Popping in sharp turns

Im getting a popping noise and feel in my steering wheel when i go around a 90 degree+ turn. I have a 4.5 in RE lift but stock steering. The steering is also vague on the highway, with constant adjustments necessary to track straight. I work at a tire shop, so I know it's not only an alignment issue, and i was wondering if the audience here thought that a simple Drop pitman arm (how many inches??) or a full new steering setup was necessary to firm up the steering wheel. Should i keep the drag link and toe bar and add a hd steering box from quadratech and a new Drop pitman arm? or should i go all out, new box, pump, brace, and otk system? An advice is welcomed. Money is not really an issue. (I love single life!)

96' xj,4.5 RE, 33" bfg at/ko 4.0, auto, 4.56

How many miles on it? Have you inspected the ball joints? If the boots are torn, chances are very good that the grease has come out and dirt has gotten in allowing for binding and other noises....if that's the case, it won't be long before they need to be replaced!

a while back I had a similar thing, when I would turn so far either direction I would get a pop...turned out the axle end of my trackbar was just a bit loose and the bolt had just enough room to slop around. Torqued it down and it immediately went away.

My brother had a similiar problem. When he would turn his wheel either way he would get a pop...

We torqued the track bar bracket down again and it went away..They need to be as tight as they will allow.

Yep, yep. I had the same problem, turned out the axle end of the track bar bracket had wallowed out at the hole. Match-drilled a piece of plate and welded it on top of the bracket, problem solved.

popping or binding around turns might also derive from worn u-joints as well, but they would have no effect on highway driving. So I would say, just like everyone else, to torque the crap out of your trackbar near the steering box because I have the same lift and I had to do the same thing.

Track bar or track bar bracket is a strong possibility...check everything including the ball joints and all steering linkages...I had vague steering on the Heep once...the steering box was worn out....also you can get popping while turning from worn out rusty tight front axle u-joints....easy to check...jack front wheels up....and with the tires pointed straight, turn them and note how hard they are to turn...should turn easily and smoothly..now turn the steering wheel all the way left or right and turn the tires again....if they are hard to turn, the joints are tight.

Was a cracked drivers side upper control arm bushing on mine doing the dirty deed.

I used to have the same kit and would get that same pop. The nut holding the trackbar on at the upper bracket liked to work loose. I went to the hardware store and bought a second one, and started double nutting it. That worked for as long as I kept that trackbar.

Double nutting it?

+1 more for trackbar, axle side or frame bracket.

Someone else mentioned axle u-joints which is a big one in turning, but like they said, nothing to do with highway sloppiness.

I've got a similar thing going on even with teh RE heavy duty bracket. Gonna weld it to the frame and that should quiet her right down.

Thanks for the good response, guys. Ill check that out first thing in the morning - Hopefully it'll solve my problem!