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Toe in measurement

woody

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Memorial Lifetime Member
Location
NC Sandhills
Tryin to cure a bad shimmy in my recently instaled front axle/steering. If I go more than 46mph it feels like it's gonna wob out on me. I rechecked and everything is tight...

I 'should have' measured the OEM setting before I knocked the old steering out, but I didn't. I cant get at the back side of the wheels (new LCA and shocks in the way...tape wont go straight across)

Could someone measure & post center<---> between their tie-rod end bolts at the steering knuckles so I can get a baseline measurement... I am getting 51.75" on mine, need to know if this is way out of whack with OEM

FWIW my 87 2x4 MJ measures 52.375"...BUT I have never driven it to know how that worked

Thanks folks!
 
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On a hunch, I set the toe approx 1/2" out from where it was and it is a bunch better. Just a hint of a shimmy, but nothing I can't live with until I get the other XJ going for a DD.

LOL LOTS of bumpsteer though, keeps it exciting.
 
It's not hard to measure and set toe accurately. Use a tape measure and put some marks on the tread. I stick a piece of masking tape in the center of the tread and 12 inches above the garage floor. Do this on back side of both front tires. Make a fine mark on the piece of tape on each tire and measure the distance between them. Roll the forward or back until the mark on the tape is the same height above the floor but on the front side of the tires. Measure between the marks again. If toe is adjusted properly, the front measurement will be the same or up to 1/16 inch less.
 
Years ago, I bought a set of alignment tools from JC Whitney. The toe-in tool is an aluminum rod that is spring loaded, and takes a reading from the front and back of the tires. It works really good, and has paid for itself many times over.

Woody, you can also get a fairly accurate measurement by running a string from the rear tire to the front. If the string is touching both sidewalls of both tires evenly (on both sides), then the alignment is close to 0 degrees. Keep in mind the steering wheel centering when making adjustments.
 
The nicest way to check toe-in is to do it the way the pros used to before all that electronic gadgetry. First get a big piece of carpenter's chalk, jack up each wheel just a little, and rotate it, marking the tread with the chalk. It doesn't really matter where on the tread you do this. The next step used to use a special spring-loaded scriber that rested on the floor, but you can create your own substitute with a nail through a piece of wood. Rest the scriber on the floor so it doesn't wobble, and press the point lightly against the chalked portion of the tire as it rotates. You now have a pair of very precise lines scribed onto the tires, and you can compare measurements between them front and rear.
 
This dosn't pertain to the alignment, but more to the shimmy. I get a Jeep in the shop every now and then that has a real bad shimmy 9 times out of 10 it's the steering damper (the shock that mounts from the draglink to the axle)is leaking, warn ,or both. This may be something to check that may have been overlooked.
 
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