Bumpsteer and dw. Drag link vs tb

[Mcmadman]

Ive hsd some bad bumpsteer andIve been told i may need a drop pitman arm.. id like to make a last chance effort on correcting this before labor day weekend!
OK so here is a picture of my front end http://i.imgur.com/TOXxN5g.jpg

the drag link measure 38 inchesand tb 32. Hoping someone could give some insight into whats going on here

 

[Mcmadman]

Would an angle finder work on the trackbar?

 

[cal]

This is one of those rare cases where you probably do need a small drop pitman (ZJ).

But it wouldn't cause 'bad' bumpsteer, you'd really only notice it on like a speedbump. Most likely you have worn out parts somewhere.

 

[Mcmadman]

I took it to belle tire where he replaced my ball joint everything else seemed okay.does it seems like the angle of the track bar is far greater than draglink and I'm not sure if a 6 inch difference in length is significant

 

[cal]

the difference in length does not really matter. i mean on paper yes but in practice no.

its the difference in angle that matters

 

[frijolee]

I think you have something else going on as well. Angles look decent from what I can tell.

Here's your pic resized with a couple reference lines.

-Joel

By the way, do a google search for a "powertoy image resizer". It's a handy piece of software that lets you right click to resize pictures and it'll make uploads easier to manage.

 

[Mcmadman]

Thanks a lot. Was hoping this was the issue as I'm at a.loss

 

[StinkyFab]

Yeah, once I got the pic small enough to see the whole thing the angles look fine. I'm wondering if what you're calling bumpsteer is actually something else, because that geometry is about as good as it gets with stock style steering and a lift.

 

[Mcmadman]

I'm sure it is as if I hit a mediocre crack or bump it throws my wheel. I have experienced death wobble and I always thought people were over reacting . No shit is scary
So someone recommended a drop pitman arm but if my angles are good then isomething else is the culprit...

 

[Tim_MN]

There is no mention of lift height or other description of installed lift parts ?

A drop pitman arm is a step in the wrong direction if an XJ has less than 6 - 8 inches of lift.

 

[Mcmadman]

I have a 4.5 inch zone lift with a jks track bar. I was under that impression and if the angles are good then Idefinetely shouldn't need one. Had lower ball joint replaced after lift by a shop thst boogered my alignment and this guy that I took it to replaced the upper on same side other than that he said he can't figure it out and that it dosnt feel like my tires are out of balance.

 

[Gator Bait]

Have you checked caster?

 

[Mcmadman]

I'm at the shop right now he says there's not much he can do....said I might needs adjustable lcas..guy at another shop said I might need a new drag link recommended currie...he just came up to me before he was going to work on it just now and asked if the lift kit came with a recommended alignment spec

 

[RCP Phx]

It looks like you have factory uppers with a lot of wear. Have you checked all the bushings?

 

[Mcmadman]

My only experience is lifting this thing 2 months ago. I did look at them but Im not sure what I'm looking for. I think my steering box may be slightly worn and or maybe the brackets or holes in the trackbar or Lcas are messed up

 

[RCP Phx]

This is from the other thread, but it's a pretty complete list!

DW is not usually caused by one single item on the list below, it occurs when a combination of weak, damaged, failed, or out of specification items on the list are present. Tire issues will only initiate DW, and are not the sole cause of DW.

Entire list of everything that can cause death wobble:

- Loose, worn, or incorrectly torqued suspension nuts/bolts
- Front alignment out of spec
- Loose track bar
- Worn track bar bushing
- Worn track bar end
- Worn track bar bolt hole on axle
- Needing an adjustable track bar
- Bad bushings/joints in control arms
- Damaged control arms or control arm mounts
- Worn/damaged shocks
- Worn/damaged tie rod ends
- Bad U Joint
- Bad ball joint
- Loose track bar frame mount
- Worn track bar frame mount
- Steering box looseness
- Driveshaft(s) not balanced
- Bad front hub assembly
- Bent axle housing

 

[Mcmadman]

Caster is at 8

 

[StinkyFab]

My only experience is lifting this thing 2 months ago. I did look at them but Im not sure what I'm looking for. I think my steering box may be slightly worn and or maybe the brackets or holes in the trackbar or Lcas are messed up

You're looking for any kind of wear or looseness. If they are original bushings then I would put them at the top of your list to look at.

 

[jeeptec]

I was fighting bump steer on mine. I had a chat going on mine. I didn't have enough caster angle on mine. My caster was at 5.5 it was at min specs. I added another shim and it gave me 6.5 degrees caster. I'm ok now.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[RCP Phx]

How does caster affect bump steer? I've been running 2* of caster for over 15yrs!