Man, I appreciate a clear, well explained and worded walkthrough of a problem like this with clear visual aids. Mines a 2000 XJ, and the wheel is turned exactly sideways, can’t see my RPM or fuel gauge safely. Thanks! Giving this a go tomorrow.
this method does work, however you will not be able to turn as sharply to one side since you are getting less push or pull from the pitman arm. the better way would be to straighten your wheels like he did, unhook the draglink from the pitman arm. then you remove the pitman arm from the steering box, straighten your steering wheel, and reinstall your pitman arm (so that it is clocked parrallel to the center line of the vehicle). this method gives you equal turning radius whether turning left or right. for small amounts of adjustment, his method is much faster and requires alot less work, and you really wont lose too much turning ability. love the jeep and the videos, keep them coming. :D
I can’t say for pre-97, but on my 2000 there’s a flat spot on the steering box shaft that the pitman arm sits on so it’s not possible to adjust it that way.
Or what you can do is disconnect the steering shaft to the gear box adjust the pitman arm to be close to parallel and the connect the steering shaft to the flat spot and then small adjustments afterwards, beats taking that pesky pitman arm off
But yea if you do it this method you will find that you lose turning radius on one side pretty significantly, mine ending up being to the right, its very in depth geometry to get everything correct, like this has to go this way in order to do that blah blah blah
Perfect video...easy peasy...one trick for those doing this alone...using a Carpenters square,figure out how much you need to rotate your steering wheel. Place a pair of vice grips on your steering... wheel vertically. Then rotate the square untill matches your measurement . Place a piece of tape on the windshield at that point...now when you rotate the adjuster, you can peek up at the windshield to see when the vice grips move to that position. Voila perfecto! Thanks again!
Love your jeep! Great video. My mechanic put in new steering components (CV drive shaft, tie bar, ball joints etc. ) into my 2008 4x2 Patriot. He told me I could use a new rack and pinion unit because my steering wheel was a bit off. He straightened it out, so this is probably what he was doing. Thanks! My steering wheel was nice and straight. Plus quite responsive now.
So hey thanks!!! I have a 78 chevy Scottsdale Big 10 so a little different configuration (but there is a video for C10, but I made no mention of the pipe wrench for the turning!!) Buuudddddyyy! your expression about needing a pipe wrench for the rotations says so much. Good thing I had ramps to get it up a bit, because I had to use a combo of 3 foot and 18 inch cheater bars on the pipe wrench to get it moving even with the nuts really loose and needed 6 side sockets to loosen the nuts as 12 pointed ones just slipped.(And yes I gave it liberal sprays of Liquid Wrench before!!!!!). So thanks again!! :)
So, I got a steering box replaced and the steering box was off. The shop didnt have an alignment machine, so I brought it to Pep Boys. 4 1/2 hours later, I got my car back and its the same. I was told Jeeps are very hard to align.....this gave me a better idea of how to fix the problem. THANK YOU!! 2004 Grand Cherokee Special Edition
YES! This is exactly what I was looking for! I got an alignment and everything but the steering wheel is slightly off to the left and it bugs me, I will give this a try! Thank you :)
I fking love you. You've helped me do almost everything on my Jeep... Which, was my mother's. Before she committed suicide... I super appreciate you, my brother... I'm a landscaping and a sound engineer by trade. Went to school for Musical Engineering. I also know a decent amount about video editing. I'd love to help you out if you ever need.
Thanks man... Just did a crossover steering setup on my xj and got the wheels aligned pretty great get in to drive it and my steering wheels cocked real far to the left lol
Thanks for posting this! Some how the steering wheel on my 98 Wrangler got tipped where the word "Jeep" was vertical (J on top, p on bottom.) but this video allowed me to realign it. Thanks again!
Right on. I just watched this video. So muck knowledge. Matt is like the Dad or Uncle I never had growing up. Now I can teach my 5yr old daughter how to do this today along with changing out a steering box and flushing the system.
that was a great help, just change pass side drag link and sterring was off,your video was great----took me 15 mins to correct sterring wheel -------thanks
Very cool, i have a 90 yj with ford suspension. Its been parked 5 years in my shop, just replaced the steering column, got it running, right tire moves when i turn the steering wheel, left tire waits until right tire moves about 5 inches before it moves, running or not.
