My XJ developed increasing steering play over the last year. Tightening the box only added resistance. I verified there’s no play in the steering column and the pitman arm doesn’t move where the play occurs, so the box seemed to be the issue.

I replaced it with a Lares unit from RockAuto. It’s slightly better, but not the improvement I expected. In the video, steering wheel movement doesn’t move the tires at all. Column and pitman arm still show no play.

Video of play

Is this amount of play normal, or should it be tighter? The delay is gone and it feels safe now, but still underwhelming. The old box turned out to be a Cardone unit, so it was replaced at some point before I owned the Jeep or early in my ownership.

 

Crawl under there and have someone move the wheel back and forth with the engine running. Look for things that are moving that shouldn't be.