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positive camber after lift

avnsteve

avnsteve

NAXJA Forum User
Location
South Austin or North San Antone
any clue why? were my ball joints already bad and the lift pointed it out (magnified effect?) is this common? my lift consists of zj coils and s10 leafs, no other components have been changed, and nothing seems to be binding
 
avnsteve said:
any clue why? were my ball joints already bad and the lift pointed it out (magnified effect?) is this common? my lift consists of zj coils and s10 leafs, no other components have been changed, and nothing seems to be binding
Click to expand...
What makes you think the camber is bad? Its most likely a castor issue if your running stock upper/lower ca's!
 
If you are eyeballing it, jack up each front tire and then set them back down. Toe in or toe out can flex the tire on the rim and make the camber look really bad.
 
it's actually negative camber, the bottom of the wheels are further apart from each other than the tops
Align_Camber.gif


and it's bad enough to recognize from just walking up on it from the front, and I'm seeing my tires start to wear a little odd, so I've driven enough miles to relieve the toe in/out stress

if you are not sure of the correct terminology, don't post, I'm bad enough as it is, I'm looking for useful, helpful input,
thanks

so RCP Phx, you're suggesting adjustable LCA's or just longer ones?
 
Last edited:
Pretty much all solid front axles have some negative camber built into them. If your camber is greater then the factory specs then you could have a couple of different issues. First and most likely would be bad ball joints. To check them, use a jack and raise one wheel at a time. With a wheel raised, grab the tire top and bottom with your hands and shake back and forth. It should be obvious if there is any play or slop in the ball joints. Repeat for other side.

If your ball joints SEEM okay, then you might have a more serious problem, which could include a bent axle housing or a bent inner Knuckle. Tese problems are best fixed by replacing the entire axle assembly.

My bet is on the ball joints unless your Jeep has been in a collision or has been abused offroad such as jumping.

Good luck
 
not abused by me, there is some serious bondo repair to the pax front quarter panel, I discovered when painting it, so do you suppose the lift aggravated an already poor situation, or did the lift CAUSE it?
i ask this way because there was no problem prior to lift
 
Really, the lift can't effect camber. Like plymatt65 was saying pretty much the only things that can effect it are bad ball joints or a bent axle. If the axle turns out to be bent you could get adjustable ball joints, but I would suggest finding a new axle assembly. Good luck and enjoy the lift, its not at fault :)
 
First thing is to go out to your jeep and check the ball joints like I said. Some times you just don't notice an issue untill you have done some work to that area of your rig. I find little things all the time on my Jeeps when I am working n them. It is just a matter of how much "quality time" you spend with it. You can find something to fix on almost any Jeep, You just have to look hard enough.

But really, Check those ball joints.
 
avnsteve said:
thanks, I'll look at the ball joints tomorrow, and yes, I can think of at least 50 things to repair, or improve on my rig, I go to sleep each night dwelling on which to do based on $$
Click to expand...


Safety first. Make sure your brakes and suspension is in proper working order BEFORE any upgrades.
 
you have too adjust your caster after a lift, if its out it can make your camber appear to be off. As you go higher your axle is sucked back and your uppers force it to rotate forward so you go from toed in or out to what appears to be negative or positive camber i know it doesnt seem like it would be enough to make it look the way yours does but that is exactly how mine looked after lifting
 
waylander said:
you have too adjust your caster after a lift, if its out it can make your camber appear to be off. As you go higher your axle is sucked back and your uppers force it to rotate forward so you go from toed in or out to what appears to be negative or positive camber i know it doesnt seem like it would be enough to make it look the way yours does but that is exactly how mine looked after lifting
Click to expand...

I'm gonna second this (although you can't actually "adjust" the caster)-- with the axle rotated higher in the rear, the natural caster in the spindles will change all of your alignment settings. Get the axle where it's gonna stay and set your toe to roughly even (-1/8" seems best) and look at it again. If you're not running drop brackets, there's definitely some compromise, but adjustable arms (longer) can help push the axle back forward and back down a degree or two also.
 
All 3 of my XJ's had changes in camber after lift. As was stated, since the caster is altered due to the axle rotating forward at the top, the camber will change. The other thing to consider is tires. Are you running the same tires as before the lift or did you go up in size? Any camber or toe change will be magnified by a larger diameter tire.
 
What are your alignment specs?Set the castor and toe and look at the camber after that!
 
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