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Couple of probelms after 4 inch lift

D

dakotus

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Cleveland, Oh
PROBLEM 1:My steering wheel is still XXXXed to the left in order for the wheels to be straight. Sometimes when I make a right hand turn and straighten the steering wheel back, its dead centered, until I go over a bump, and its back to being XXXXed.

PROBLEM 2: I have my rear driveshaft disconnected until I get a tcase drop on thursday. My vibes were so bad I couldnt drive it. So I dosconnected the rear DS and got home. Am I ok to drive like this for a few days?

background:
I just installed a 4 inch BDS lift. 2 inch coils, 2 inch spaces. 3.5 inch leafs, and about 0.5 inch shackles. I got it aligned after the lift was installed. I have the specs at home I can type them later.
I have the stock trackbar, with a relocation bracket.
I have fixed length BDS LCAs which are 16.25" long according to BDS.
I think thats all the relevant info.

Any thoughts on these problems?
 
there is an adjuster on the top end of your drag link *you use the tie rod to adjust your toe in/out, and the draglink has a little "mini tie rod" if you will and if you adjust that out then it will take care of the misalignment of your steering wheel.

make sure that you arent just dumping fluid out of your slip yolk and you should be fine.


-hijack-
why does everyone with an XJ drop tcase or do SYE, i had my ZJ at 5" with stock driveshaft and SY, so whats the deal with that/ is it different someway?
-end hijack-
 
dakotus said:
PROBLEM 1:My steering wheel is still XXXXed to the left in order for the wheels to be straight. Sometimes when I make a right hand turn and straighten the steering wheel back, its dead centered, until I go over a bump, and its back to being XXXXed.

PROBLEM 2: I have my rear driveshaft disconnected until I get a tcase drop on thursday. My vibes were so bad I couldnt drive it. So I dosconnected the rear DS and got home. Am I ok to drive like this for a few days?

background:
I just installed a 4 inch BDS lift. 2 inch coils, 2 inch spaces. 3.5 inch leafs, and about 0.5 inch shackles. I got it aligned after the lift was installed. I have the specs at home I can type them later.
I have the stock trackbar, with a relocation bracket.
I have fixed length BDS LCAs which are 16.25" long according to BDS.
I think thats all the relevant info.

Any thoughts on these problems?
Click to expand...
1 - like said before, adjust the drag link to center the steering wheel, easy.

2 - Do you have an SYE? If not, and you removed the rear driveshaft, you will lose your t-case fluid.
 
dakotus said:
if I adjust the draglink, will the steering wheel bump in the other direction after I make a turn?
Click to expand...
If you really got an alignment you shouldn't have any problems with the steering. If you did get an alignment.......you got screwed! Any problems you have with the steering would have been noticed by the shop. Bring it back to them. As far as vibes go, you can run with just the front ds for awhile but I wouldn't drive it at high speeds. And you need an SYE and cv driveshaft.
 
Opie
my jeep is a 99, so hopefully it is ok for a few days. I'll give that a try and see what happens. I think thats the last time I get an alignment from a place where I paid in Coors Lite
 
You shouldn't have bump steer at that height. But if the alignment isn't right, then anything's possible. Here's some other possibles.

Check the swaybar links - are they too short? Top of swaybar should be more or less parallel with the ground.

Got a pic of the steering geometry? DPA might be in order, although generally not the case @ 4".

You're okay with no rear DS, watch the corners - stay off the pedal or coast in 2WD.
 
front steering shot...
IMG_2744.jpg


and the swaybar links...
IMG_2735.jpg


anything look out of the ordinary?
 
Last edited:
XJ_ranger said:
what year is your jeep? dirving with no DS on a 1995 or older = not good
96+ ok for a little while, make sure to check that your yoke straps are tight...
Click to expand...
fixed it for ya even though it's been answered.

The trackbar drop bracket bothers me a bit; seems that it should induce some bumpsteer. I've got the RE1660/1665/1670 combo on mine at 4.5" and it's not dropped. If you're going to drop it, the pitman arm should be dropped a similar amount to prevent/reduce bumpsteer.

Another great alignment page is http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoAlignment.htm
 
Yucca-Man said:
The trackbar drop bracket bothers me a bit; seems that it should induce some bumpsteer. If you're going to drop it, the pitman arm should be dropped a similar amount to prevent/reduce bumpsteer.
Click to expand...

Agreed. DPA might be in order for you to bring the draglink/tie rod down a hair.

Plus it looks like your caster is a hair too low, but it's tough to tell from pics.

Get a printout when you go back for the alignment - might be that the coils are new and haven't settled in yet - if this is the case, then your LCA's are effectively too short until the spring settle down.
 
Yucca-Man said:
fixed it for ya even though it's been answered.
Click to expand...
thanks

was that switch over a definitive - ALL 1995's had old style and ALL 1996 had new style?
or was there some cross over one way or the other?
 
XJ_ranger said:
thanks

was that switch over a definitive - ALL 1995's had old style and ALL 1996 had new style?
or was there some cross over one way or the other?
Click to expand...
I don't think there's a definitive anything with the XJ, other than being able to say that there were no '83 or '02 XJs (And Beijing Jeeps dont count). However, it's pretty much most all of the 96s that used the newer-style outputs.
 
XJ_ranger said:
thanks

was that switch over a definitive - ALL 1995's had old style and ALL 1996 had new style?
or was there some cross over one way or the other?
Click to expand...
There was definitely a cross over which happened somewhere in the middle of the 1996 model year. If the chereokee was made in the last half of 96 it is most likely the newer design that will not leak oil when the shaft is removed. Mine was made in september and had the newer design, yet I've seen 96s made earlier which had the older design.
 
Yea the coils should be settled already. I bought them used off of a friend, they are about 6 months old. Here are my alighment measurements from the last alignment.

FRONT:
Left front camber -0.5
right front camber -0.4
Left front caster: 8.1
Right front caster:8.4
Left front toe: 0.06
right front toe: 0.06
Total toe: 0.12
Steer ahead: 0.01

REAR:
left rear camber: 0.0
Right rear camber: -0.1
Left rear toe: -0.04
Right rear toe: 0.19
Total toe: 0.15
thrust angle: -0.23


are those within spec? Im still tryin to get my draglink nuts adjusted. The nuts are starting to strip and I dont want it to get too messed up.
 
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