glwood6

Nice...we all know how Chinese-made products are known for their quality and longevity...

MoridinTX

I had the same symptoms, such that when cold the steering was tight, but once the Jeep got hot the clunk could be felt through the pedals as well as the steering.

I took off the upper and lower factory clamps on the steering sector shaft and then slid the boot down. I put a small amount of Permatex 5th wheel grease on the splines then slid the boot back into position and put the lower clamp on. I then injected more grease, filling the boot up, using a chicken/turkey/meat Marinade injector.

So far the clunk as not come back, after a couple hours of running errands on a 100 degree day

glwood6

What type of clamp did you use when you put the boot back on?

mkjeep

I put zipties on mine, works fine.

MoridinTX

Just a stainless hose clamp, the type that you screw together. Bought a variety pack at auto zone, had several sizes in it.

Had I thought about it, I would have done what mkjeep did, easier and cheaper.

glwood6

Blast it. Good idea, and I have dozens of those laying around...I wish I'd thought of that! Would've saved a trip to the auto parts store and a few $$.

armandov99

Same problems as WhiskyPirate. I got the Amsoil 5th Wheel Grease & Open Gear compound that everyone was using. Took the factory clamp off the boot (boy what a PITA) and sprayed crease inside the boot, then closed it back up with a hose clamp.

Helped, but did not cure the issue completely. A year later I feel like it's still coming back, and now I feel it in the pedal even in cold temperatures (we haven't had a warm summer in LA) so I don't even wanna know how it'll feel in a hot day.

Stupid thing. Really annoying. Maybe I just didn't use enough grease...

Hellbound13

Try replacing with a new shaft. If that doesn't work it's something else in your steering or suspension.

71Luber

I think the key to this fix is you have to get the grease worked into the splines really well, not just in the boot. The open gear compound gets tackier the more it's worked in the splines. It's basically getting thicker and "gluing" the tiny bit of play in the splines together.

I'm wondering if those who had no success merely put grease in the boot and walked away expecting it to be fixed?

WhiskyPirate

I definitely worked the grease into the splines as much as possible - decided to go one more time and added more to the inside of the boot a couple days ago. The really hot weather we were having up here in MA has dropped a bit, so I havent been able to judge if that did anything or not since the knock has only been happening with the higher temps... Guess we'll see.