Suspension Help: Start Over or Fix?

[Marilyn]

Hey guys. Relatively new to the forum and hoping to pick your brains on my suspension.

Bought a 2013 JKU Sport auto with 3.5" lift and 35" Toyo MTs. Here's the problem - the lift is Rough Country. Obviously, RC would not have been my first choice so I'm trying to decide whether to replace it or add some higher quality components to what is there.

The lift is comprised of RC springs, shocks, RC fixed lower control arms, bolt-on track bar relocation brackets, dual steering stabilizer and possibly a dropped pitman arm (can't tell).

The ride quality is livable, but is downright scary to drive on bumpy roads at high speed. My main complaint is at interstate speeds of 70mph, there is a lot of play in the steering wheel. I can move the steering wheel from 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock without any tire movement. This makes small adjustments very difficult and it's a lot of work to keep her straight when driving between cars on either side.

I stopped by a reputable off-road shop that does a lot of JKs, and his advice was to scrap the whole kit and buy a Rock Krawler kit. But when I looked at the 3.5" Flex kits, it doesn't appear that they include any steering components. So if I bought a higher quality kit with adjustable lower control arms, better springs and shocks and adjustable track bars, would that even help my steering issues?

For a little background, the Jeep is my DD. I also do not plan on doing extreme off-roading, just light trail riding and expedition type stuff. My main priority is streetability since that is what the Jeep sees most. I've heard good things about the AEV kits for street manners, but again I don't have experience with one and I know they only include relocation brackets for the arms, not new adjustable ones. I also plan on upgrading the stock 3.73 gears and beefing up the axles with sleeves and gussets in the next 6 months.

Any help you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[WJCO]

That's a ton of play. I would have someone turn your steering wheel while you look at your steering gear box. See if the input shaft is turning before the output shaft does. You also could have some play somewhere in the steering linkage. That's where I would start. Has it been like this since you bought it?

 

[Marilyn]

That's a ton of play. I would have someone turn your steering wheel while you look at your steering gear box. See if the input shaft is turning before the output shaft does. You also could have some play somewhere in the steering linkage. That's where I would start. Has it been like this since you bought it?

Yes. The lift was installed by the dealer so it had less than 100 miles on it when I bought it. It has been like this since day 1.

 

[Frogmech]

Yes. The lift was installed by the dealer so it had less than 100 miles on it when I bought it. It has been like this since day 1.

So why didn't you take it back to the dealership and make them fix it?

Is it the lift kit that the dealer installed that only has 100 miles on it?

Or did you buy the jeep new in 2013 with 100 miles on the odometer and this lift kit already installed?

 

[Marilyn]

So why didn't you take it back to the dealership and make them fix it?

Is it the lift kit that the dealer installed that only has 100 miles on it?

Or did you buy the jeep new in 2013 with 100 miles on the odometer and this lift kit already installed?

Okay, admittedly not the smartest thing on my part, but I bought the Jeep from an out-of-state dealership and had it shipped here. I bought it 4 months ago as a 2013 with 27k miles on the Jeep and no more than 100 on the lift. I might be over exaggerating the amount of wheel play, but to me it is significant. Maybe it's more like 11:30 to 12:30 of play. But to answer your question, I wasn't sure how much of the play was to be expected and how much was attributable to the lift.

 

[Frogmech]

Ok so that clears up the why you didn't take it back to the dealership and what components are new.

So... Sounds like you're not sure what you have regarding the pitman arm. I suggest taking some pics and posting them up. That will help someone more knowledgeable than myself identify what you've got.

I'm learning this stuff too so I'm interested in what issue is and the possible fixes. I'm no super genius but I'm thinking dual steering stabilizers is bad juju. It's possible someone was putting a bandaid on an existing problem as you should be able to drive your jeep wiithout one installed at all.

My last two cents: do your own research and if you replace your lift, don't just take the "reputable shop" guys word as to what's good. He has his own agenda for moving his stock out the door regardless of what's best for you. This is an excellent forum where people post up what really works and what's really trash. Use it to your advantage and make an informed decision.

Good luck. I'm certain someone with more experience will help you resolve your issues.

 

[Ddays]

OP - I was in a similar situation in that I hated the lift I originally bought. It was a piece of shit. (RE if you twist my arm and make me tell) It rode like a goddam dump truck and handled like one too. The problem we both have (had in my case) was that we're stuck with junk control arms. Why someone even sells a 3.5" kit with non-adjustable lower arms is the first clue that it's questionable. You have no way of adjusting your caster and that is likely one of the reasons for your poor handling.

I tore my kit off and installed a Rock Krawler 3.5 mid arm kit because I wanted rid of everything RE, period. Had I been smart, I would have found a set of stock control arms off of someone installing a lift with all new arms for next to nothing and bought the EVO enforcer kit with the adjustable front LCE's. The RK kit is 100% better than the RE but the rear LCE's push the axle back an inch causing other issues you have to deal with that I wont go into here on your post.

This is one of those expensive lessons that I learned after the fact. :icon_crazy:

 

[jeeeep]

before throwing a bunch of money on it I would start at the steering issue. double check and see if you have a drop pitman arm if you do, replace it with a stock pitman arm. most dropped pitman arms have too much play and do not fit solid. second I would remove the dual stabilizers technically you shouldn't have any need for a stabilizer but the stock stabilizer should work just fine.
if you find you have to replace the pitman arm also keep in mind you will probably need to get an adjustable track bar or a drag link flip kit to keep the symmetry between the track bar and the drag link properly. they're both about the same price I would recommend going with the drag link flip and keeping the stock track bar. steer smarts makes the Yeti drag link that does not require drilling out the knuckle. also check your caster angle, if not correct you will get a wandering feel at higher speeds.
even if you decide to scrap the suspension you will need to take care of these items 1st

 

[Marilyn]

Thanks for the input guys. Here are a few pictures I was able to take underneath. Maybe one of you will be able to answer the dropped pitman arm question. A couple of the pictures are from the rear.

 

[Ddays]

Yup, that's a dropped Pitman arm. Jeeeep gave you some good advice and probably is better than scrapping the whole lift for the time being. After you get the squirreliness adjusted out, then you can see if you are still satisfied with the lift components.