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Pitman arm

Cottontail

Three-De Off-Road
NAXJA Member
Location
Nashville, TN
I have the 3.5" RE lift on my 2001 XJ. Recently installed a HPD30 with 4.10 from a 1986 XJ. Also installed a tie rod from a 1998 ZJ V8. Finally, did new tie rod ends when I put it all togheter.

Now, I have some bump steer. Read on that junkyard thead about the factory pitman arm from the ZJ being an inch lower. Also read on a different thread in the last week about bumpsteer and what causes it.

With 3.5" if I got the ZJ pitman arm from the PAP, and brought the geometry back closer to stock will it make a noticible difference, or will my best bet be to just live with it until I can pony up the funds to do an aftermarket tie rod that connects directly to the 2 knuckles? I'm guessing a used pitman arm at the PAP will run about $10-15 at the most.

Thoughts?
 
You need to check the angles of the track bar and drag link in relation to one another. They should be as close to parallel as possible. If dropping the pitman and inch gets you closer to that then go for it.

I would assume you are running the RE 1600 trackbar. FYI I ran the RE 4.5 kit with a lp and then hp D30 with no issues at all.

Josh
 
I would assume you are running the RE 1600 trackbar. FYI I ran the RE 4.5 kit with a lp and then hp D30 with no issues at all.

Josh

I am running all stock equpiment.
 
the RE 3.5 kit comes with the RE1600 trackbar... Are you running 3.5 coils and stock arms and track bar?


No it doesn't. The track bar is an extra $165. I am running stock track bar and tie rod, but the RE lower control arms


See all Rubicon Express products





Rubicon Express 3.5" Super-Flex™ Suspension System with Leaf Springs

For 84-01 Jeep® Cherokee XJ with Dana 35 Rear Axle

The 3.5-inch Super-Flex suspension system is an ideal system for the discerning Cherokee owner who desires a more aggressive look, higher ride stance and better trail performance. The RE6030 system features front sway bar disconnects and new lower control arms which include our serviceable Superflex joint on one end of the control arm and a rubber bushing on the opposite end. With this combination in the front of your XJ you will have maximum flex while off roading. This system also replaces your XJ's rear factory leaf springs with Rubicon Express Extreme-Duty 3.5" leaf springs. This system is capable of fitting 31x10.50-inch tires.
 
You shouldn't have any bumpsteer at that height,I suspect something else is going on!
 
Ah, sorry I should have checked. I thought the 3.5 and 4.5 kits came with the same components.

I does sound odd that you are having issues. I would start looking into bushings and maybe alignment?

Good luck I am going through similar issues now and am replacing all the bushings up front.

No it doesn't. The track bar is an extra $165. I am running stock track bar and tie rod, but the RE lower control arms


See all Rubicon Express products





Rubicon Express 3.5" Super-Flex™ Suspension System with Leaf Springs

For 84-01 Jeep® Cherokee XJ with Dana 35 Rear Axle

The 3.5-inch Super-Flex suspension system is an ideal system for the discerning Cherokee owner who desires a more aggressive look, higher ride stance and better trail performance. The RE6030 system features front sway bar disconnects and new lower control arms which include our serviceable Superflex joint on one end of the control arm and a rubber bushing on the opposite end. With this combination in the front of your XJ you will have maximum flex while off roading. This system also replaces your XJ's rear factory leaf springs with Rubicon Express Extreme-Duty 3.5" leaf springs. This system is capable of fitting 31x10.50-inch tires.
 
I suspect something else is going on!


Yeah, me too, and I am not sure what. I just got it aligned and it is good enough I can run it on the interstate again. The alignment shop told me that I had some slop in the gear box and a bad seal on the driver's side hub. It likes to wander on the highway I noticed. Not nice and tight like it used to be. I didn't get any of that wandering prior to the axle swap. I suppose it could be something unrelated that was just coincidence, but my first suspect was the axle.

Other than that....

I get whining as I accellerate and at highway speeds, lots of vibratrion during accelleration, and at cruising speeds I feel a vibration that comes in a pattern...comes, goes, comes, goes, comes, goes not intermittently, but rather in an even pattern. The truck is incredibly loud from the front axle while driving.

When I say highway speeds, the speedo shows 80-85, but I never changed speedo gears when I changed gear ratios, axles, added my lift, or swapped tires. I suspect is is about 70-75 in reality.

Again, it is a 2001 XJ...front axle is 4.10s in an HPD30 from an '86 XJ and the rear is an 8.8 from a late model Explorer.

I'd like to shake out these few things to make it completely comfortable to drive on the road again. As it is, I can't imagine more than 10-15 minutes of highway running at a time, and that won't get me to any offroad areas!
 
Does the vibration on acceleration come from the front or rear, or can you tell?

If it's from the rear, it may be the pinion angle on the 8.8. While under acceleration the axle may want to "wrap up" a little. Just enough for a vibration. Just a thought.
 
Good question Mark. I will pay more attention next drive. It really feels like the front, but I guess it could be the rear sending it up the drive shaft into the transmission. I do feel it a little under my seat and under the center console.

You going to be in Brentwood anytime soon? Come take it for a test drive!
 
what size tire ?
are they warn on the sides ?
do you have a stabilizer on it ?

most times death wabble come from tires, alliegnment or weak steering boxes
usually in that order
i have it to ... at 50mph but for a non street rig i dont care.
 
what size tire ?
are they warn on the sides ?
do you have a stabilizer on it ?

Tire---245/70r16...have 31 x 10.5 x 15 for the trail
Worn---nope, 2 are new, and 2 are 60%
Stabilizer---yes, less than 1000 miles old.
 
Pull the front drive shaft out and test drive it to eliminate it as a problem, that won't cost anything but time. Yes that 1" of drop will help your front. I just helped Eric(thechief86) lower his transmission cross member 1". That helped his vibs a bit and if you want we can do the same to yours, it won't cost you anything but crawling under in my carport to slide in some square tubing and test it. Rear driveshaft angle won't cause the wander but it may be causing some of the vibration. Good luck, call me if you want I'm up every day after 2pm until about 6am.
 
Stock Trackbar is most likely your problem. As the axle is not centered under the axle.
 
Yes, the axle is centered and I did redrill for the stock trackbar as RE requires. It is over about 3/4" (guessing) from factory location.

Good idea on pulling the front DS. I may go ahead and give that a try. Perhaps the tranny drop is the next option.
 
Another thing to check would be the caster. I had my alignment done and they didn't even bother to check the caster, even though I asked them to. Just told me it was good so they didn't need to do anything with it. I still had an issue with it wanting to wonder all over the road, but I just figured it was due to worn out suspension parts in the front and a worn out bushing and heim on the trac bar.

So when I finally got around to putting new bushings in the control arms and trac bar, I noticed the caster was completely opposite of what it should have been. I adjusted it to where it was suppose to be and it drove WAY better. Needless to say, I'm disappointed in the shop I took it to. After adjusting the caster, the alignment was way off again. Twenty minutes later, I was finished re-aligning it in my driveway with just a tape measure and a few tools. Yet another shop experience that strengthens my belief in just doing all my own work if I want it done right.
 
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