ok when i turn either direction the steering wheel feels 'jerky', there is no noise and nothing feels loose. its most noticeable when coming out of the turn and the steering wheel is returning to center, but if i hold the wheel steady through the turn its also noticeable.

and it seems to come and go.

im not much of a parts changer so i appreciate any help.

thanks!

 

not sure, but you might want to check your steering dampener,, it might be time for a change

 

sounds like a u-joint issue to me. probably a seized cap.

 

steering stabizer is about a year old, but it was a cheapo replacement from autozone...

u joints, on the driveshaft or axle? and what is a cap?

thanks!

 

ujoints on the axle shaft. ujoints have 4 caps, they look like plus signs.

 

I looked them but how can you tell if they are bad? nothing feels loose or looks out of place.

thanks again.

 

in my experience autozone parts only last about a year or the warranty on the part. Try to stay away from the autozone if possible. Do you have any bump steer?

 

a little, but not as bad as when it completely failed. that would be easy and cheap to replace before i go any further though. any particullar brand you reccomend?

thanks

 

If you have a NAPA I would use their parts.

 

napa for all your parts needs! They may cost more but they last 10 times as long as autozone parts

 

Thanks guys.

I can change the steering damper but are there any threads on changing the u joints if the damper dont work?

 

damper might mask it but won't fix it...as for changing the u-joints hmmm there was a few writeups..I'll look around and see if I can find any..

 

http://www.myjeepxj.com/index.php?pa...nt-replacement

this looks like a pretty good write up, has anybody else done this?

 

Yes, a million times, with a million and one coming up on my '98. (There's like, ready?, 3/8" to prob 1/2" of wobble in those axle U's. I'd say they're pretty much fried. lol)

 

If ya wanna check 'em, just jack up that side of the Jeep, pop a shop light in there to see and move the wheel by hand, you should see any extra play in the U's, it also gives you an angle to grab onto one side of the axle or the other and hold it and repeat the same proscess.
If it's kinda jerky while turning and it's not making noise, and its not in 4WD, I'm leaning towards the ball joints starting to go... Turning sounds like it could be causing a goofy camber issue with the wheel assy., thus producing the jerky feeling. I'm guessing it happens worse when you have the wheels turned at full lock...