Steering woes

I have a 1973 Jeep CJ5 that has some steering problems. The steering wheel has about 45 degrees of free play in it, which makes it incredibly hard to control when driving over 25 mph. I suspect that there must be something on the steering box that can be adjusted to fix this problem, can someone help me out?

 

have you checked the tie rod and drag link ends? A little play there ends up being a lot at the steering wheel.

I went through the same thing recently.

http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10498

 

I've tightened up all the tie rods and links. That was my first thought, but nothing seemed to change.

 

Once the rod ends wear out, there's not much tightening you can do. You're just tightening the stud to the knuckles or pitman arm. The real wear is inside the ends and they just have to be replaced.

 

Open the hood, get a good shop light so you can see everything, and turn the wheel. LOOK at the linkage. Chances are, the play is in that POS design "cup" that connects to the steering box.

All the other stuff mentioned will add slop. But that FKING cup design is a POS! Do yourself a favor, and pick up a borgeson steering shaft. It eliminated all of my steering woes.

 

you don't state whether your steering system is manual or power....
either way, here is what I would do
the steering linkage system on the 72-75 intermediates is actually quite strong and very dependable, but needs occasional maintenance; many Saginaw conversions into early Jeeps are based on this system.
as mentioned above, a visual check of all components while buddy/companion turns the wheel might be necc.
check while only slightly turning, checking to see where the play is; it may not show up turning the wheel lock to lock quickly; just wiggle the wheel.
The large u-joint between the upper and lower shaft needs periodic lubing; chasis lube is fine. If no play there, move to the bell coupler at the box; this coupler has 2 square bearings that fit onto the t end of the shaft inside; they move inside grooves inside the coupler as the body/frame/suspension flex; the coupler is splined and clamped to the stub shaft on the box; make sure it is tight; make sure there is no play inside the bell coupler; hold the coupler and try to turn the shaft; repair as necc.
Next, check the steering gear mounting bolts that hold the box to the frame; tighten if necc; check for cracks in the frame and box mounting area; have friend turn the wheel and check to see if the frame is flexing in this area; repair as necc.
There is an adjustment that can be made to the box thru an opening on top in the front pan/ crossmember; loosen the nut, and slowly turn the adjustment screw, then re-tighten nut; this tightens up the sector shaft pins into the worm gear; NOTE: the worm gear will always be worn more in the middle; by tightening the adjustment, you run the risk of the gear binding at full lock to lock turns, which can be dangerous to you and others; if you have a factory service manual, this procedure is described in detail. Don't just turn the screw and go for a drive without checking this FIRST!
Next, check the tie rods and ends for play; grease them all.
You could also have just a plain worn out steering box, which might need new bushings and such; replacement is an option also.
If you do replace any and all steering shafts, please leave either the bell coupler or a rag joint in the system, as you must allow for flex/movement of the shaft. To not have either of those is asking for big problems in my opinion.
good hunting !

 

you should also check the frame on the passenger side for cracks, along with the spring hangars, spring bushings, wheel bearings, king pin bearings, etc
lots to think about here that can cause the play you describe
might seem overwhelming, but well worth the effort

 

I also have a '73 CJ5 and when I purchased it and drove it the two hour drive home I had my life flash in front of me every time a big truck passed by! It seemed to be lock to lock just to keep it in my lane. Made for an interesting drive home. The stearing system was the first thing I changed on my Jeep. I took this opportunity to convert to a power stearing setup. The gear box was the biggest part of my problems. The adjustment screw mentioned in a previous post was really tightened and it was still wondering all over the place. I replaced the gear box with a power stearing unit bought from 4wd hardware and the stearing shaft from Borgeson. You'll also have to get a pump and brackets which can be found in a bone yard. This is one of the best things I've done to my Jeep. No more wondering all over the road and it makes wheelin' much easier with the power stearing.

Good luck.

Casey

 

Apparently the power steering boxes are also sloppy after 100K miles. The boxes have two adjustments - end play (big nut on the end) and gear mesh (little screw on top). There are places on the web that advise just turning the gear mesh to tighten them up, but the Jeep manual specifically tells you not to adjust the mesh without first adjusting the end play (big nut on the end). Not following the correct order of adjustment can lead to binding or damage.

The FSM also has instructions on overhaul and adjustment of the manual Saginaw gears.

 

This sounds a lot like the issues I had. I replaced the tie rod, rod ends, drag link and rag joint. Each of these was worn out and replacing helped the problem a lot but here was still significant play in the box itself. The problem finally went away when I converted to power steering. I guess the box was just too worn out to even be adjusted back into spec.

BTW: A TJ or XJ power steering box will bolt up to the bracket for the manual steering on the 72-75 CJ. You just need a pump that uses o-rings and you are good to go. You can even use the existing steering column and rag joint to connect it too.

 

You should be able to disconnect the drag link from the pitman arm, and from underneath, hold on to the pitman arm, and turn or rock the steering shaft to see if there is any play in the gear. I'd make sure that's where the problem is before tightening anything on the steering gear.

You can do the same with the steering shaft, if you suspect play in the bottom joint. Just hold on to each side, turn the shaft back and forth and see if you have any play there. There would need to be a lot of play in the joint and gear to have as much play in the wheel as you describe. However, it only takes a little bit in the steering linkage to cause a lot at the steering wheel due to the multiplication (or division, depending which direction you're looking from) of the steering gear.