If possible I could use some input please. Having a steering problem.

[DGD]

My name is Don. I purchased Chris's (CBH) 2021 Jeep Wrangler 392. The Jeep had 2651 upon arrival. I drove it probably 25 miles and then

had new 285/70/17 BFG MT tires installed. I have noticed now that I am driving it a bit (roughly 300 miles) that it is pulling to the left

and the steering wheel in my opinion sits a little left. Did not notice this when I received but have to say that in the excitement of

it arriving I only noticed the roaring exhaust. Since this has happened I have taken the Jeep to 2 different Jeep dealerships in my area

to have an alignment. Both dealership service advisors stated that the techs recognize the pull however state the alignments are in the correct specifications. The last

dealership told me to go back to the place where I purchased the tires - that this would probably be my problem. (Discount Tire - which I am super happy with as always). I disagree however did as requested. As of this afternoon

Discount rotated and re balanced the tires for me. Unfortunately this did not resolve the problem. If anyone might have thoughts on a possible problem / solution

I would be grateful for the help. It is extremely frustrating as it is now the only thing I can focus on. BTW I am not very savvy in being able to do any major

work on my own vehicle other than changing fluids which I do not want to do right now for factory warranty sake. My plan at this point is to have an independent third party check the alignment again. (ASE certified Christian Brothers) here in my area of North Texas.



Thank you very much -

Don

 

[Bobo57]

My name is Don. I purchased Chris's (CBH) 2021 Jeep Wrangler 392. The Jeep had 2651 upon arrival. I drove it probably 25 miles and then

had new 285/70/17 BFG MT tires installed. I have noticed now that I am driving it a bit (roughly 300 miles) that it is pulling to the left

and the steering wheel in my opinion sits a little left. Did not notice this when I received but have to say that in the excitement of

it arriving I only noticed the roaring exhaust. Since this has happened I have taken the Jeep to 2 different Jeep dealerships in my area

to have an alignment. Both dealerships stated that the techs recognize the pull however state the alignments are in the correct specifications. The last

dealership told me to go back to the place where I purchased the tires - that this would probably be my problem. (Discount Tire - which I am super happy with as always). I disagree however did as requested. As of this afternoon

Discount rotated and re balanced the tires for me. Unfortunately this did not resolve the problem. If anyone might have thoughts on a possible problem / solution

I would be grateful for the help. It is extremely frustrating as it is now the only thing I can focus on. BTW I am not very savvy in being able to do any major

work on my own vehicle other than changing fluids which I do not want to do right now for factory warranty sake. My plan at this point is to have an independent third party check the alignment again. (ASE certified Christian Brothers) here in my area of North Texas.



Thank you very much -

Don

You will have to find a competent alignment shop to correct the problem. Assuming the vehicle has not been in a wreck then the shop should be able to sort it out. Having said that I did get a set of Goodyear tires that were defective and it was causing a pull. Never could sort it out, new set of tires and problem fixed.

 

[Jeepstin392]

The tires may have a radial pull, which happens.
Many of the 392’s am sad I have the steering wheel slightly left.
I have had a few alignments done to try to correct this anomaly. It’s always the same.

 

[guruman]

It's possible for the steering stabilizer to fail in such a way that the internal pressure exerts force on the drag link. You might try removing it as a test.

 

[DGD]

Thank you very much Bobo for your input. I have read about the possibility of bad tires. Not frequent but can happen as you know from first hand experience. To me it seems that if it were one or more of the tires that the rotation would have maybe made the Jeep track a different way however its veers the exact same way. I feel sure that if I asked Discount to replace the tires - they would do so. They have been very accommodating over the years. I do not believe the Jeep has been in an accident. Carfax does not show anything and there are no mentions in the history of services of any steering complaints. BTW I do realize Carfax may not know everything. I do feel fairly sure that Chris would have mentioned something to me or here on the forum if he had been in an accident. The Jeep looks virtually new. I guess the Jeep could have hit a pothole at some point but who knows. My plan is as you suggest - a different facility. If that does not work there is an independent here in the area that specializes in Jeep and the likes. Maybe they can help. I really was hoping that a dealership could resolve the problem.

 

[DGD]

Boy Jeepstin392 - I am surprised to hear this. That kinda stinks. Maybe if the alignment checks out again on Monday - I can have them over correct to bring it back to norm if this is a possibility.

 

[DGD]

Thanks everybody. I can at least have some suggestions when I go back to address this problem.

