(UPDATED w/PICS 04-18-10) Steering rack bushing band-aid

phxtoad · **Posted:** Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:02 pm

Hi,

Before I get this checked out, I was hoping someone could shed some light if possible:

Sitting on pavement, Jeep not moving, rolling the steering wheel back and forth a bit causes a couple good pops/clicks that you can feel in the wheel. It's now got a bit of slop before the wheels begin their turn. Happens either direction.

I'm guessing shot tie rod ends or the rack itself. The rods rotate slightly when you grab them, but do not feel loose. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Todd

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:00 pm

Check the bushings and the rack itself Around those bushings. Seen worn bushings and failed racks, hope yours is neither and only something loose you can fix easily and cheaply.
:wink:

phxtoad · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:33 pm

OK - some progress...

Pulled the front skid today, and when the wheel is rocked you can see the play in the rack. The rack rises and falls at the driver's side bolt. I checked, and the driver's side bolt is still completely torqued tight. From underneath there is no visible bushing at the driver's side bolt. It must have disintegrated. The passenger side still has one and appears fine.

Joy! :cry:

TL

DryBones · **Posted:** Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:54 pm

DryBones wonders if you mean like this? DryBones thinks we must spill a lot of oil doing our changes or Jiffy Lubes does for you lazy guys! :lol:

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... hp?t=45339

djui5 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:38 am **Posts:** 536

That sucks Todd

If you take your rack out by yourself let me know, I'll come over and help. I'd like to see how it's done in case mine starts leaking really bad.

BTW, we have 2 guys speaking in the first person here now? I think 1 is enough :lol:

phxtoad · **Posted:** Sun Aug 16, 2009 3:32 pm

So when installed correctly, would the flanged part of the bushing be under the top bolt, or between the frame and the rack (the 'lower' side of the rack)? Sounds like it is on top...

I'm think that maybe as a band-aid, a new rubber 'washer' or stacked washers would suffice till I save the $ to have it done right.

It's WAY beyond my capability to do it myself

I see in the service manual the normal way to do it is to drop the whole front axle. Troy's method seems like it's take much less time.

djui5 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:38 am **Posts:** 536

phxtoad wrote:

It's WAY beyond my capability to do it myself

If you wanna have someone else do it, contact "adamster" on VJC. He's one of the best mechanics I've ever met.

phxtoad · **Posted:** Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:02 pm

Update: Got the digits dirty this afternoon and was able to get the driver's side 24mm bolt undone easily enough. The bushing had disintegrated at the bushing flange (lower) and is starting to go within the collar itself, but what is left is still centered in the rack hole.

Last night I found some rubber washers at Lowe's. Hillman 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 1/8" size. I slid two in between the rack and the frame, then used two above between the bolt top washer and the top of the rack. Torqued everything back up and viola - it worked! The rack is sitting level and is tight. Started it up and drove it for a bit. No play at in the wheel and it sounds and feels good.

I realize this is a temporary fix, and I need to keep an eye on the bolt torque and washers. I figure the washers are probably a softer rubber than the bushing - but given their large surface area they should keep up with the dynamic loads of the rack fairly well for a while. Best of all if they do start to go, it's $6 and a half hour to replace them.

Todd

ridenby · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:23 am

phxtoad wrote:

Update: Got the digits dirty this afternoon and was able to get the driver's side 24mm bolt undone easily enough. The bushing had disintegrated at the bushing flange (lower) and is starting to go within the collar itself, but what is left is still centered in the rack hole.

Last night I found some rubber washers at Lowe's. Hillman 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 1/8" size. I slid two in between the rack and the frame, then used two above between the bolt top washer and the top of the rack. Torqued everything back up and viola - it worked! The rack is sitting level and is tight. Started it up and drove it for a bit. No play at in the wheel and it sounds and feels good.

I realize this is a temporary fix, and I need to keep an eye on the bolt torque and washers. I figure the washers are probably a softer rubber than the bushing - but given their large surface area they should keep up with the dynamic loads of the rack fairly well for a while. Best of all if they do start to go, it's $6 and a half hour to replace them.

Todd

Cool,good thinking.

Prospect62 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:24 am

Good work. I have a feeling more and more of us will be running into this as time goes on. At least now we know a simple band aid exists!

