushings, and any play in the steering gear. A sloppy steering gear is a common complaint for these Jeeps. If you have original springs and they are flat, this could affect the caster setting. Your alignment will report the caster angle, but the shop won't fix that. They will adjust the toe-in and report the alignment settings. Ask for a print-out of the results. If the caster is out of spec, you'll need to add caster shims or replace the springs. If you replace the springs, you'll need to have the caster checked again, and may need to add shims anyway.

 

A '73 does not have kingpin bearings. Instead it has ball joints. They wear out eventually, but not like kingpin bearings.

You can take the hubs off and look at the wheel bearings. A common maintenance task is to repack the front wheel bearings with grease. If you do this, you'll have a chance to inspect the wheel bearings. Not a difficult job, as long as you put everything back correctly.

 

Thanks Tim for info. I think there is some play in the steering box. Is there a way to adjust that or do I have to replace parts in the box? I will send it to have it aligned as soon as I can. Is repack the wheel bearing cover in the TSM?

 

You can adjust the steering gear, but it's supposed to be done with it on the bench. Requires an inch-lb torque wrench and a couple special tools, which you can likely kludge up. Covered in the TSM. Repacking the front wheel bearings is pretty basic ... may not be covered in the TSM. You might look for an online tutorial of how to do it in general, and then consult the TSM for some specifics.

 

The other thing to look at is your shackles. Are they cheap after-market shackles, too long or homemade? If not, are they torqued correctly? Any of these things can cause steering wander.

 

The shackles on this Jeep are homemade by PO. They seem to be sturdy but are way longer than stock. I posted this a while back on another thread, but noone said it could affect steering.

 

front


rear



I have new bushing for stock shackles, I assume they should fit.Have not really looked at it to much. Do you think I should buy some stock shackles?

 

the rear looks sketchey to me.....

 

Have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth slowly while you look at the shackles. If they bend or twist before the wheels move, that'll tell you something. 4wd.com and quadratec both have decent heavy duty shackles relatively cheap. They have a center support, not just the two bolts on top and bottom. Long shackles can screw up lots of stuff.