Thanks for posting this. My 2003 Jeep Wrangler wheel was just a bit off, and this worked perfectly. (also being a Jeep even the 15mm was dead-on). Thank you
He likes unibody chassis, and wranglers are too expensive, and they are boring to try to modify, since everyone and their mom has already done it, and rich kids. It's cooler to take a "unibody underdog" and turn it into a beast.
Hey Matt I have a 2000 jeep GC Thank you for the vids. I did the tie rod both sides drag link ends both and stabilizer shock.I had a hell of a time with the drag link on the pitman arm, but the rest fell out..... I bumped the steering wheel during the tear down and found this video on straighten the steering wheel ( it was cocked to the left 30-40 degrees) I attached the pipe wrench and began to pull to the front and BLAM!!!! the wheel straighten out.... Thank-you UNKLE BTW it is a 2wd jeep I-6
I took my trac and sway bars off completely. Wranglers are way too stiff and ride rough with em on there. I feel like mine is unflipable now. It lets the body squat where it wants, so its not top heavy when in a sharp turn. And off road the axles are free to move around in crazy positions while the body sits flat. I love it! Idk why anybody would have em on their jeeps. Maybe if it's a daily driver I guess..
I've found it's very difficult to do a driveway alignment on the Y linkage used on Wrangles and Cherokees. As the tie road is connected to the drag link adjustment to the drag link or tie rod affects adjustment of the other. Adjustment to one cause a need for the other to be adjusted. It's a back and forth between the two until it's right. Once you have it right the difference of a true tracking Jeep is amazing. No more bump steer going down the highway. Then again if you don't drive down the highway no big deal. If you're a basher, stock suspension parts will give (bend) and the alignment is gone.
Recently picked up a 2000 xj and the steering wheel was way off but it drove smooth and straight. My 1st front solid axle vehicle so I thought it needed an alignment but watched your video and decided to give it a try. Now the steering wheel is straight but it has a vibration 50mph+ that wasn’t there before. Any idea why?
Because taking the steering wheel off the column is the stupidest thing you can do for this problem. If you don't know why then you should not be working in your own car.
Actually, you can't take the wheel off and put it back on straight. At least not in my XJ (99) the steering wheel spline is indexed. Bleeping Jeep is correct
Good video...very helpful: thank you! What about a video installing Grand Cherokee ZJ steering components to replace the smaller tie rods on XJ and TJ Jeeps? Thanx again.
Question, i had two alignments done and the my 98 jeep cherokee still pulls to the right and my stearing will is at 11 o'clock, is there a reason my alignment goes bad after a few days of doing one????
Matt, think you could upload a video (sometime in near future) on how to replace--possibly fix--the upholstery? I've no visible holes (95 laredo) but darn thing is sagging (gradually getting worse).
Who the hell would thumb down this vid?? Just watched it, went out to my different but similar Jeep Wrangler TJ I just got back from the shop and re-clocked the steering wheel like a PRO! Awesome vid. Thx to you! Rock on broseph! I'm a former motorcycle mechanic but learning more and more about truck and car front ends over the years.
I bought a well used 97 Cherokee Sport and someone had done this previously so I could turn 1.25x left and 1.75x right. When turning right, the passenger wheel would rub against the lower control arm. So this is great for small adjustments, but for an upside-down wheel like his and mine, it is not great.
I really like your videos, Informative, with a touch of humour. I watched your double shear, high steer conversion. The point is, I have an '80 Powerwagon. I bought a high steer conversion kit off E-bay. It came with no instructions, it came with the high steer arm, draglink, and threaded connectors, but the drag link bar is not threaded. I just want to get my poop in a group before I tackle the Dana 60 swap. Any tips on figuring out what the length I need for the drag link. Don't want to weld in the end links, so I'll have to figure out what tap I need. Winter is coming up fast in Alberta Canada.
I have a 93 with the death wobble. I got new tires all the way around, properly inflated, new trac bar, and it's actually been quite a bit worse since the new tires. Any idea where to start?
Thank you , But one question. my steering wheel is slightly tilted about 15 degrees,but my alignment is fine. will that cause my alignment to be off again?
