resharp001

I'd agree that it kind of looks like it fell out. This whole thread has been a little odd. Did the shop do anything other than replace the ball joints? I've kinda been scratching my head as to why they would have had the whole suspension and steering torn apart to begin with, unless you took it to them and asked them to diagnose your DW.....in which case I can picture them taking everything off the jeep since they are the kinda shop that would breake down the entire steering box looking for a reason for tightness......ugh.

Chichirone

I too am not convinced the shop did much beyond change BJs, tires and steering stabilizer. The bump stop is just an example of the shoddy work the shop does. I cannot tolerate poor workmanship and lack of discipline to do the job right the first time. We own 2 businesses and I cannot imagine having this type f poor quality and expect to retain customers. Oh well, I am moving on and not looking back.

The ride is improved and steering has a much better feel. Tracks straight and no more darting across lanes or diving into corners upon turn in. On ramps were scary after I picked the Jeep up the first time.

Now I need to figure out if the bump stop fell out or is broke. I need to get a couple more pics and see what you guys think.

resharp001

As long as you still have that ridge at the top of the bumpstop extension, it should just push back up in to place. I think it's most likely it just fell out. Can't imagine how that would break.

Chichirone

I want to thank Shawnphi1 for making time during his Saturday morning to help out a complete stranger met on the JK-Forum. This is what this forum is all about. People helping other people. For the record, Shawn's 2008 Jeep JK is totally bad a$$! And all the work done by him.

Shawn helped diagnose the jittery feel of the steering. He evaluated all the critical components then decided lets take it for a drive. After driving my Jeep we (more like he, I think I get credit for hooking up an extension cord) removed the Fox Performance Series steering stabilizer. We took the Jeep for another ride and it was night and day. No more white knuckled hands on the wheel. We could actually guide the wheel with one hand or even a few fingers with light inputs. Going back to OEM stock replacement steering stabilizer.

The ride, handling and steering feel is still not the same as before but with the changes made, I expected some differences. Hindsight 20/20 --- I should have stuck with BFG tires and OEM steering stabilizer (again my old one was leaking) --- change is not always good I guess.

Thanks again Shawn. It was great to meet you. I appreciate your help and sharing your knowledge of these Jeeps.

shawnphi1

Thanks for the shout out!! It was great to meet and help out a fellow jeeper in need. Also we found that ur bumpstop was tore off most likely by the shop. If u need help with anything, such as bumpstop replacement or SS replacement or future mods, don't hesitate to ask me!

Chichirone

After driving my Jeep for the past few weeks I simply HATE the ride. Even though its better than when I picked it up from the shop, its a far cry from comfortable. The steering wheel has so much play without input to steering we chase the Jeep back and forth across the lane. Removing the Fox stabilizer and going back to OEM helped, but I am at a loss.

The dang Jeep just wanders all over the road and I am correcting all the time. Simply wears me out. My wife refuses to drive it. I drove this Jeep pulling a trailer in 2015 from TX to OH and never felt uncomfortable. I just feel like after replacing the BJs and going from BFG to MT tires, the Jeep ride and handling has turned into a POS.

Latest Diagnosis: (I am a greenhorn so bear with me!)
I swear something is knocking in the steering linkage. I watched Planman's videos again. He shows the DL as a possible issue along with the BJs in one of his examples. The up and down movement of the DL end makes me feel the DL end needs replaced. There is a knocking feel in the steering box pittman arm junction. I grab the pittman arm and shake it up and down and there is play. Unfortunately, I did not see anything in Planman's video for this possibility I am feeling.

Oh yeah...the bumpstop is broken and sitting in the coil spring. I need to take it back to the shop but I just don't trust them to touch the Jeep again.

I need to connect with Shawnpi1 to do more diagnosis.

resharp001

Safe to say you've got a couple thousand miles on those new ball joints in the last 3 weeks?You've checked the alignment as well? Can't recall....what kind of caster correction does your lift have? Adjustable control arms, geo brackets, or nothing?

That kind of wandering is definitely not acceptable.....and if your wife is scared to drive it there is definitely an issue. I would start from scratch, enlist shawnphi1's help again, and go over everything. I wouldn't rule out the pitman arm, but I would start by verifying the TB brackets are in good shape, the TB is torqued, focus on that DL joint axle side joint and also make sure it's torqued properly. Inspect the control arm joints as well. If those CA's are factory, and 6+ years old, they could be worn. If you have Teraflex arms on it, I'd still inspect those joints given how it's wandering on you. I have seen a worn joint on a RK control arm cause major wandering in a buddy's jeep....so much so you would have thought he was a drunk driver on the road. Even though the BJs were just replaced, I'd still verify they are good. Unfortunately given what the shop previously might have touched, I'd trust nothing in regards to torque.

Did you ever figure out if the shop really DID do something to your steering box previously? It seems a bit odd you're reporting a dead space in that steering where you move the wheel and don't see a reaction.

Chichirone

Appreciate the quick reply.

The shop did nothing to the steering box. The only thing they did was drive it and re-torque the BJs. They had the Jeeo for over a week and barely touched it. I was so frustrated I finally just went and picked it up.

resharp001

If you're still on the factory control arms, there is a chance the bushings could be wearing down some after that length of time, but that probably isn't going to be as noticeable as it would be with an aftermarket heim joint that has gone bad.....but at this point, I just don't think you can rule anything out. If you don't have some sort of caster correction, and you're running a fairly low caster as a result, that's probably not helping the issue at all. Not the sole cause, but probably enhancing it a bit. You might want to look at some geometry brackets which could help a good bit. They're only ~$100 and could make a big difference in your driveability. Again, you have other issues at play here, so that is not a fix necessarily but rather something to consider. Correct caster is going to give you a more enjoyable ride.

Unfortunately there's no simple directive except to thoroughly inspect all your components. I would even go as far as to rotate the tires just to eliminate them as a cause.

resharp001

I'd also add that if you have any questions if a joint is bad, it doesn't hurt to post up a close up video of said joint while someone is cycling the steering and ask for opinions. Mind you....watch the joint through a couple steering cycles, but if you see any point at which the joint is moving up and down (for a TRE or DL), focus on turning the wheel back and forth in that small range of motion. For the TB, pay very close attention to any lateral play while the steering is cycling. You should be seeing very little movement. If you need to, post up any videos to youtube, google drive, or whatnot and share a link here.