Bumpsteer bad. Can someone check my angles

I didn't install this steering bought it with the xj but man the bumpsteer is bad. Death wobble on any big bumps and then u get bumpsteer off any little cracks.

the steering kit is the rockcrawler high clearance steering or whatever. The Hiem joints need replaced and the TRE ends need replaced also. Could the joints ant TRE be causing that bad of bump steer?

I dont know if it matters but the like the bar that goes from knuckle to knuckle can be wiggled around by touch up and down.

ChristmasXJ said:

I didn't install this steering bought it with the xj but man the bumpsteer is bad. Death wobble on any big bumps and then u get bumpsteer off any little cracks.

the steering kit is the rockcrawler high clearance steering or whatever. The Hiem joints need replaced and the TRE ends need replaced also. Could the joints ant TRE be causing that bad of bump steer?

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i would say the worn parts are causing your problems, not the slight angle difference between the draglink and trackbar.

when was the last alignment? maybe its the angle of the pic, but it looks to be toed-out way too much.

ya im sure it could use an alignment but the tires stand pretty straight and tall.

I guess the next step is replacing TRE and hiems

It looks like the jam nut on the driver side of the tie rod is loose, also does the tie rod flop up and down if you grab and shake it?

the tie rod is the rod that goes from side to side correct on the axle?

yes it flops up and down if u grab it

Yes, that is the tierod. Also don't forget to replace the tre in the trackbar as well, They seem to wear faster when used there.

How much lift do you have? Any x2 what the last posted said on the track bar! Those tie rod end track bars are pretty bad about chewing themselves up.

the lift is 6.5 inch coils with 2inch spacers

ChristmasXJ said:

the lift is 6.5 inch coils with 2inch spacers

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short arms on 8" of lift? after you get the steering worked out, i would look into control arm drop brackets

ya actually got a buddy fabbing up some drop brackets right now. the angles on the control arms are so bad lol

89xj said:

short arms on 8" of lift? after you get the steering worked out, i would look into control arm drop brackets

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X2 or better yet long arm! I needed mine when i was still at 4.5" of lift.... You're almost double that! :O Best upgrade you can do, trust me man. better ride on and off road, no death wabble, and 4X the articluation. Steep price but dollar for dollar the best upgrade you can do, imo.

ya ive been thinking about long arms hard and long.

i just found a rear axle thats geared and lock i want to swap in before i do anything to get some power back from those 3.55 gears and 35s

I want to get a HD trac bar bracket and a HD trac bar so that should help.

how do i tighten up the tie rod so it doesnt flop up and down? or is that just the worn out hiems

From looking at it, I would raise the track bar mount on the axle a couple of inches. Don't look at the dogleg in the track bar. Imagine a string from joint to joint on both the steering and track bar. They should be parallel. Ideally they should also be approximately the same length.

Man, I'm thinking that system is installed wrong. I would try the tie rod under the knuckle and move the drag link above it. How do those two links not hit each ther when turning? Plus the draglink heim is nearly bound just sitting there. The tie rod looks to have a slight bend at either end. Maybe thats for clearance when used UTK, then the logo would be readable too.

ya i looked at that also and wondered wth.

why is does the drag link run under the tie rod?

Make sense if i flipped the tie rod

this is from the RK website

Finnally a real solution to the factory inverted Y assembly steering woes! The Rock Krawler X Factor Plus Steering System is the most innovative conversion available. It offers a true independent drag link and tie rod assembly. The new drag link maintains the OEM relationship while the tie rod is flipped on top of the steering knuckle for improved clearance!

clearly states the tie rod is on top of the knuckles

ChristmasXJ said:

I didn't install this steering bought it with the xj but man the bumpsteer is bad. Death wobble on any big bumps and then u get bumpsteer off any little cracks.

the steering kit is the rockcrawler high clearance steering or whatever. The Hiem joints need replaced and the TRE ends need replaced also. Could the joints ant TRE be causing that bad of bump steer?

Click to expand...

Your angles look ok. Do you know what bumpsteer is? Riding on the highway and hitting cracks and holes that make your axle,tires, and steering wheel shake is not bumpsteer so let's not get that confused. Go flex your vehicle on big rocks or dirt mounds. If your steering wheel jerks or steers itself when you are flexing then you have bumpsteer. If you are getting a rough shake, rattle, and steering feedback, it's mostly due to your control arm angles. The road feedback goes straight up into the chassis instead of being absorbed by the springs and shocks. Don't confuse this with death wobble. Death wobble is when your tires starting shaking back and forth and you have to stop or slow down to get them back into control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwiv23dLhMY

Are your tires doing that? if not, it's not death wobble.

You should be able to twist both draglink and tie rod up and down because heims allow that movement. You should not, however, have play side to side or clunking. Try to get someone to steer back and forth while you look at each heim and joint for play or clunking. Just put your hand on the bar and you'll feel it if its' there. I never really liked running heims on steering because they eventually develop slop and clunk, causing shakes and stuff.

It would also be wise to check your toe in and do an alignment, even if the tires look striaght and true. a 1/8" toe out looks very much like a 1/8" toe in so it's hard to tell visually if your alignment is in spec.

Last, Expect a crappy bumpy ride with that much lift on short arms. 4.5" is the maximum amount of lift you'd want to run on short arms. Your suspension geometry is off and that throws off alot of other things. Drops brackets as you said you are working on, or long arms would be a very wise upgrade to get things back close to specs and proper working order. It wouldn't hurt to check your bearings too. Running oversized tires can wear down your bearings fast and slop in them will cause alot of bad shakes and shimmies.

no trust me. its death wobble. There one spot on the road by my house that every single time i hit it i get death wobble so bad.

I am going to replace the traction bar with the RE HD and mount

also going to redo the hiem joints

and ill get an alignment soon.

I really need to get the drop brackets or long arms soon though