Need help: Snow accident, now steering/alignment problem..

I was playing in the snow with my Cherokee and ended up sliding sideways into a parking lot curb. I hit hard enough to knock my front tire off the rim. Walmart re-mounted the tire on the rim for free.

However, after my little crash, I noticed that my steering wheel had to be turned to the left in order to go straight. It wasn't pulling to the right or left - it would go straight down the road if I let go of the steering wheel - but the steering wheel was now off.

I took it to an alignment shop, and the guy straightened my steering wheel - but now it pulls a little to the right. His diagnostic machine said it was aligned though... He didn't know what to do about it.

Any thoughts? Did I bend something when I hit that curb that would make it appear aligned, but still pull to the right?

It sounds like something may be bent. You should probably go take a look under the front of the Jeep. Maybe take some pictures if you are not sure.

Swap the front tires/wheels to opposite sides and see if the problem changes.

Thanks for your replies.

Phil: The mechanic said he couldn't see anything that was obviously bent... the tie-rods have several bends in them from the factory, so it's be tough to tell if one of them was off by just looking at it...


old_man: The tire shop I went to tried rotating my tires already, but that didn't solve the problem.

The stock XJ tie rod doesn't have any bends in it, and it's a wimpy little steel tube that bends easily. If yours is bent, that's probably part of the problem. The drag link does have some bends in it, but I would be shocked if you bent yours, they are solid IIRC.

By the way, here's a pic of my Cherokee.

(2001 4wd Sport, Bushwacker flat fender flares, 31" mud tires, up-country package, no lift)

http://oi40.tinypic.com/2h871u0.jpg

Sorry, a picture of the front axle and steering linkages.

+1 on the tie rod, also you might try taking it to an old school "frame shop" rather than a general mechanic. When I lived in Michigan I made the mistake of taking a car to Sears for an alignment/balance, got a recommend for a frame shop that did a lot of work on lifted, custom, and race vehicles and they fixed me right up for cheap. The funny thing was the "alignment printout" was scribbled on the back of an envelope in pencil... but the car drove perfectly. No fancy Hunter alignment racks, just old school trammels. All the specs and knowledge were apparently in paper manuals and the techs' heads.

kastein said:

The stock XJ tie rod doesn't have any bends in it, and it's a wimpy little steel tube that bends easily. If yours is bent, that's probably part of the problem. The drag link does have some bends in it, but I would be shocked if you bent yours, they are solid IIRC.

Click to expand...

Yup, trac bar is solid and beefy. I would definently check the steel tube adjusting sleeve. Also check the control arms. They should be straight

Note from DJ
Take a look at this picture in this post for reference
XJ Front Steering Components Picture
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1042308
OP by Jamescad04
Saw this picture while I was searching around the internet. Herd about something like it before and people looking for it at one point in time figured it may be useful to someone along the way.