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Had tie-rod replaced and "alignment" done

Dest

NAXJA Forum User
Location
PA
Went and got my '97 Xj's tie-rod replaced along with its cat (covered under a recall, yay!) and a wheel hub which was apparently near death according to the shop. Now they said they did an alignment after they replaced the tie rod, and yes the tires now seem to be even with each other. However...the steering wheel itself is turned to the right when the tires are pointing straight, when I turn the wheel all the way to the left the tires turn too far and grind against the jeep, this doesn't happen if I turn it all the way to the right. Did they mess up the alignment or did I break/bend something else when I had bent the tie-rod origianally and am only now noticing? I'm not sure how this all goes together so thanks.
 
They close in 4 minutes so I'll have to do it tomorrow. Even if they did a tape measure alignment it shouldn't be like that right? (They told me something along the lines of that its not worth it to do a "real" alignment because apparently all of my tie-rod ends and such have to be replaced and frankly I don't have the money to do that, and people that have looked under my jeep have told me thats bs)
 
they should have done a real alignment. i'd throw a brick at them and ask for your money back...

then go to a quality alignment shop. i swear, i hear about more places that dont even re-align your steering wheel....i wouldn't trust them to spell "toe", much less adjust it.
 
doubt they messed anything up. Try leaving the jeep running, loosen the 2 15mm bolts at the sleeve, and twist until your steering wheel goes the closest distance back to normal.
 
RyanM said:
doubt they messed anything up. Try leaving the jeep running, loosen the 2 15mm bolts at the sleeve, and twist until your steering wheel goes the closest distance back to normal.

These instructions are far beyond my comprehension.
 
the sleeve on your draglink (steering) that connects to the pitman ( steering box) It's an adjustable collar that extends and shortens, in turn moving the steering wheel.

Leaving it runnning just makes it easier to turn, powersteering helping you.
 
Dest said:
These instructions are far beyond my comprehension.
:wow:

I think he doesn't know how to do the work... I think you would do good if you got the book for your jeep to learn how to fix things.. It takes time to learn, but then you will have fun doing it yourself.....
 
Ah cool. I shall wait for my automotive friends to return to school as I'm sure they've done this before and can assist me, but I'll bring it back to the dealership and see if they'll do it for free.
 
scottmcneal said:
:wow:

I think he doesn't know how to do the work... I think you would do good if you got the book for your jeep to learn how to fix things.. It takes time to learn, but then you will have fun doing it yourself.....

Is there a certain book your talking about?
 
Dest said:
Is there a certain book your talking about?
Factory service manual is best, Haynes better than nothing at all. In the mean time, take it back and tell them to center the wheel. This is an elementary part of wheel alignment, the steering gear is specially designed to have less play on center, the job takes a couple of minutes on an XJ, and there's no good excuse for muffing it up.
 
Any idea where I could get a factory service manual? I'll bring it back to the dealership tomorrow and hope they don't expect me to pay for it.
 
Oops forgot they were closed on weekends, so it'll be Mondays trip. Thanks for all the help and advice.
 
Yeah they said they did a basic alignment justusing a tape-measure so they'll charge me to do a full one. I think I'll bring it somewhere else. Also I've noticed that I'm running a little rich now, you can smell it...Any ideas on that?
 
Dest said:
Yeah they said they did a basic alignment justusing a tape-measure so they'll charge me to do a full one. I think I'll bring it somewhere else. Also I've noticed that I'm running a little rich now, you can smell it...Any ideas on that?
I don't know about the rich running, but I agree you should take your alignment elsewhere. It's not a complicated job but it does need to be done with care, and a tape measure is not the right tool.
 
Yeah, I'm going to go elsewhere and get a non-dealership opinion on the state of my car. Does anyone know what they could've done with/near the cat that makes it smell like its running rich?
 
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