Andres Rojas ... part of having an alignment is making sure the steering wheel is perfectly straight. Take it back to whomever did your alignment and have them fix it.
+WeKnowTheTruth2012 , uhhh....calling women dumb is not a smart mature answer dude. Women did not grow up on trucks and gun toys...they were not persuaded to pursue mechanics or engineering at all. But women are extremely intelligent and when they do learn..they are damn good at what they do. Me, i am just broke as hell and cant afford a mechanic..so i gotta learn it myself and try to fix it. i am a tomboy but i dont normally crawl up under a vehicle but i sure aint scared to get dirty. waiting and relying on men friends doesnt work very well when i do more waiting than fixing. Sooo hence..me trying to learn what I CAN fix. My front end has been so screwed up for almost 2 yrs and i have done alot of waiting to get it fixed. we have worked on it alot but i am getting impatient and want the damn thing fixed.
I have loose steering when I'm driving mine down the road... I can wiggle my steering wheel side to side and does not move unless I'm really turn into driveway how to fix play in steering while driving
Man, I appreciate a clear, well explained and worded walkthrough of a problem like this with clear visual aids. Mines a 2000 XJ, and the wheel is turned exactly sideways, can’t see my RPM or fuel gauge safely. Thanks! Giving this a go tomorrow.
this method does work, however you will not be able to turn as sharply to one side since you are getting less push or pull from the pitman arm. the better way would be to straighten your wheels like he did, unhook the draglink from the pitman arm. then you remove the pitman arm from the steering box, straighten your steering wheel, and reinstall your pitman arm (so that it is clocked parrallel to the center line of the vehicle). this method gives you equal turning radius whether turning left or right. for small amounts of adjustment, his method is much faster and requires alot less work, and you really wont lose too much turning ability. love the jeep and the videos, keep them coming. :D
you dont happen to have a video or know of a video that shows this? i did this method and ran into that problem...lol
I can’t say for pre-97, but on my 2000 there’s a flat spot on the steering box shaft that the pitman arm sits on so it’s not possible to adjust it that way.
Or what you can do is disconnect the steering shaft to the gear box adjust the pitman arm to be close to parallel and the connect the steering shaft to the flat spot and then small adjustments afterwards, beats taking that pesky pitman arm off
But yea if you do it this method you will find that you lose turning radius on one side pretty significantly, mine ending up being to the right, its very in depth geometry to get everything correct, like this has to go this way in order to do that blah blah blah
Old farmer learning on autos for first time. Redoing my jeep. This was a great video. Thank you.
Perfect video...easy peasy...one trick for those doing this alone...using a Carpenters square,figure out how much you need to rotate your steering wheel. Place a pair of vice grips on your steering... wheel vertically. Then rotate the square untill matches your measurement . Place a piece of tape on the windshield at that point...now when you rotate the adjuster, you can peek up at the windshield to see when the vice grips move to that position. Voila perfecto! Thanks again!
Thanks for the video. I had no idea it was this easy.
Love your jeep! Great video. My mechanic put in new steering components (CV drive shaft, tie bar, ball joints etc. ) into my 2008 4x2 Patriot. He told me I could use a new rack and pinion unit because my steering wheel was a bit off. He straightened it out, so this is probably what he was doing. Thanks! My steering wheel was nice and straight. Plus quite responsive now.
That is awesome. I was thinking I had to pull the steering wheel off and mess with the airbag. So glad I saw this video. Thanks Matt
This is one of the best how to mechanic videos I have seen. Thanks. And yes, I was wondering...
Danke!
Great video. My Wrangler wheel was driving at 11 o'clock so it was a very slight turn to get it at 12. Thanks.
Nice job playa! Canada here... keep turning that wrench... one love
Awesome. Just put a lift in the wife’s Jeep, now I can fix the steering wheel. Thanks. Great channel.
