Steering Issues

I have a 90 XJ with a RE 4.5 inch lift on it. Ever since I lifted it I began to notice some play in the steering that got worse and worse, about 2 inches. Nothing else was worn so I narrowed it down to the steering box.

So I went to the junkyard and pulled what looked like a decent box. Right after I put it in it tracked really bad at freeway speeds, basically it was following cracks in the road constantly and doing I guess what you'd call bump steer. It felt kind of loose as well so I adjusted the nut on top just slightly, which seemed to help quite a bit but the problem is still there. The steering doesn't seem to have any play in it any more so I don't want to keep adjusting it if it doesn't need it.

So any thoughts you guys have on this would be nice.

So its fixed? Or you still have problems?
Bump steer is caused when your drag link and track bar are not parallel. Wondering can be caused by too little caster. Do you know what your caster is set at?

I am still having the bump steering issues. I think you may be right about the caster, I think it is about 4.9 degrees. The problem is I think I am out of adjustment on the lower control arms where you put the shims behind the control arms. My control arms are not adjustable, so maybe I'll have to go to the adjustable ones.

If you have a picture of the front end showing the steering its pretty simple to see if they are parallel to check for bumpsteer. It should look something like this...

Here is a pic of what I got. So if they are not parallel what can be done to correct that?

SFW516 said:

and doing I guess what you'd call bump steer.

Click to expand...

Bump steer is when you are driving straight, you hit a bump, and the vehicle turns in one direction. Is this what you are experiencing or is it just general "looseness"? Your angles don't look terrible to me so bump steer would surprise me.

Its weird, it acts like its loose. it tends to swerve slightly when you hit a bump in the road and then correct itself. The steering wheel seems to stay in the same position but the car is tracking around like loose steering. But when I wiggle the wheel and check the tire for play it seems to be tight. I am going to align the car on Monday to see if thats part of the issue.

Sounds like a caster issue. I would either check it with an angle finder or have an alignment shop check.

If there is not enough caster the front wheels will wobble like that of a shopping cart. Ever used a shopping cart that had DW, so to speak? If you cant shim, depending on your setup, it may be time for adjustable uppers or lowers.

When looking to see if your angles are parallel, it isn't the actual angle of the arm but the angle of an imaginary line drawn between the ends of the arms. In other words, having a bend in the arm has no effect on bump steer.

Also an inverted Y setup like the one on the XJ jacks with the toe in and steering when the suspension is cycled.