steering linkage?

[mujaman]

Anyone from the Smokeys?

lately i have noticed somewhat of a "looseness" to my steering on my '97 XJ. it seems like the steering wheel has a good bit more play in it than it used to... what i mean by that is - i can turn the wheel back and forth without it having enough effect (in my opinion) on the direction of the wheels. it just doesn't seem quite as responsive as it should be. also... whenever i hit a decent sized bump on the road at anything over about 35mph i get this annoying wobble/shake in the steering wheel and basically the whole front end. it sorta feels like something is loose or just needs tighten up. i have 3" of lift, but its been on there for over a year and hasn't acted up til now. so i really have no idea what the problem is... something loose with the control arms or the sway bar or steering linkage or something... any input would be much appreciated! thanks - jeremiah

 

[LGR]

My TJ had the same feeling when after i installed the lift and forgot to torque all the bolt down..i'd turn the wheel side to side and the wheels didn't do much turning..the whole jeep did the turning, mine was because of the controls arms being lose. Perhaps just crawl under and make sure everything is tight. Might have worked itself lose after all that time. When i do my oil change..waiting for the pan to fill i check out the bolts and arms.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

A loose front track bar upper mount will cause both symptoms, the loose steering and the death wobble. Have somebody turn the wheel to full lock and rock the steering wheel back and forth while you watch that upper mount. The entire track bar will need replaced if it's bad.

 

[y2kxj]

Mujaman
Did you get this problem fixed? I have the same thing with my 00XJ. I also have a 3" lift. When I first installed the lift everything was tight and the Jeep handled real well, now after a few months it's getting sloppy again.