OK. So I set my axle angle to 86°. This is measured off the flats on the dif. The issue is that steering return is much stronger after a right turn than a left turn. So I took angle finder to the top of the ball joints and found that the passenger side is almost 10 degrees and the drivers side is about 5°. Also the passenger side coil spring appears slight ly bowed compared to the drivers side. Could u have bent an inner c. I know that t castor at each wheel is not independently adjustable. So how can one side have more castor than the other?!
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Castor issues left vs right side
- Thread starter Desert4x4
- Start date
dan1977p
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Virginia Beach, VA
If the coil bucket is different too, then your issue is likely a bent housing.
Hmm strange. Because the coil pad is angled more clockwise and the castor is more positive. Would that be two different directions?
EDIT:
I just put a level on the rear of the coil pads (next to the shocks) and both sides come out to 86 degrees. Strange. If the axle tube twisted or bent I would assume that wheel wouldn't sit straight and the coil pads would be affect. It looks like axle could be ever so slightly pushed forward on the passenger side, although the lower control arms are set to the same length.
Are bowing springs ever cause by spring pad misalignment or only if the lower pad is at an angle?
EDIT:
I just put a level on the rear of the coil pads (next to the shocks) and both sides come out to 86 degrees. Strange. If the axle tube twisted or bent I would assume that wheel wouldn't sit straight and the coil pads would be affect. It looks like axle could be ever so slightly pushed forward on the passenger side, although the lower control arms are set to the same length.
Are bowing springs ever cause by spring pad misalignment or only if the lower pad is at an angle?
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dan1977p
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Virginia Beach, VA
Is it lifted and on short arms? You'll see more bowing that way since it's a tighter arc that the axle runs on. Without the C's being bent, axle bent or maybe a ball joint not completely seated, I can't think of any other reasons aside from user error for the caster to be so different between sides. If you can't see anything obvious, you may have to take it to an alignment shop. I hate suggesting that, but sometimes, you need to have someone else look at it.
Well, it is lifted 5" on short arms with drop brackets. I have noticed how it is a tighter arc. The driver's side spring is never bowing. The passenger spring bows and also the sway bar used to hit it. I guess something is bent. Thanks for the help and ideas Dan.
RCP Phx
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix,Az
If your castor is off, it wouldn't be a bent housing but a twisted axle tube!
dan1977p
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Virginia Beach, VA
Could be your 'frame' is bent. I'd do a bunch of measurements to see what's messed up. Especially diagonals and front to back on the wheels, control arm mounting bolt to axle side bolt and corners of the unibody frame rails. That should give you a pretty good idea if it's twisted or just an axle or control arm.
dan1977p
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Virginia Beach, VA
I use the terms interchangeably. Twisted is just bent on a different axis.
RCP Phx
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix,Az
If the castor is off, it can only be in the axle! I've seen factory axles off by that amount, the only fix(if it's not truly twisted and not likely) would be to go to off-set ball joints and that's a easy fix. You need to go to a alignment shop to get "true" measurements before you will know how to treat it!
RCP Phx
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix,Az
Almost impossible! But again I've also seen some pretty weird variations in the welding of mounts that are beyond what I would tolerate, but hey "it's a Jeep". The perches should be the least of your concerns, get a good "read-out" on the castor and then figure out how to attack it!
- Location
- San Diego
the coil is bowed because the perch on the passenger side sits at a different angle than the drivers side.
it is theoretically possible that your Cs were not welded on correctly or that you spun a tube, but you would probably have noticed that.
don't measure caster on the top of the inner Cs. chances are the castings are not perfectly the same which will give you false readings.
put a straight edge on the machined portion that the lower BJ rides on, and measure off that. also make sure you are measuring it on a perfectly level surface.
it is theoretically possible that your Cs were not welded on correctly or that you spun a tube, but you would probably have noticed that.
don't measure caster on the top of the inner Cs. chances are the castings are not perfectly the same which will give you false readings.
put a straight edge on the machined portion that the lower BJ rides on, and measure off that. also make sure you are measuring it on a perfectly level surface.
RCP Phx
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Phoenix,Az
That's true, the body isn't symmetrical left side vs right side(spring towers), seems weird but true!
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