Xodius · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:49 pm

Blah, I think that is happening to my KJ. I noticed the other day while backing into my parking space I would feel and hear a...pop noise. Perhaps tonight when I get home I will crawl under and take a look at it. Good to know that there is a bandaid out there.

DryBones · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:56 pm

can you post a pic of your "repair" work?

tumanator · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:14 pm

DryBones wrote:

can you post a pic of your "repair" work?

X2 - I know I'm already looking into having this problem in the near future, know how to apply a band aid would be very helpful until I can afford to do it right.

djui5 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:38 am **Posts:** 536

tumanator wrote:

X2

x3

I looked at mine last night and they are shot too.

KJ in CO · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:06 pm **Posts:** 346

x3 and growing I would bet...
I would like to see the pics of what ya did. Did you end up doing both bolts, driver and passanger side? I would figure I would do both mine at the same time. All you had to do is pound out the bolt then? No jackin up the vehicle required? It looked like it would have been pretty simple when I had the fan pulled off yesterday.

Have had this problem for goin on a while now, but with all the other surprises the libby hit me with, it took a back seat. Think its funny when there is a post like this and ppl come out of the woodwerks with the same issue. Really helpful

.

KJ in CO · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:06 pm **Posts:** 346

djui5 wrote:

tumanator wrote:

X2

x3

I looked at mine last night and they are shot too.

Like I said :lol:

djui5, arent you the one havin the leakin problem from the R&P, I am havin both of these problems as well. Wonder if the play in the rack is havin somethin to do with the leaking from the pinion seal?

Fouros · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:40 pm

HMMMMM

i wonder if you could get a bush/washer material in a hydrocarbon resitant material

phxtoad · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:41 pm

Here's what I did though:

1. Removed front skid. No need to jack anything up unless you want more room to work.
2. Used a large adjustable wrench on the top driver's side bolt and let it rotate against the frame to offer leverage in order to loosen the bottom bolt. Used a 24mm socket with a breaker bar to loosen the bottom bolt.
3. The bolt slides up and out very easily since it nests inside a steel collar within the bushing itself.
4. I didn't touch the passenger side bolt at all. The rack can now be pushed towards the engine a bit - but not enough for the bushing to come out of the bottom.

It's a flanged bushing (with flanged collar), so it only comes out from the bottom.
5. Cleaned up the surfaces. I noted some grime, but not a lot.
6. From below I reached up and grabbed the driver's side tie rod close to the end and pushed up. The rack moves easily, pivoting upward about the passenger side bolt.
7. I then slipped two of the new washers in place stacked between the rack and the frame. I checked to see that they were close to lining up with the hole.
8. I put the other two washers on the bolt below the large steel top washer and dropped it in place, making sure I went through the lower washers. The rubber washers are between the steel washer and the top of the rack.
9. Placed the adjustable wrench back in postion at the top bolt, and tightened it from below. The manual calls for 120 lb of torque. Not having a torque wrench that goes that high, I used my breaker bar to get it as tight as I could. I'll keep checking it periodically to make sure it's snug.

There's additional rubber thickness than the stock bushing overall, so the rack probably has slightly more movement than if the bushing were replaced correctly, but it's solid and holding. Today I probably put close to 100 miles on it - mostly highway at 65mph. Did some full lock to lock turns and wheeled a couple gnarly 4" speed bumps, too. It feels great - like it never failed.

TL

djui5 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:38 am **Posts:** 536

KJ in CO wrote:

djui5, arent you the one havin the leakin problem from the R&P, I am havin both of these problems as well. Wonder if the play in the rack is havin somethin to do with the leaking from the pinion seal?

Yep

Gonna do this fix and see if the darned thing stops leaking. That would be wild huh? I'm told there is a clip that holds the seal in where the steering shaft goes into the R&P, so it probably won't fix it, but you never know.

Thanks for the pictures Todd! I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page here. Very cool of you to list the socket size too. You rock.

KJ in CO · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:06 pm **Posts:** 346

[quote="djui5"] I'm told there is a clip that holds the seal in where the steering shaft goes into the R&P,
quote]

some stupid clip.. to think that we might have to replace an entire rack & pinion for some stupid clip that holds the seal into place. If I find out that its possible to insert a new clip into the pinion, I will surely post it. Might be able to keep the internet with the money saved!! :roll:

(UPDATED w/PICS 04-18-10) Steering rack bushing band-aid

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