Don

 

[ridetime]

The tires may have a radial pull, which happens.
Many of the 392’s am sad I have the steering wheel slightly left.
I have had a few alignments done to try to correct this anomaly. It’s always the same.

This. Have them swap the tires from driver to passenger to rule out this potential issue.

 

[Fast-n-Furious]

What tire pressure are you running? My experience is the slight pull to left is not noticeable with 35-36psi, but I’ve been running 30-32 and on highway or local I can feel the left pull. I just live with it so far and it doesn’t bother me much.

 

[DGD]

Thank you Ridetime and Fast-n-furious -
The last dealership did swap the front tires. Nothing changed. Discount today swapped back to front and nothing there either. Still a pull. As for tire pressure - they are at 39/40. As of writing this response I have not looked to see what recommended tire pressure it. Doing that next.

Thanks again !

 

[Fast-n-Furious]

Thank you Ridetime and Fast-n-furious -
The last dealership did swap the front tires. Nothing changed. Discount today swapped back to front and nothing there either. Still a pull. As for tire pressure - they are at 39/40. As of writing this response I have not looked to see what recommended tire pressure it. Doing that next.

Thanks again !

39/40 way too high. 37 is the factory standard but still too high. To have even wear and better ride comfort, many JL members deflate to 28-32. You may give it a try and see if it makes a difference.

 

[DGD]

I will try this tomorrow. I also after searching found another very recent thread here on the forum addressing the same issue however tracking right.

Brand new Rubicon 392 pulling to the right

I need advice from any new owners of the Rubicon 392. I just purchased my 2022 Rubicon 392 with the extreme recon package. The day I drove it off the lot, I noticed a pull to the right. I was finding myself having to turn the steering wheel just a slight bit to correct it. The dealer checked it...

www.jeep392.com

Thank you very much !

 

[guruman]

There's a limited number of things that might cause a pull:

Alignment (which you have checked)
Tires (you rotated and it did not change and as long as the pressures are relatively close should not be it)
Wheels (same as above)
Brake drag.. stuck caliper.... possibly, but it will get HOT and smell like hot brakes pretty quickly
Wheel bearing... Usually there are other symptoms (grinding/heat), as a failed wheel bearing is not long for this world.
Something in the axle/diff? I've never seen this in all my years, but I suppose it's possible
Rod ends... a sticking or faulty tie rod or drag link end... again, never saw it happen, but possible
steering stabilizer... I've definitely seen this be an issue and it's easy to check
steering box..... the steering box is a hydraulic device.... I suppose it's possible for some internal leak to cause it
steering shaft... something wrapped around the steering shaft/linkage? (Not likely, but maybe)
Steering wheel/column... something binding within the wheel/column assembly (again possible, but I've never heard of it)

You can check the caliper temps with a temp gun after driving it, if one is WAY hotter, it might be a sticking caliper or bearing.

Other wise it might be worth jacking up the front end... if it pulls when you power on/start the Jeep, then it's likely the steering box.

 

[DGD]

Thank you very much Guruman for your detailed response. After reading the other thread that started in very early April of this year about basically the same issue - I started leaning toward control arms. The OP also mentioned something about a Chrysler approved caster bolt that would be covered under warranty which is the route he ended up going with. In his last post he mentioned that for the moment this was helping.

I am starting today with lowering tire pressure and Monday will move forward with trying some of the solutions offered here. I will follow up with results.

Thanks everybody again for the requested help.

 

[mini2nut]

Keep us posted once you find the roof cause of the problem. I’m super curious to what is causing the pulling issue.

 

[DGD]

For those that responded and also for anyone that might end up with the steering issue I had.

(Problem) My Jeep was pulling left. After 2 dealership alignments and a third party alignment stated everything was within specifications - Their only recommendation was to keep tires rotated. No other suggestions as for a fix.

Here was the solution that worked in my case and below are the notes for my repair:

Work performed by Mike's Off Road in Haltom City Texas.
Mike and his crew really made the problem a good learning experience. He was willing to spend time on the phone in an attempt to diagnose the problem before bringing the Jeep in.
Didn't just say I don't know to get me out of his hair.

Replaced the lower control arms with Mopar part number 68322798AA to obtain more caster.
These replacement Mopar control arms added 1 degree of caster above the factory installed arms.

Also installed - a caster cam bolt kit to adjust caster split so to allow correction for my pull to the left.

Final alignment and then a test drive to confirm the installs worked properly.

Success.

