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Bad u joint?

6K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  Wharfrat 
#1 ·
I'm not sure if I have a bad axle u joint or something else. I recently had the ball joints replaced on both sides and the jeep handled great after that. Steering was smooth and tight. I just got home from a 9000km road trip and about 3/4 of the way home I noticed that when making a turn at an intersection or in a parking lot, the steering wheel wouldn't go back to centre smoothly. It would kind of jerk it's way back. Not as aggressive as it would be if it was on 4x4 but noticeably more rough than it used to be. I didn't think much of it.

I got it home and decided to rotate the tires to see if it was uneven wear causing the weird feeling in the steering wheel. Still doing it though.

I jacked up the front end and spun the wheels while they were turned and everything felt fine. The only thing I thought was weird was when I was spinning the right tire it would prompt the steering wheel to turn and move back to centre. Is this odd? Or a normal thing for the steering wheel wanting to move back to centre when trying to spin the wheel?

Everything sounds fine but the feeling in the steering wheel and the fact the steering wheel starts to turn when spinning one of the wheels leads me to believe it's a bad u joint despite it not making any noise.

Would there be any other thing that would cause this? Axle not quite installed properly after ball joints replaced? Bad steering stabilizer?

Any input would be great!
 
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#2 ·
With the tire off the ground. Place your hand through and around the joint. You should be able to feel any play if loose. After turn your steering wheel all the way in each direction. If a joint is binding the tire will stop spinning or slow down at a certain point.
Also ... Visually inspect the caps making sure they're all in place.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the reply. Everything looked and felt good. Like I said I just found it odd that when spinning the wheel it also wanted to go back to centre almost as if the joint is starting to seize up and not liking being turned. But maybe that's the nature of power steering. It only did it on the right side.

As an added piece of info it's a 2010 with about 80000 km on it.

Is there anything else that may cause this issue? Seems like if a steering stabilizer was going bad it may not open and close smooth like a shock should and perhaps that's what's causing it, but it seems like a stretch.

it drove fine right after the ball joints were replaced so obviously everything was installed properly and the ball joints look fine still.

Although it doesn't seem to be a huge cause for concern I really just want to make sure to not doing more damage to something.

The wheel turns fine when sitting still and cycling through the steering. It's only when I let the wheel centre itself when coming out of a turn that I feel it jerk. You can even visually see the steering wheel jerk it's way back to centre. So it seems as though it's something related to when the front wheels are spinning.
 
#5 ·
This does not sound like a bad ujoint to me. Return to center issues are more likely alignment or the steering box itself.

Check the color of your steering fluid. It should be a delicious looking red color. Burned fluid will have a brown caramel color.

Im not saying that is the issue, but it would be a good place to start.
 
#6 ·
This does not sound like a bad ujoint to me. Return to center issues are more likely alignment or the steering box itself. Check the color of your steering fluid. It should be a delicious looking red color. Burned fluid will have a brown caramel color. Im not saying that is the issue, but it would be a good place to start.
Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look tomorrow. Everything feels fine and the steering wheel moves smooth when cycling it and not moving. It's only when the jeep is in motion that the steering wheel jerks it's way back to centre. But it definitely won't hurt to have a look. Could this mean a new pump is necessary? Or just a fluid flush and fill?
 
#7 ·
Also I should note the only reason I'm leaning toward u joint is that most searches online of these symptoms has lead towards a seizing joint. Lots online about jeeps and also ram pickups.

I'm not the most mechanically inclined but can do basic things like change my own oil and rotate tires so I appreciate the help!
 
#13 ·
I'm not sure if I have a bad axle u joint or something else. I recently had the ball joints replaced on both sides and the jeep handled great after that. Steering was smooth and tight. I just got home from a 9000km road trip and about 3/4 of the way home I noticed that when making a turn at an intersection or in a parking lot, the steering wheel wouldn't go back to centre smoothly. It would kind of jerk it's way back. Not as aggressive as it would be if it was on 4x4 but noticeably more rough than it used to be. I didn't think much of it.

I got it home and decided to rotate the tires to see if it was uneven wear causing the weird feeling in the steering wheel. Still doing it though.

I jacked up the front end and spun the wheels while they were turned and everything felt fine. The only thing I thought was weird was when I was spinning the right tire it would prompt the steering wheel to turn and move back to centre. Is this odd? Or a normal thing for the steering wheel wanting to move back to centre when trying to spin the wheel?

Everything sounds fine but the feeling in the steering wheel and the fact the steering wheel starts to turn when spinning one of the wheels leads me to believe it's a bad u joint despite it not making any noise.

Would there be any other thing that would cause this? Axle not quite installed properly after ball joints replaced? Bad steering stabilizer?

Any input would be great!
Disconnect your tie rod and draglink from your knuckles. While they are disconnected your knuckles should just fall right back to the steering stops. If you have to manually move your knuckles to your stops your balljoints are either to tight or binding. If this is the case losen the balljoint nuts and break the knuckle free from the axle. When retorquing the nuts alternate between top and bottom nuts while someone else is moving the knuckle back and forth to release any binding. If that doesnt work and your balljoints are still binding up you need new balljoints
 
#14 ·
Hello! I'm having this same symptom in my 2012 JK Sport. I already replaced the power steering pump, lubricated the trunnion, did the geometry, and still the issue continues. The next steps will be the replacement of the U-joints and steering stabilizer... and then, steering box. Were you able to solve the problem?
 
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