hitch in steering

[SuperBuickGuy]

occasionally, I get a slight locking in the steering ... which is excellent timing since I'm going 4 wheeling in 4 days.... thoughts?

 

[atvspeed4]

My first h3 did that, was a worn bushing inside the rack

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

that is what I'm afraid of... but can I wheel it then fix it? it's also the 2nd steering rack (at least) for this rig. I bought it with 80k miles on it, and the dealership told me (and was easy to tell) that they'd replaced the rack. Has 122k on it now. I like IFS, but I am not liking how fragile it is... maybe once the FJ40 is done, I can pull this into the shop and have my way with it.... I'm thinking something akin to what Bebe did to hers, only with a diesel

 

[atvspeed4]

that is what I'm afraid of... but can I wheel it then fix it? it's also the 2nd steering rack (at least) for this rig. I bought it with 80k miles on it, and the dealership told me (and was easy to tell) that they'd replaced the rack. Has 122k on it now. I like IFS, but I am not liking how fragile it is... maybe once the FJ40 is done, I can pull this into the shop and have my way with it.... I'm thinking something akin to what Bebe did to hers, only with a diesel

I wheeled mine like that for a while. Eventually it started leaking and it was replaced. I can't remember, do you have one of the aftermarket steering clamps?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I do.... and I've nursed some pretty broken rigs for a long, long time - so, I should be okay... and if not, I'm within the 200 mile radius for a AAA tow

 

[rsm688]

What steering rack mount/clamp are you using? Some of them can clamp down too hard and cause it to catch. Easy way to test that is to just loosen the bolts a little and drive around and see if it goes away. If it does you can shim it so it doesn't clamp as hard. A mount that clamps a little too hard will also cause premature wear of the internals of your steering rack. My H3 had 90k miles, was wheeled hard with 35s before I got it and the factory rack was still fine. Thought I had issues with it and swapped a brand new one in only to realize it wasn't the rack causing my problems

As far as if it's inside the rack just replace the entire thing. On eBay there was a seller with brand new OEM ones with the 16mm tie rods for like $260 shipped and they would refund $25 if you return your old as a core (they pay return shipping). Takes about an hour or two to swap in.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

well, I found the issue.

A while ago, I had a mechanic replace the air conditioning condensor (requires removing the entire dash).
yeah, ut oh

his employee did a good job except for two things.
1) and this I've talked of before - he didn't label when he pulled the wiring off a relay thus it stayed on and killed batteries
and
2) I get grief from people about how many zip ties I go through... because I've been there with wires falling and causing issues. Like wires falling into the steering rag-joint...

yeah, the wire was wrapped completely around the steering shaft - probably got hooked, initially, on one of the bolts then wrapped itself around the shaft.

 

[atvspeed4]

WOw glad you got the figured out! Thats scary/ ridiculous