garyson1311

Hello, Im new to the forum and am hoping that you guys can help me diagnose a problem I am having with my 91 XJ. My Jeep is lifted and such but the steering components are all stock as far as I know. Here goes... I only use my XJ for playing around offroad (nothing remotely crazy, just trails) and the last time I went out everything was A Okay, no problems, big hits, grinding sounds or anything that I can recall. Now today I decide to take her out.. I hop in it, throw it in reverse, back out of my driveway, and realize that something is very wrong with my steering.. I notice that there is almost no resistance and not nearly as much effort needed when I try and turn my steering wheel and it also takes like 5-10 full turns of the steering wheel (with almost no resistance, almost as if it feels "disconnected") to get the front wheels to turn (steer)! So to describe it, and for lack of a better term, id say "feeling disconnected" best describes it but if I turn the steering wheel a bunch, it will gradually start turning the tires. (Needless to say, I pulled the jeep back into my driveway and just started playing with the wheel as I was sitting there, no driving AT ALL with the car like this) So its not that it doesnt work at all but it doesnt work like it should and definitely needs something fixed. I am not sure where to start on this so I was hoping you guys could help me.. Steering box maybe? Maybe I stripped a gear somewhere? Thanks a ton. Also, when it was working "fine", the steering wheel lock would do its job, now even with the keys out, I can turn the steering wheel with the same ease that I previously described.. I can only assume this is part of the same problem.

garyson1311

Anyone have any idea?

cmarr6

sounds to me you may have stripped the splines that the steering wheel mounts to, or at the bottom of the column where it connects to the steering box. Have a friend look under the hood while turning the wheel and see where it is slipping. With the wheel turning, even in the locked position, it sounds like its stripped at the steering wheel. You can pull the horn cover off easily, and look to make sure the shaft is turning as you turn the wheel.