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XJ tries to change lanes when letting off gas

It's the automatic locker. Not just because it's a Detroit. When not locked the power is being routed through only one side of the locker, and when you let off the gas the natural pulling force disappears making it feel like it pulls the opposite way. Worn suspension component will amplify the effect.
 
Besides making sure all the suspension mounts are not moving and all the bushings are good, make sure the rear tires have exactly the same air pressure, especially with a Detroit.
 
Not to totally hijack this, but what is it about the Detroit locker that causes this behavior?

I'm weighing my options for a rear locker and am curious if this is something specific to the Detroit, or more common in other types of auto lockers as well

FWIW, I never had this issue with my Detriot.
 
See how crazy this is? Some people swear it is my locker while others swear it is not! I have to figure this out before I spend $1,000 on another ARB locker that may or may not fix the problem!

:banghead:
 
Thanks for the input everyone. Doesn't necessarily give Slimer a smoking gun, but it is helpful to know that the effect is often exaggerated by worn suspension components
 
Worn suspension, or like me, no sway bar. Either way, locked diffs make your Heep go straight. Unlock the diff, and now you know why your diffs came unlocked from the factory. For pavement, you want to limit slip as little as possible to maintain maximum traction. For offroad, you want zero slip.
 
So I still have a sway bar up front. Everything seems tight, in fact most everything is almost new, including the Dynatrac axle and Tereflex steering up front. The only part of the suspension that I could find that is old is the rear shackles are original and it looks like the upper shackle bushings might be bad. I am replacing the shackles soon. Other than that, I have no idea what it could be.
 
So I still have a sway bar up front. Everything seems tight, in fact most everything is almost new, including the Dynatrac axle and Tereflex steering up front. The only part of the suspension that I could find that is old is the rear shackles are original and it looks like the upper shackle bushings might be bad. I am replacing the shackles soon. Other than that, I have no idea what it could be.

Physics. Locked diffs make shit go straight. You naturally add steering to force it around a turn. When you remove the reason you needed more steering, you "change lanes". :D
 
Physics. Locked diffs make shit go straight. You naturally add steering to force it around a turn. When you remove the reason you needed more steering, you "change lanes". :D

I don't think that is the case, it pretty much takes the same amount of steering effort locked or unlocked. I don't know how to explain it, but it kind of veers hard for a second and then goes back to normal. I did drove it on the skid pad at Bondurant and if I let off the gas during a turn it darts and then returns to normal very quickly after.
 
I replaced the rear shackles today. They raised my rear end about two inches and helped to solve some of the handling issues.

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One side came out easy. On the other side the sleeve inside the upper shackle bolt had split and siezed to the bolt. I was able to unthread it from the blind nut and then cut it with a sawzall.
 
Mine had the exact same problem. While mine is not cured 100%, my main problem was the mounts at the front of the rear springs. The passenger side mount broke loose the captured nut and over time wore the mount to where the bolt could track about 1/4 inch backward and forward in the mount. I was not able to see that the bolt was moving as most of the travel was where the captured nut broke loose. From the outside all looked good. Put synergy front spring mounts on and it’s all good now. The remainder of my issues is from my cherokee living a pretty hard former life. Incidentally, synergy quit making the mounts but I believe hooligan makes them now.
 
My XJ now handles better, but it is really noisy now. The new bushings really make a lot of noise.

Also, I can't recommend the Rusty's Shackles enough. I do recommend buying some new hardware though before you start the project.

Rusty's XJ Shackles
 
You didn't need the boomerang shackles, but they do work too.

Noisy ?? I have the Rusty's straight shackles, and once I lubed them up, put the weight on them, then tightened them up, they make ZERO noise at all.


And yes, I got all new hardware from the local bolt store....much easier than fighting the 20+ yr old stuff.


.
 
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