Hi everybody,

I'm working on my wife's 93 Jimmy... the one I put the new transmission in back in March. The steering was a little bit loose so I set to work on it. I found a little bit of play in the outer tie rod ends and the idler arm so I replaced those and had it aligned. The truck drives far better now but there's still some play in the wheel. I tracked that down to—surprise!—a worn rag joint. Next someone will tell me that the remote oil lines leak, but that's another story.

I know I should replace the rag joint with the Flaming River u-joint or a Cherokee shaft. However, since this is my wife's rig, I've decided not to. I need to get it back on the road as she's a school teacher and needs to get ready for the upcoming year. She wouldn't like the direct feel of a solid connection to the steering gear. Most importantly, she wants to pass the truck on to her daughter next year and get a Pontiac Vibe.

So I'm replacing the rag joint with the Dorman 31002. I've read everything I could find on this and other forums about the job and I still have a few questions. The rubber disc is just ever so slightly larger than the old one. The original was 2 1/2" in diameter; the new one is 2 5/8". It doesn't quite fit in the metal brackets that go on the opposite side from the steering shaft and steering gear bracket. Should I just trim the rubber disc? I assume that I should reuse the original metal brackets, especially since the brackets that came with the disc are tiny in comparison.

The "bolts" that came with the kit seem pretty much useless. They're only threaded on one end and have no head on the other. I'm going to go get some high-strength bolts from the hardware store to put it all together. What kind of nuts should I use? Keeper nuts with the plastic inserts? Should I use Loctite?

If I screw up anything on the wife's truck I'll never hear the end of it and my couch just isn't that comfortable. Thanks for your input!

 

Picture Here
Dorman 31002 - Dorman Steering Shaft Rag Joint Discs - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Those headless bolts are a safety feature. Surprised if the OE arent like that.

I wouldnt use nylon locknuts under the hood. Interference type are best.

 

Just trim a bit off the rubber.

X2 on the bolts. I normally add red loc tite just cause.

Personally I have the jeep shaft and screw a rubber rag joint. The amount of connection to the front end isn't that bad. My girl even said it gave my blazer a less sloppy feeling while steering.

 

A few minutes with the air grinder and the rubber disc was just the right size. I put it together with the OEM metal brackets and 1" screws and lock nuts with red Loctite. That joint is never coming apart ever again. In the morning when it's light outside I'll reinstall it in the truck and then my wife will be happy and I can return to working on my 1984 Electra Park Avenue.

When I do this job on my '94 Blazer I'm definitely going to do the U-joint swap. It's too damn much work to cut the rivets off the rag joint.

PS- how do the headless bolts contribute to safety? I couldn't even figure out how they fit into the kit. Wherever I tried to use them they were always in the way of something.

 

The Jimmy drives far better now with the new rag joint (and the four new shocks) but there's one odd thing... a half-turn of the steering wheel off center in either direction and there's a spot where the wheel is a little hard to turn. It's only the first half-turn in each direction. The rest of the wheel travel is fine. I'm not too worried about it but I am curious what might be causing the problem. My wife is happy because it drives markedly better than before.

PS- I ordered the Flaming River U-joint for my Blazer. It'll be here Saturday. I'll probably install it early next week. I'm extremely excited. Once that's done my Blazer will be perfect.

 

Could you tell me where u bought this Flaming River U-joint? I can't find where to get one my steering was loose so i installed a new gearbox but as i went to place the colum back onto the steering gear, i noticed there was some play with the rag joint, and i figured they would have a new one to buy at autozone, but i guess not.

 

I got my Flaming River U-joint on eBay. It's the easiest way I've found to buy it. You can also get it from Summit Racing.

 

I have the jeep cherokee steering shaft in my 89 Jimmy. The steering feels absolutely normal. No vibration whatsoever. If you think about it this a a OEM steering shaft just from a different vehical and Jeep did not incorporate the rag joint or tulip joint. My issue with the GM shaft was more with the rubber boot at the tulip joint getting torn and the grease leaking out. The first time I replaced the shaft was with a new GM shaft that costs a couple hundred bucks. The when the time came to replace the shaft again I started looking for options and I stumbled on the Jeep option.

 

@mr.vis. If you look closely at the Cherokee shaft you will see a sort of tulip joint. It's designed a lot better then the GM though. Pretty neat.

 

joints on the jeep shaft are universal joints.