still sways after alignment....

Does anyone know why an xj will still sway back and forth in the front end after an alignment has been done? id imagine gotta be something in the steering right? the stabilizer was replaced prior to alignment and that helped out alot!!! but it seems like after the alignment it went right back to the way it was....is there something else wrong or do i just need to wait for the tires to be cut up a lil bit longer...just got this done today and on the drive home noticed it was back. thx for the input

Tony

Sway or shimmy? Describe what's going on with a little more detail, please. Also, what is your caster set at (should be on the printout you got with the alignment). What are the specs on your vehicle modifications? Lift, control arms, etc...

Its swaying side to side whenever the steering wheel is moved to far in one direction to correct line of travel to stay in lane. Also seems to do it when braking sometimes. No vibration in steering wheel at all. Lift is 2inches was on jeep before i bought it. LCA's are stock, stock shocks, rear sway bar removed. And i was not given a print out with specs on it, after waiting all morning from 7-12 it didnt even dawn on me to make sure i got one or ask for one.
That will be the last time i deal with them.

I would check and make sure the trackbar bracket on the frame is nice and tight, as well as there is no slop in the bushing or tre. Look underneath and have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth while you look at everything.

How many miles are on it? Its possible that the stock shocks are just worn out causing excessive body roll. Also make sure the front sway bar bushings are good as well as the link ends.

As mentioned above by Begster make sure the track bar is in good shape and the bolts are tight.

With only a 2" lift I'd be curious if the stock trac bar (assuming its a stock one) has the front axle pulled to one side. With small lifts you can get away with just redrilling the axle mounting hole offset to recenter the axle under the vehicle which corrects how it tracks down the road. The other option would to be an adjustable tracbar like JKS makes.

The easy way to check this is take a tape measure and pick a spot inside the front fenderwell and measure from it to the tire and then go to the other side and measure from the same spots. The measurements should be the same or very close. If not the axle is not centered under the front end it will cause handling problems.

The body can sway, but cannot wander.

The steering can wander, but cannot sway.

What exactly is it doing, and under what specific conditions ?

What suspension modifications are installed (if any) ? What tires ? What tire pressure ?

Did you get an alignment for stock Cherokee or for modified Cherokee ? Did they inspect your steering and suspension ?

the jeep has 230000 miles on it. the shocks look fairly new and the end links look ok, for the age of vehicle and they are nice and tight. will check track bar upper mount bolts and get the front end measurement hopefully in the next day or two. I hope its not the track bar i know those arent necesarily cheap. thx for the input guys will have an update once have time to dig into it

the steering wanders a bit goin down the road and when applying the brakes. has a 2 in lift on it, other then that bone stock suspension. I had alot of wonder before the alignment but replaced front stabilizer and that almost entirely fixed it. then got an alignment done and now its back not as bad but more noticeable. And i would assume they speced it for a modified ride height i told them had a lift on it. It has 30x9.5x15s on it runnin around 40 lbs a tire i believe they are 50lbs max. other then that no other changes have been made to my knowledge

Your toe-in should be 0 to 1/16th inch toed in. Inspect the suspension bushings, shock absorbers, unit bearings, and tie rod ends for excessive wear or damage. 30" tires should have 28-32 psi.

Hey TIM on the toe in measurement, is that total toe in of both tires measured from tire to tire or is that each individual tire must have 1/16inch of toe in? thx

wallowed out tierod end?

thx for the right up TIM! so i got away for a moment from the woman lol and toe in is right in spec.

Ima look at more closely tomorrow while a buddy of mine steers back and forth but what i found just by shakin suspension components is....upper trac bar mount was nice and tight, trac bar frame joint seems shot. one if not both of the tie rods might be bad, the link bar to both tie rods had a lil bit more movement then desirable which is leading me in the direction of a bad tie rod. And i couldnt really see that well but seems like pitman arm has some play in it also.

Like i said will really be able to dig into it tomorrow. On a good note might of just found out that what i thought was a trans leak at the radiator might just be a ps leak on the return hose

Ok so update...Just got done with the jeep and took it for a spin. And WALLA all fixed! And what was it you ask?....I have no clue ROFL!

My buddy came over and we took turns combing the whole front suspension and we both took every measurement we could, we could not see a thing, hear anything, feel anything with to much play, nothing!!! But when i took it for a spin the swaying was completely gone. So i guess maybe something was binding and we somehow freed it up moving everything around. But now i have no complaints, still some play in steering wheel but its more like a 60s era hot rod play. And thats fine with me

Thx for all ur input guys!!!

On a side note i installed my new trans cooler tonight as well, man she shifts nice! no more dumpn OD once it warms up The factory cooler was a pain to get out tho, what a maze that was.

Tony