I mentioned in another post above that there was a gentleman dealing with a similar issue here in another thread on the forum. He mentioned that his dealership service department stated the solution to his problem was an aftermarket caster bolt that would be covered under factory warranty. To me it sounds like it may have been a similar fix. Fortunately for him his dealer service department at least had knowledge of the problem and a possible solution. Both of my local dealer service departments knew nothing of this.

Im driving straight again .

 

[mini2nut]

Excellent news on the root cause of your issue. We appreciate the update with the part number.

 

[stumblinhorse]

For those that responded and also for anyone that might end up with the steering issue I had.

(Problem) My Jeep was pulling left. After 2 dealership alignments and a third party alignment stated everything was within specifications - Their only recommendation was to keep tires rotated. No other suggestions as for a fix.

Here was the solution that worked in my case and below are the notes for my repair:

Work performed by Mike's Off Road in Haltom City Texas.
Mike and his crew really made the problem a good learning experience. He was willing to spend time on the phone in an attempt to diagnose the problem before bringing the Jeep in.
Didn't just say I don't know to get me out of his hair.

Replaced the lower control arms with Mopar part number 68322798AA to obtain more caster.
These replacement Mopar control arms added 1 degree of caster above the factory installed arms.

Also installed - a caster cam bolt kit to adjust caster split so to allow correction for my pull to the left.

Final alignment and then a test drive to confirm the installs worked properly.

Success.

I mentioned in another post above that there was a gentleman dealing with a similar issue here in another thread on the forum. He mentioned that his dealership service department stated the solution to his problem was an aftermarket caster bolt that would be covered under factory warranty. To me it sounds like it may have been a similar fix. Fortunately for him his dealer service department at least had knowledge of the problem and a possible solution. Both of my local dealer service departments knew nothing of this.

Im driving straight again .

I am sorry that you had an issue. I am even more sorry that a reputable shop installed a caster cam bolt in your 392.

For anyone that is being told this is an answer for any caster problem, do not allow a shop to do this to your 392. This approach died before the JK. It was common place back in the day and is not an acceptable method today.

Anytime you think you need more caster than the mopar 2” lift control arms. The next step is to add geo brackets or adjustable control arms.

The cam adjuster bolt is installed by making an irreparable change to your JL frame. There is no way to undo what has been done. They grind out the bolt hole in the frame and truly rarely is it able to hold the arms from moving around. This will inevitably cause death wobble Down the road.

Again I am so sorry this happened to you and now what you need to do is on every oil change torque your bolts.

 

[DGD]

Thank you for your input Mr. stumblinhorse. I did see your comments in the previous thread about the same issue. I have taken a look under the Jeep and also taken a few photos. To my eyes I do not see any grinding or aggressive repair marks. Of course I can not tell if the holes have been enlarged due to the bolts being installed. The kit reference on the paperwork is SPT 82375. Looks like 4 bolts, 2 shims and 4 nuts. Mike's closed at 2pm Central today so will not be able to confirm anything until Monday morning. For the moment I am not very concerned as the bolts installed appear to fit the LCA's properly. I did hold up one of the original arms to the larger bolt (portion where the arm connects to the frame) and the bolt does fit in the hole without issue. Of course I am not familiar like yourself with the process of the repair. I will follow up again on Monday.

Thank you again -
Don

 

[stumblinhorse]

The caster adjusters work very simply. They used to be on all straight axle 4x4s due to tolerances at factory. The idea is simple. To increase or decrease caster all that needs to happen is lengthen or shorten the control arms. So a cam adjuster bolt is doing that at the lca connection to the axle. They are often called eccentrics. Because as you can see in your picture they are not round. So the act of turning the bolt moves the connection between the axle and the LCA forward or backward. Thus increasing or decreasing caster. So to make room for that movement on a JL/jk the hole must be elongated. It needs to be elongated enough to actually have an impact on caster. So .25-.35 inches. As you can imagine that sounds sketchy, If that gets loose or is jarred off road it slides even at 120 ft/lbs of torque that is applied. The cam adjuster is designed to try to stop it but once it slides, it always slides. And the connection of the LCA to the axle right there is critical for proper handling and steering, as you found out, hence your report of steering problems.

With so many aftermarket options for adjustable LCAs or geo brackets the practice of adding an eccentric has long been gone. And it is typically reserved for the good ole shops or dealerships, since mopar makes no LCA that is adjustable…. There is not anything that can be done now. if you look at that cam kit it is not compatible with your 392. So If you run into trouble there are a couple cam elimination kits out there for dodge trucks from synergy that you can try. But trade it in at the first hint of death wobble.