Man on a ledge

Over the past several months, I've been having steering issues (wander, understeer, pulls to the right) with my xj, which is chronicled here. I have had the xj about a year now and still havent figured it out. I am seriously on the verge of selling this thing because Im just tired of messing with it. Its a demon I keep chasing....

Ok. Time to take a breath. For those that didnt read my previous posting, this is what my xj currently has:

3" lift (Zone- new coils, shocks, and leafs)
LCAs (Fat Bob's for 3" lifted XJs)
Quick Discos (RC- For 2.5" TJs which fit better than the XJ ones)
1" tcase drop (had vibes at 65MPH and dont have the disposable cash for a YSE/custom d/s)
31x10.5 a/t's w/ crager soft 8 rims (3.5" b/s, iirc)
Adjustable Track Bar (RC)

Here are the things that I have replaced in the past few months in an attempt to solve my wandering issue:

New a/t tires (I had mud terrains from before)
New ball joints and ujoints
New TRE (did the ZJ "upgrade")
New steering stabilizer
Swapped steering boxes from a JY xj

I did look at the axle shafts while they were out of the vehicle and they appeared to be in good shape. I did notice that the passenger side axle seal was leaking (interior) and will need to be replaced. The tube appeared to be straight. Once this was all replaced, I took her for a drive. The result? THE SAME DAMN THING! The steering is a bit tighter, but she still understeers like crazy and pulls to the right. It seems to be effected more by higher speeds than lower. Here's a video:



So after all Ive changed all the front components (sans brake system), what could possibly be left??? Is my unibody tweaked or what? Axle tube is certainly bent (the xj was involved in a crash on the passenger side that resulted in a bent fender and bumper by the PO)? Should I put new rotors, brake pads, and calipers on to see if its one of those components "sticking"?

Im in the process of trying to find another axle to just do a full swap, but there's nothing in my area as of the moment. It will be a great day when it's figured out (IF it ever is...)

Jhumphrey said:

So after all Ive changed all the front components (sans brake system), what could possibly be left??? Is my unibody tweaked or what? Axle tube is certainly bent (the xj was involved in a crash on the passenger side that resulted in a bent fender and bumper by the PO)? Should I put new rotors, brake pads, and calipers on to see if its one of those components "sticking"?

Im in the process of trying to find another axle to just do a full swap, but there's nothing in my area as of the moment. It will be a great day when it's figured out (IF it ever is...)

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ummmm..... sounds like you got it figured out. put a strait edge on the tube.

Have you checked your track bar for any play? What is your caster set at?

VAhasnoWAVES said:

ummmm..... sounds like you got it figured out. put a strait edge on the tube.

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I have put a straight edge on it, it's straight. That's what's so odd about it.

bails85 said:

Have you checked your track bar for any play? What is your caster set at?

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My track bar doesn't have any play. As far as castor, the last time I had it aligned, I had them check it. I was told that it (and everything else) was in spec for a lifted xj.

Jhumphrey said:

As far as castor, the last time I had it aligned, I had them check it. I was told that it (and everything else) was in spec for a lifted xj.

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If it were mine, I'd try to adjust the castor more...

ocean_jet said:

If it were mine, I'd try to adjust the castor more...

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I need to get an angle finder to do this properly. But to be honest, I have a feeling it won't matter. The reason I say that is because I bought extended control arms for my 3" lift when the kit was put on. I've also had the jeep aligned 3 seperate times (various "upgrading"), all of which has given me a thumbs up (I've had it aligned by different shops because NONE solved my "issue").

I'm trying not to throw in the towel. I'm just not sure it's worth it anymore. Not being able to find a D30 replacement isn't helping my mood either.

Well, brakes, especially the calipers can/will cause pulling. When were they last replaced? Worn down?
Condition ofunit bearings, u-joints?

Johnnie Walker said:

Well, brakes, especially the calipers can/will cause pulling. When were they last replaced? Worn down?
Condition ofunit bearings, u-joints?

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The brakes are unknown. I haven't replaced them. The rotors look good, no surface rust or gouging. The pads look to have a decent amount of meat left on them. They do appear - to me - to have some glazing on them. The calipers seem ok as well, but I'm far from a brake expert.

The wheel bearings appear fine and aren't making any noises. The ujoints are brand new Spicers. A bit of a side note is that if the vehicle is pulling to the right and I brake, it straightens out. Then when I begin to accelerate again, bam, back to "drifting" right. I've also noticed that the jeep will "unload" on me. What I mean is that I'll be pulling the wheel to the left to prevent the pulling to the right and it'll momentarily "jump" to the right - the steering wheel I mean - and I'll have to jerk back left. It's hard to explain.

The end result is something's tweaked and I hope to find out what it is before I go mad.

How does your brake fluid look, also? I would recommend service the front brakes and do a full brake system flush.

Johnnie Walker said:

How does your brake fluid look, also? I would recommend service the front brakes and do a full brake system flush.

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I haven't checked in awhile, but I did look at it via the MC several months ago. It appeared fine then, but I'll look again. Are you thinking a caliper is slightly sticking?

car-part.com

There are tons of d30's in your area. Pick your ratio and go get one.

98stocker said:

car-part.com

There are tons of d30's in your area. Pick your ratio and go get one.

