Mild XJ Castor/control arm questions

Recently I bought a used budget boost, coils up front, new leaf and a 1 inch block for the rear. Supposedly it is a 3' kit. I get it all done and go down the road, everything is fine and dandy till I hit the interstate, went over a bridge, BAM I thought the thing was gunna shake apart. Death wobble. Now it is every time I am around 50 or above. I figured that my control arms etc would still be fine for a small 3 inch lift.I dont even have 31s on it yet, still stockers. Eventually I will go a little bigger, around4 to 4 1/2. Should I just go ahead and order LCAs or will they not work due to my low lift height at the current moment? I am taking it to the shop tomorrow for an alignment and to see if he can adjust the castor or shim it to get me driving, this is my daily driver. I would like to keep it streetable and interstate worthy but I do go for a little mud and trail fun at times. I read a few posts on similar stuff, any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you for your time.
Andy

You didn't give a lot of info in your post. new trac bar? or at least redrill or "god forbid" a bracket. have a look at "yucca man's website 3" lift lca's 16 uca's 15

Thanks for the reply, the only thing I can figure out is that my castor is out because my LCAs might be a tid short for the 3 inches, which I cant really understand due to I have seen many 3 inch XJs who never had to change a thing, but every jeep is different. Would getting the 3 inch LCAs from yucca work? Also would they work if I went just a tid higher ( to 4) or would I have to get new LCAs again? I have a rough country steering stabilizer and am going to get a new Trac as well.

Alignment is most likely your problem, but it could also be the trackbar or bad/worn control arm bushings. It can also be in the wheel bearing/hub, but that's less likely since it just happened after the lift.
You should replace, or at least re drill the axle side trackbar mount to relocate it before getting an alignment. Otherwise your steering wheel will be off center.

PS. Welcome to , where in VA are you?

Thanks, I am in between Staunton and Harrisonburg. I am sure there is a link or post on relocating the trackbar, or I will just spend the money and buy a new aftermarket one. Or will I still need to relocate the new one as well? It is going in today to the tire shop to get alligned and have him drive it/check the castor, bushings etc. Hopefully get it done soon, it is my daily driver ha.

You move the mounting hole to center the axle, not the steering wheel. You move the hole 3/4" towards the drivers side. This does not really contribute to DW. You center the steering wheel by adjusting the drag link. Use the lca chart to figure out how much to shim your arms. This fix is only good for about 3 1/2" of lift with stock lcas. I had to add 1/8" to my Rancho fixed arms when I stacked an extra isolater on my 3" lift.

cherokee chuck said:

You move the mounting hole to center the axle, not the steering wheel.

Click to expand...

No one said you move it to center the steering wheel, but you do need to center the steering wheel after it's moved. This should be done prior to an alignment so they can center the wheel for you during the alignment.

And for the OP, you don't need to relocate the mount if you get an adjustable bar. And yes, there are many posts on relocating the bar if you search, I believe there was one just a few days ago.

"death wobble" is not caused by incorrect length track bar; It's caused by other steering system failures, such as loose track bar frame mount, bad track bar joints, bad ball-joints, bad drag link and tie-rod end joints, and badly worn or incorrectly adjusted front wheel bearings.
I've probably missed a couple, but should give an idea of where to look.
As you would probably agree, re-centering the axle under the Jeep is a good idea.
As already noted, you can do this by buying an after-market, adjustable track bar, or by drilling a new hole for the track bar at the axle.

Thanks for the advice, I bought my buddies adjustable track bar and went ahead and put a new tie rod end on it, He only used it for a week before he switched axles completely to Ford units. I sent that to the tire shop today and hopefully we will see what happens. I am trying everything to keep from buying LCA's but we will see. If I have to get LCA's, should I get the fixed or go ahead and spend the money on adjustable's in case of future lift?

You shouldn't need LCAs, but they are a good idea since they are stronger than stock. Aftermarket arms also allow more droop before contacting the coil bucket. There should be enough adjustment at the frame pocket/ to correct your caster, you just need to add some shims.
If/when you get arms, you may as well get adjustable, unless a long arm upgrade is in your future and you get s set of fixed arms cheap. With adjustables, you can make them longer for ~4.5" or so, or you can make them shorter to use with drop brackets. Either way, it's good to have adjustment, whether it's from LCAs or UCAs.

Did you do the lift without an alignment? If so, that could be the problem right there. When you lift and have the stock steering arrangement the toe-in changes with height.

As far as the rest of the story, control arm bushings (upper and lower, there are 8 total), track bar (sounds like you've got that covered), tie rod ends, ball joints, steering stabilzer, tire wear, worn steering box, worn shocks, etc, will start a wobble going. But once you fix it they go nice on the highway! Mine goes 85 on the interstate without a whimper, runs like a dog chasing a rabbit.

Mark