So hey thanks!!! I have a 78 chevy Scottsdale Big 10 so a little different configuration (but there is a video for C10, but I made no mention of the pipe wrench for the turning!!) Buuudddddyyy! your expression about needing a pipe wrench for the rotations says so much. Good thing I had ramps to get it up a bit, because I had to use a combo of 3 foot and 18 inch cheater bars on the pipe wrench to get it moving even with the nuts really loose and needed 6 side sockets to loosen the nuts as 12 pointed ones just slipped.(And yes I gave it liberal sprays of Liquid Wrench before!!!!!). So thanks again!! :)
I love you man! You have no idea how many times you saved me from my wife burning all of my jeeps
Man the zombie rig is really coming together! How about a reaction video of the looks you must get wheeling that insanity around town!
So, I got a steering box replaced and the steering box was off. The shop didnt have an alignment machine, so I brought it to Pep Boys. 4 1/2 hours later, I got my car back and its the same. I was told Jeeps are very hard to align.....this gave me a better idea of how to fix the problem.
THANK YOU!!
2004 Grand Cherokee Special Edition
Thank you, replaced all the tie rods and this was the only thing left. Worked great!!!
Props to this vid. Helped me get my XJ steering straight after a lift. Thanks!
YES! This is exactly what I was looking for! I got an alignment and everything but the steering wheel is slightly off to the left and it bugs me, I will give this a try! Thank you :)
exact same issue..
driving me crazy..
This vid came in handy after I installed a new steering box. Keep up the great work!!👍🏻
I fking love you. You've helped me do almost everything on my Jeep... Which, was my mother's. Before she committed suicide... I super appreciate you, my brother... I'm a landscaping and a sound engineer by trade. Went to school for Musical Engineering. I also know a decent amount about video editing. I'd love to help you out if you ever need.
Thanks a ton!!!!! I know this is an older video buuuuut just as great as the new uploads!
Thanks man... Just did a crossover steering setup on my xj and got the wheels aligned pretty great get in to drive it and my steering wheels cocked real far to the left lol
Thanks for posting this! Some how the steering wheel on my 98 Wrangler got tipped where the word "Jeep" was vertical (J on top, p on bottom.) but this video allowed me to realign it. Thanks again!
Great video. Exactly what I was looking for to fix my 04 Grand Cherokee.
Very interesting thanks for sharing this. Cheers from Jacksonville Florida
Right on. I just watched this video. So muck knowledge. Matt is like the Dad or Uncle I never had growing up.
Now I can teach my 5yr old daughter how to do this today along with changing out a steering box and flushing the system.
I found your video to be very informative and helpful for the jeep i recently helped with. Thank you and keep up the good work.-Harry
a great simple explanation on how to get the steering wheel in to the normal position. best sepp
Trying to get my f350 squared away and couldn't find any vids on the dana 60 so thank you for this informative video
that was a great help, just change pass side drag link and sterring was off,your video was great----took me 15 mins to correct sterring wheel -------thanks
Thankyou Matt. (Noob here) I learn so much a from these videos.
Thanks...this is the better of your two videos on this topic, IMHO.
always keeping me informed, saving me time money, as well curing my ignorance!!! you amazing and love your channel
Very cool, i have a 90 yj with ford suspension. Its been parked 5 years in my shop, just replaced the steering column, got it running, right tire moves when i turn the steering wheel, left tire waits until right tire moves about 5 inches before it moves, running or not.
This is so hard to find and so rarely well explained , thankyou sir!
Dang, Exactly what I needed. Great video/info without the BS. THANKS.
Thanks for posting this. My 2003 Jeep Wrangler wheel was just a bit off, and this worked perfectly. (also being a Jeep even the 15mm was dead-on). Thank you
Quick, informative and not filmed on a cell phone. Thanks!
Almost wasted 1000 bucks to have this done. 6 years later and I love it
Thanks for posting this vid bud, real easy to follow and pretty simple to understand.
Holy shit look how young u look bro. lol and how lil those tires are lol the progression of salt and pepper hair in relation to +35s lol
Great videos man I have to do this to my wrangler. I do have a question though. Why don't you have a wrangler? Just asking
He likes unibody chassis, and wranglers are too expensive, and they are boring to try to modify, since everyone and their mom has already done it, and rich kids. It's cooler to take a "unibody underdog" and turn it into a beast.
Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks. Your videos are well done.
I appreciate the heck out of you and your content. Thank you so much! I can always count on you.
After watching your video yesterday, I finally fixed mine. Thanks for the help!
