I have a 99 XJ with a 4.5in lift. I bought it with a bad steering gear box, which I replaced but there was this "dead" spot when driving straight, every once in awhile it feels like it jumps a tooth/gear also. You can feel it in the steering wheel. So I figured it was the intermediate shaft and replaced that today, and it still is there if not worse, while going to work gomg around a corner it felt like it missed a tooth while turning & scared the **** out of me. Could this be a bushing in the steering column? Please provide as much detail as possible lol I've been doing all my repairs and learning along the way.

 

Let's see a pic of the steering. It is possible the PO changed the steering to a Y-link setup, like the Wranglers. That setup type is known for a dead spot.

 

i looked up Y link steering and it is not that. It's stock. I'm doing both hub assembly in the next few days and am planning on doing ball joints soon hoping that will help with driving. I Feel like it's in the steering column though because you can feel it jumping a tooth in the dead spot

 

Jumping as in one tooth is worn down and you can feel it while turning back and forth over the spot, but isn't moving enough to turn the wheels

 

A bad TRE will feel the same way...are they all good or new ?

Kinda obvious, but no one has asked, and you didn't say.

 

I'll check it out. I just want to make sure it's not up in the steering column area

 

I may be wrong, it happens often enough, but I don't think there is anything in the column that could cause a dead spot or slipping. Unless the steering wheel is slipping on it's splines, but I doubt that. To my knowledge, the inside of the column is just a straight shaft connecting the steering wheel to the universal joint at the steering box.

 

With what?

 

If you got a reman box from a auto parts store some of those are bad in the box,And if your not use to a steering box and only use to rack and pinion a steering box does have a tiny bit of play/dead spot when everything is new and working right.

 

LOL I lied it is a y steering setup. Gonna check to see if it's the "tie rod roll" later today, as you can tell I'm still learning. Sorry. And yeah it was a reman. Box

 

Now you're killing me! Do you own a camera? Post up a pic of the steering. If it is indeed a Y setup, then it is likely tie rod roll. RuffStuff has an item called 'The Cure' that takes the slack up in the tie rod end. Maybe $20?

 

I'm ****ing losing it hahaha it's stock....... right?!?!

 

Am I seeing this right? Looks like the drivers side TRE is in upside down?

 

Yup...... just noticed it, wtf did I buy

 

That is the stock setup, basically. The driver's TRE is on top of the knuckle, the stock setup has it on the bottom of the knuckle. I know that is a common mod to gain clearance. The question is, how did the PO flip it? Typically the stock knuckle is drilled and a tapered insert is used from the top side. If the insert is worn out, the joint will be loose. Take that joint apart and see what it looks like.