Hello!tgreese wrote:I think you are referring to the instructions for tightening the gear mesh on the steering gear. This is contrary to what the TSM instructs, so if that how-to is gone it's a good thing IMO. Just read the TSM and it tells you how to adjust the steering gear. The right way is first adjust end play before adjusting gear mesh. It should be done on the bench, and you'll need an inch-pound beam-type torque wrench.
In a live axle front end, there are plenty of places for parts to wear and get loose. This has been discussed many times on the forum - search here and at IFSJA and you'll find plenty of threads to read. Also, if the Jeep has been lifted, the caster is likely too low and that makes the Jeep track poorly. So, worn loose parts and alignment.
The "feel" of the factory steering is very light. You can easily palm the wheel to parallel part. Some have replaced the steering gear with a newer gear from a 4WD S10 or Blazer. This gear is both more durable and has a variable ratio so that it turns more quickly as you steer away from center. This topic has also been discussed extensively in old threads.
I may have indeed mispoke as I was thinking of play (which I interpreted as feel), thus I apologize for that. I just noted when driving that I have to do a lot of small corrections with the steering wheel to keep the verhicle where I want on the road, which is exasperated by driving at higher speeds such as on the freeway. I find this a little unnerving as it seems as if I make a small inocrrect adjustment it might have very bad consequences. I know the wagon is 40 years old thus I do not expect it to drive like a modern vehicle, but any way to lesson the play would be nice!SJTD wrote:The way to adjust the feel involves replacing the little shaft you see sticking out of the end of the input shaft to a thicker one. Total disassembly required. It determines when/how much fluid is applied to the piston in the box.
Adjusting gear mesh is to eliminate play not adjust feel. If that thread was about improving feel I agree with tg; it is better left burried.
I've wondered aboot using a longer arm. It would give more feel and quicker steering. Too quick???
This may not sound the best yet I do not mean it as such, thus please forgive me. However I already spoke to three shops in my area (who specialize in older cars) and all said the same about having to remove the engine in my 1978 Cherokee to fix the rear main seal. I certainly would prefer not to do so as my engine seems to be okay overall, but I wonder why shops in my area seem to want the full rebuild if it is not required (save for maybe wanting more money out of me ). Thankfully the transmission fix did indeed seem straight forward and fairly inexpensive (around $500).1979bettywhite wrote:Are you referring to the rear main seal? The engine does not need to be removed to replace the rear main seal. You may want to investigate using another shop that has some experience with the AMC 360. Mine was done by a reputable shop and got it back within the day. They replaced the pan gasket at the same time as well. This is a pretty routine job. A crappy one, but still pretty routine. And as an FYI, you may never get a completely dry rear main seal. It may still leak a little bit, but should not be too bad.
Assume the tranny leak may be coming from the pan there as well (at least that's where I would start looking). Not a bad job to change that gasket as well on the TH400. Cheap and easy way to eliminate one potential leaky area.
I would once again have a reputable shop do a diagnostic check on the engine before I succumbed to a complete rebuild. Compression/leak down/bearing wear etc. Even with some wear on these things they can run for a long time as long as you keep up with routine maintenance and change the oil out at a decent frequency. I have low oil pressure at idle and probably 95k+ on mine. But still running quiet and smooth. A rebuild is in my future, but still getting current enjoyment out of her.
This may not sound the best yet I do not mean it as such, thus please forgive me. However I already spoke to three shops in my area who specialize in older cars and all said the same about having to remove the engine in my 1978 Cherokee to fix the rear main seal. I certainly would prefer not to do so as my engine seems to be okay overall save for the carburetor (the reason I added a FiTech), but I wonder why shops in my area seem to want the full rebuild if it is not required save for maybe wanting more money out of me. Thankfully the transmission fix does indeed seem straight forward and fairly inexpensive (around $500).Santeh wrote:1979bettywhite wrote:Are you referring to the rear main seal? The engine does not need to be removed to replace the rear main seal. You may want to investigate using another shop that has some experience with the AMC 360. Mine was done by a reputable shop and got it back within the day. They replaced the pan gasket at the same time as well. This is a pretty routine job. A crappy one, but still pretty routine. And as an FYI, you may never get a completely dry rear main seal. It may still leak a little bit, but should not be too bad.
Assume the tranny leak may be coming from the pan there as well (at least that's where I would start looking). Not a bad job to change that gasket as well on the TH400. Cheap and easy way to eliminate one potential leaky area.
I would once again have a reputable shop do a diagnostic check on the engine before I succumbed to a complete rebuild. Compression/leak down/bearing wear etc. Even with some wear on these things they can run for a long time as long as you keep up with routine maintenance and change the oil out at a decent frequency. I have low oil pressure at idle and probably 95k+ on mine. But still running quiet and smooth. A rebuild is in my future, but still getting current enjoyment out of her.