Nice video. Just installed a new steering box over the weekend and my steering wheel is a bit crooked. I'll give this a shot. Thanks!
Hey Matt I have a 2000 jeep GC Thank you for the vids. I did the tie rod both sides drag link ends both and stabilizer shock.I had a hell of a time with the drag link on the pitman arm, but the rest fell out..... I bumped the steering wheel during the tear down and found this video on straighten the steering wheel ( it was cocked to the left 30-40 degrees) I attached the pipe wrench and began to pull to the front and BLAM!!!! the wheel straighten out.... Thank-you UNKLE BTW it is a 2wd jeep I-6
I love your Mad Max windshield!
I took my trac and sway bars off completely. Wranglers are way too stiff and ride rough with em on there. I feel like mine is unflipable now. It lets the body squat where it wants, so its not top heavy when in a sharp turn. And off road the axles are free to move around in crazy positions while the body sits flat. I love it! Idk why anybody would have em on their jeeps. Maybe if it's a daily driver I guess..
Chad Whitaker It's so you don't roll when you take a turn too fast. It's a safety feature, nothing more.
I've found it's very difficult to do a driveway alignment on the Y linkage used on Wrangles and Cherokees. As the tie road is connected to the drag link adjustment to the drag link or tie rod affects adjustment of the other. Adjustment to one cause a need for the other to be adjusted. It's a back and forth between the two until it's right.
Once you have it right the difference of a true tracking Jeep is amazing. No more bump steer going down the highway. Then again if you don't drive down the highway no big deal. If you're a basher, stock suspension parts will give (bend) and the alignment is gone.
Great video, I’ll be sure to try that technique, is it possible to swap my 97 limited xj steering wheel for a grand Cherokee wheel with cruise??
Thanks for the video
Just bought a 98 XJ
How do I diagnose play in the steering without overhauling the steering gear box?
I really like your garage. its organized.
5:29 confirmed ghost turning the steering wheel.
Thanks, this may come in handy after I do my "poor mans 2 inch TJ lift" couple weeks from now.
I used this trick to center the steering wheel on my '88 Cherokee. Couldn't be simpler!
Great video. Nice guidance thru the adjustment
Thank you I got it real easy due to your video.
Another OUTSTANDING vid!!! Thank you so much.
I was just wondering how to do this. My steering wheel is only a little bit off. Just enough to be annoying
Same here. I always turn the drag link the wrong way tho
That could be an alignment issue
same here..
I learn something today. Great video. This really help me a lot. Thank you
Recently picked up a 2000 xj and the steering wheel was way off but it drove smooth and straight. My 1st front solid axle vehicle so I thought it needed an alignment but watched your video and decided to give it a try. Now the steering wheel is straight but it has a vibration 50mph+ that wasn’t there before. Any idea why?
I was really afraid you where just going to take off the steering wheel and put it back on strait lol.
Why did you get afraid ??
Adrenalin_channel 030 he. Got afraid because he is a pussy
Because taking the steering wheel off the column is the stupidest thing you can do for this problem.
If you don't know why then you should not be working in your own car.
That's literally.. how it's done. This, what he shows, is only for fine tuning. backasswards.
Actually, you can't take the wheel off and put it back on straight. At least not in my XJ (99) the steering wheel spline is indexed. Bleeping Jeep is correct
Very helpful! I would like to see a lot more on the old crew cab powerwagon you put the lift on!
Thanks, just what I needed.
Thanks bod I used your video to adjust my Jeep wrangler's tie rod
Thank you...Very detailed and straight to the point video!!!!
Good video...very helpful: thank you!
What about a video installing Grand Cherokee ZJ steering components to replace the smaller tie rods on XJ and TJ Jeeps? Thanx again.
Is this the same sort of setup/procedure I would expect to see from a front wheel drive without power steering?
I have the exact same setup but I can’t figure out how hard to torque down the nuts.
Can you replace the stabilizer after a wheel alignment without having to realign again??
Great video . Very good info. But would this work for my 2003 Ford F-150?
Question, i had two alignments done and the my 98 jeep cherokee still pulls to the right and my stearing will is at 11 o'clock, is there a reason my alignment goes bad after a few days of doing one????
