Steering damper leaking...
 

This morning I felt a slight wobble in the steering wheel at around 50 to 55 mph. Later, I spot a drop of something under the front of the Jeep. Sure enough, the damper is leaking oil. I'm tempted to just go buy an aftermarket replacement, but I think that will wait until the 3/36 warranty expires. For now, I'll have the dealer install a factory replacement. I just hope the dumb bastards stock the damn thing. I would really be unhappy if it took two trips to get it replaced. You know, one visit to confirm what I (an Engineer with 31 years of mechanical/hydraulic design) claim is the defect, and a second trip when the part comes in.

Although, the last time I had a defect, I managed to convince the service manager to give me the new part, and I installed it in their driveway, returning the bad one 10 minutes later. That saved me waiting hours and having to take time off from work.


My regards,

Widewing

My dealer replaced the leaking steering damper this past Tuesday. After removing the OEM unit, the mechanic came out to the service area to show me the old one and the replacement. The new one has a cylinder diameter about half again larger than the OEM unit. Plus, the new damper has a different attachment, mounting on the tie rod. We'll see how it holds up...


My regards,

Widewing