Steering problem

[Ant161]

Hi guys, I have just brought another sj, I wanted a tin top as my other is a soft top.
But it has some issues. It is the 1.6 conversion with power steering and a home made reverse shackel kit.
To say it drives like a pig is an understatement. It wanders across the road and bounces and anything over 40 is just plain scary.
It's a 2 inch lift with 31 inch wheels.
Any help much appriceated.

[timwilks13]

Sounds like you're driving an sj to me mate! On a serious note i would check the steering arm bushes are OK, as if they're wearing the wheels are free to do their own thing. Get a mate to wiggle the steering wheel and have a look around, might be play in the box or something.

[turbo-tom]

Bet thing to start with is with the wheels on the ground and engine off try and move the wheel very lightly and see if there is any "play" in the steering box if there is there is a screw and a lock nut on top of the steering box.

failing that jack the truck up and check the wheel bearings for play, also check for any play in the king pin bearings you can check the king pin bearings by holding the wheel at the 12o clock position and 6 and wobble it top to bottom and same at 9 and 3 o clock,

next i would check if the bushes in the leaf springs have any excessive moment. failing that take some pictures of the suspension set up and go from there.

[Jordi]

Bushes, wheel nuts, steering box and arms, bearings, all associated nuts and bolts.

[Ant161]

Thanks for the help guys.
I stripped it down today to my horror I found the fault.
The first problem was all the bushes were shot, the second thing was the guy who fitted the kit had just put the bushes in ( no metal spacer ) and just locked them together.
I've fitted new bushes + spacer and fitted stock wheels with mud tyres and all seems good.
The next problem is my breaks as the fronts are sticking on I think two caliper rebuild kits are in order.
Thanks again guys.

[turbo-tom]

Id be surprised if you find any sj's in your local scrap breakers yard , the one local to me ive seen one in the pass 6-7 years and even that was stripped empty!

[timwilks13]

When my front left was sticking to the point of being up drivable I stripped it down, used wire wool to clean up the piston then copper greased it an haven't had any issues since. Rebuild kit sounds like a good idea but not always nessecary .

[Darrell]

Not to worry now you have done it, but don't use coppergrease as it makes the rubber swell.
Only use rubber grease on the sliders and don't grease nowt else.

[timwilks13]

Cheers Darrell I wasn't aware of that, guess I'll be needed to re do mine soon then lol!

[Darrell]

look what it does to he boots given time