Matt, think you could upload a video (sometime in near future) on how to replace--possibly fix--the upholstery? I've no visible holes (95 laredo) but darn thing is sagging (gradually getting worse).
Yes (thanks)
Who the hell would thumb down this vid?? Just watched it, went out to my different but similar Jeep Wrangler TJ I just got back from the shop and re-clocked the steering wheel like a PRO! Awesome vid. Thx to you! Rock on broseph! I'm a former motorcycle mechanic but learning more and more about truck and car front ends over the years.
I bought a well used 97 Cherokee Sport and someone had done this previously so I could turn 1.25x left and 1.75x right. When turning right, the passenger wheel would rub against the lower control arm. So this is great for small adjustments, but for an upside-down wheel like his and mine, it is not great.
I just swapped a Dana 30 and it threw my wheel off. Was going to take it to the shop but not now, I didn't know it was that easy.
I probably missed the video, but what's the bars on the windshield for? I saw someone said this is a zombie rig.
Took my Pitman arm off and re installed it and now I can’t steer all the way to the right. Any suggestions??
when your steering wheel is upside down and you turn either left or right did it feel like the back end wants wants to swing out?
ok i put trail forge hd steering on my 2000 wj it’s pulling to the right real bad now what can i do to straighten it out until i get a track bar
Awesome bro👍👍 It's 2004 Nissan Titan same adjustment as well bro?
Thanks for this video. Short and informative, as it should be!
So aftermarket track bars don't use steering stabilizers?
Thanks Matt you helped me solve the problem!!
Excellent video. Thank you!
I really like your videos, Informative, with a touch of humour. I watched your double shear, high steer conversion. The point is, I have an '80 Powerwagon. I bought a high steer conversion kit off E-bay. It came with no instructions, it came with the high steer arm, draglink, and threaded connectors, but the drag link bar is not threaded. I just want to get my poop in a group before I tackle the Dana 60 swap. Any tips on figuring out what the length I need for the drag link. Don't want to weld in the end links, so I'll have to figure out what tap I need. Winter is coming up fast in Alberta Canada.
Great video...I'm learning loads from RUclips😊👍🏻
Iv got exact same problem but on my Suzuki jimny, is it same sort of thing?
How can I do this same job with a 1985 Chevy S10 4x4?
Very helpful, thank you! I'm a new Jeep owner
Thanks for video. It helped a lot. It was so fast and easy.
I have a 93 with the death wobble. I got new tires all the way around, properly inflated, new trac bar, and it's actually been quite a bit worse since the new tires. Any idea where to start?
I need some advice on how to replace/repair my steering column adjustment cable on my TJ
Huge time saver. Thank you. Nice job!
What's on your windshield? Can you talk more about that?
Thank you ,
But one question.
my steering wheel is slightly tilted about 15 degrees,but my alignment is fine.
will that cause my alignment to be off again?
Andres Rojas ... part of having an alignment is making sure the steering wheel is perfectly straight. Take it back to whomever did your alignment and have them fix it.
this video was done EXTREMELY well. even for a female, i totally understand what was going on. thank you
yeah this is why theres no female engineers since they're to dumb. At least your a lucky one
+WeKnowTheTruth2012 , uhhh....calling women dumb is not a smart mature answer dude. Women did not grow up on trucks and gun toys...they were not persuaded to pursue mechanics or engineering at all. But women are extremely intelligent and when they do learn..they are damn good at what they do. Me, i am just broke as hell and cant afford a mechanic..so i gotta learn it myself and try to fix it. i am a tomboy but i dont normally crawl up under a vehicle but i sure aint scared to get dirty. waiting and relying on men friends doesnt work very well when i do more waiting than fixing. Sooo hence..me trying to learn what I CAN fix. My front end has been so screwed up for almost 2 yrs and i have done alot of waiting to get it fixed. we have worked on it alot but i am getting impatient and want the damn thing fixed.
your very good at this stuff great job
I have loose steering when I'm driving mine down the road... I can wiggle my steering wheel side to side and does not move unless I'm really turn into driveway how to fix play in steering while driving
I did my pitman arm & i notice that my steering wheel is not straight does has to do anything with the pitman arm any suggestions thanks