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The ones that are affordable haven't worked out, I've tried most of them and nothing's worked out. You wouldn't believe some of the conditions those axles were in with an "A" grade. I had one that had a 1/4" crack in the pumpkin and the guy was like "oh, I didn't see that". It's still listed on car part as an A

Long story short, car part has been 0 help to me.

I have fixed a lot of XJ front end issues. Years ago I had a similar problem. Found my steering box was loose. Pulled each bolt out one at a time. Put lock tight on it. Then sunk it back in with an impact. Check the nut on your pitman arm. Check the upper track bar mount bolts and do the same if loose. All are possibilities that could have been missed, and each can cause it to walk.

Maybe you could come out to the SEC WrenchFest in Bradyville and we can get a lot of guys to look it over. We will have several guys who are very well versed in Cherokees on hand. Might be worth the trip.

FYI car-part.com has its parts graded in various ways. An axle for example is a "mechanical" part. ALL MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL parts are automatically graded by mileage by the computer system. No way to alter it other than notes in the description. BODY PARTS are graded by the inventory person based on physical damage (dents, scratches, gouges, paint problem, etc.). I'm in charge of 2,000 newer cars/trucks/SUVs and about 700-900 classic vehicles at a salvage yard in RI lol. So there you have it folks.

AND FOR THE OP you should be able to find a D30 with 3.55s if you have an auto or 3.07s if you have a stick in your local chapter any day of the week for about 100 bucks.

PacificEd said:

Maybe you could come out to the SEC WrenchFest in Bradyville and we can get a lot of guys to look it over. We will have several guys who are very well versed in Cherokees on hand. Might be worth the trip.

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^This
I know I'm not part of that chapter but its always better to get a few other knowledgable heads looking at the problem.

On a side note. If your housing was bent it should not effect tracking after you did an alignment. Making the adjustments and getting the wheels parrelel negates any misalignment in the housing. It would take a lot of camber to make it drive funny and at that point you would see it easily. I would be willing to bet your brakes are grabbing on the passenger side. It doesn't have to be the front brakes either. Just a thought. I've had it happen to a few of my jeeps.

I have had the same problem for years. I gave up and just hold the steering wheel. I think the problem is the Pitman arm is off by one notch but I have been to lazy to pull it off and move it over one notch. Did you change the pitman arm with the lift? If so maybe the installer did not put the new one on correctly. Your steering box could think its steering strait but because the pitman arm is not on the correct spot your vehicle is pulling.

chris420 said:

I have had the same problem for years. I gave up and just hold the steering wheel. I think the problem is the Pitman arm is off by one notch but I have been to lazy to pull it off and move it over one notch. Did you change the pitman arm with the lift? If so maybe the installer did not put the new one on correctly. Your steering box could think its steering strait but because the pitman arm is not on the correct spot your vehicle is pulling.

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An alignment would fix that problem with the pitman arm.

Another thing to think about for a vehicle that seems to pull slightly right all of the time is road crown. If they put a crown on the road where you live, and the vehicle is aligned to go straight on a flat road, it will "pull" to the downhill side (the right in most cases )



Just a thought.


And for the OP, what do you mean when you say "understeer"? Do you mean that it's slow to respond, like steering a boat? Or do you mean actual understeer, like you turn the wheel and the front end wants to drive straight?

PacificEd said:

Maybe you could come out to the SEC WrenchFest in Bradyville and we can get a lot of guys to look it over. We will have several guys who are very well versed in Cherokees on hand. Might be worth the trip.

Click to expand...

When is WrenchFest? Bradyville is about an hour or so from me.

To try to sum up everyone's questions, all bolts have been tightened and re-tightened by me on different occasions over the course of me owning the jeep, so I'm confident it's not a loose bolt/nut/etc.

When I swapped the steering box out, I left the pitman arm on from that unit.

"Road crown" doesn't seem to be the issue. I've driven down the middle of the road on a straightaway and it still pulls right.

I've kept my eyes open and asked around about a d30. For them to be "a dime a dozen" axles, they're more like a leprechaun around my area it seems. People say they're everywhere, but I've never seen one. The ones I've seen have been in worse shape than what I currently have. I've heard talk of pull a part having them, but how you would get them off is beyond me, since they won't allow jacks and jack stands in...

Jhumphrey said:

When is WrenchFest? Bradyville is about an hour or so from me.

To try to sum up everyone's questions, all bolts have been tightened and re-tightened by me on different occasions over the course of me owning the jeep, so I'm confident it's not a loose bolt/nut/etc.

When I swapped the steering box out, I left the pitman arm on from that unit.

"Road crown" doesn't seem to be the issue. I've driven down the middle of the road on a straightaway and it still pulls right.

I've kept my eyes open and asked around about a d30. For them to be "a dime a dozen" axles, they're more like a leprechaun around my area it seems. People say they're everywhere, but I've never seen one. The ones I've seen have been in worse shape than what I currently have. I've heard talk of pull a part having them, but how you would get them off is beyond me, since they won't allow jacks and jack stands in...

Click to expand...

The wrenchfest is at my place on June 15th.

It takes me an hour to get from my place to LaVergne.

Express only had 4 XJ's when we were there on Saturday. We can try to keep a lookout for a good one. You really don't need a jack or jack stands just get some buds together and "manhandle" it outta there. Mark and I yanked an Explorer 8.8 Saturday in less than two hours, start to finish.