massarosareloud

Hey everyone, my newly purchased 1996 ZJ Limited Edition has a rather loose steering wheel. I have to continually adjust for the play in the steering wheel while driving. Before I purchased the vehicle, I had an alignment done and it is much less severe than it was before. I can handle the play in the steering wheel as it is, for the small amount of driving that I do, but I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of this happening or has a diagnosis.

Bustedback

My 95 was the same way when I got it. I replaced the upper and lower control arms because the bushings were shot. I also replaced the front and rear track bar bushings with some poly bushings from Moog and replaced the rear lower control arms. My steering is now 99% better than it was. new KYB gas-adjust momo tube shocks made a huge differencr too. I assume the alignment shop checked the steering linkage for worn parts.

massarosareloud

Can you point me in the right direction to look for the control arms and the track arms? At the very least I'll take some pictures of them, because I am planning to climb back underneath today and take a look at the exhaust system. But I don't know what to look for or where to look for the control arms (in the front or the rear), or the track bars.

Also, thank you very much! It's nice to see how willing this community is to share their combined knowledge!

dave1123

Pretty simple. Both the front and rear axles are mounted by 4 control arms to the frame with bushings on both ends. They are held in place laterally by track arms, one end to the axle, the other to the frame with bushing on both ends. Just make sure before you finally tighten any of the mounting bolts, the vehicle should be sitting on the ground or on 4 jack stands on the axles.

It's a PITA job, but well worth in effort.

massarosareloud

Ok, so are you suggesting that I tighten where the control arms meet the axle and the frame? Is it possible to over-tighten them (not with a pneumatic drill, but by hand)? Should I also tighten the bolts on the track arms?

Basically my concern is, is it possible to do any damage if I just go down there and tighten the bolts that are related to the control arms and the track arms? Or is it just worth a shot to see if that solves my steering dilemma?

Bustedback

Check out the highlighted items.

dave1123

No, I meant after you replace the bushings. Tightening them now won't do anything other than break them.

massarosareloud

Looks like I'll need

• Special Tool 7932-1 (J-35581-1)
• Special Tool 7604 (J-21474-19)
• Special Tool 7603 (J-21474-18)
• Special Tool 7932-2 (J-35581-2)

As well as the following bushing kits: http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/199...m_bushing.html (the first two choices)

I am beginning to think that this is slightly out of my skill level, any idea how much this would run at an honest shop? I might see if I can get an estimate, plus I am not 100% sure that this is causing the problem, because I don't have the skill to prove what you guys are telling me. And I am not sure if I can get those control arms off anyway. I'll have to think this over. Thanks though!

Bustedback

I recommend replacing the whole arm instead of only replacing the bushings, it costs a little more, but it is worth it. www.rockauto.com has about the best price for quality Moog arms. I used eBay arms before and had some bad luck with the bushings coming loose in the arm, so the cheap arms ended up costing me more in the long run.

dave1123

IMHO, listen to Bustedback. He's been there and never did me wrong. Probably the only special tool you'll need is the Torx socket.

massarosareloud

I think this might be slightly out of my skill level right now, based on my time constraints. Is there any harm in driving the Jeep as it is for now, and replacing these parts come summertime, when I can work for more than an hour without freezing to death, and have the patience to do the job correctly, and do it well? Plus I would still like to know that I am not wasting my time replacing these parts if they won't even solve my problem.

Also, here is a picture of the bushing, if you could tell me what condition they look they are in. Sorry for the horrible backlighting, tough to avoid... It's a pretty big file, I uploaded it in nearly its original size so you have the option to zoom in on the bushing if you wish. I also apologize for the graininess, I had to push the ISO to 3200.

vonericsen

When you replace the arms, spray all the bolts with penetrating oil for a couple days before you start.
My dad and I replaced the lowers and one upper on my brother's cherokee in a few hours, but the last upper one has a very stubborn bolt that we couldn't budge..and its a torx bolt (I think its a t-55).
It's not a horribly bad job to do though, but the cold garage floor isn't fun either. lol
I have no idea how hard it will be to replace the axle side upper arm bushings since I haven't gotten to those yet, but I expect those to be more difficult.

Looking at your picture it looks a little worn and could use replacing, but you can probably drive it until you have more time to work on it...my zj's arms are still the worn out originals.

Bustedback

The rubber does look like it's cracked and dry rotted, but you can wait until the warm weather hits before replacing. The bushing at the axle end of the arms on both front and rear lower arms are not a solid rubber bushing, they have windows in them for better vibration dampening, but they also wear out faster.

massarosareloud

Well, I'll have to get an estimate from my garage and see if it really is worth doing myself, cost-wise.

dave1123

Really? That should be a no-brainer. The labor costs alone would be high.