Sick of Death Wobble

[builder]

Exception's xj's with 242 full time feature should be set at zero.

 

[Hellbent]

i got 4.5" in the front and currently im about a 1/2" toe'd in... i havent adjusted mine yet but no DW for me, just alot of bump steer to me... like going over speed bumps the steering wheel likes to jump(turn) side to side a inch sometimes

when i had a shimmy in my steering at 2" lift i was out on my caster, after doing my 4.5" coils and tomken LCA's my shimmy disappeared, im assuming the alignment shop doesnt know how to align a lifted vehicle and set your alignment back to stock spec's... if it was me, i'd adjust your lca's out 2 turns, install take for a drive, if it doesnt work, do it again until it either gets worse or gets better, thats what was suggested by this 4wd shop on how they do it and told me thats what i should do to fix my shimmy.

just an idea, can take it with a grain of salt if you feel im wrong.

actually, another "partial contributor" is the fact that i'm on stock lca's at about 2.75" of lift. it's ok, but i'm sure the caster is not exactly where it's supposed to be. everything was perfect until i switched wheels and tires. i know the upper bushings are cracked and falling apart. will be swapping in some aftermarket(longer) lca's eventually too. every mj/xj that i've ever had, always felt better with minimal toe.

 

[MaxxXJ]

these are the approx lengths your LCA's are suppose to be at with certian lifts..

http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Suspension_Steering_Axles_and_Brakes/Control_Arm_Chart.htm

 

[Philprof]

checked the wheels for movement, but I could move the whole steering and nothing seemed loose. That is, when I grabbed the wheel at 9 and 3, the whole steering would move, and nothing moved on the 6 and 12 axis. I'm thinking of taking it to shop...any suggestions?

 

[Andy Steiner]

checked the wheels for movement, but I could move the whole steering and nothing seemed loose. That is, when I grabbed the wheel at 9 and 3, the whole steering would move, and nothing moved on the 6 and 12 axis. I'm thinking of taking it to shop...any suggestions?

Rotate the tires. Could be a bad tire. Bring the rear tires to the front and see if anything changes.

 

[Philprof]

quick, stupid question/thought...I have a ZJ tie rod. Does it matter which end is attached to the drag link and, likewise, the wheel knuckle?

 

[Hellbent]

not really, i think. but as far as i know, the adjuster belongs at the driver's side(mine is mounted this way).

 

[Philprof]

mine is mounted that way as well...thanks

 

[598BBC]

draglink parallel with trackbar? ie: at same angle.. thats normally 80% causes of DW

 

[jdougn]

GoJeep has a detailed writeup on doing your own front end alignment that the guys at the local off-road shop refer to. I used the method and have run well over 40k with no unusual tire wear or steering issues.
How To: XJ Alignment

The biggest steering issue my '98 XJ has had was a cracked frame the the steering pump. The crack was hidden by the motor mounts and track bar bracket. With the ebrake set, we turned the steering wheel back and forth and you could see the entire frame raking back and forth right there.

hth, Doug

 

[Philprof]

track-bar and drag link are parallel.

 

[Hellbent]

i thought i'd post up again here, as i've been having a similar issue. i finally got around to changing my visibly bad uca bushings-what a pita. at the same time, i swapped my stock lower arms for some aftermarket(skyjacker or rancho-not sure) fixed lower arms with poly bushings, mainly because i had them sitting around, then reset the alignment to 1/8" toe in. man, what a difference! absolutely rock solid at any speed, over the choppiest crap roads i could find. the whole ride is smoother, tighter, and far more "stable" feeling. no more dw period. :woohoo:

 

[Philprof]

i thought i'd post up again here, as i've been having a similar issue. i finally got around to changing my visibly bad uca bushings-what a pita. at the same time, i swapped my stock lower arms for some aftermarket(skyjacker or rancho-not sure) fixed lower arms with poly bushings, mainly because i had them sitting around, then reset the alignment to 1/8" toe in. man, what a difference! absolutely rock solid at any speed, over the choppiest crap roads i could find. the whole ride is smoother, tighter, and far more "stable" feeling. no more dw period. :woohoo:

Congrats on finding the problem. I just ordered some RC uppers and I DONT look forward to doing them. I'm going to do everything at once; that is, I'm also going to install my RC drop brackets and an extra coil spacer, and probably do (or have done) the ball joints or hubs if needed.

Everything else is in spec. I'm thinking of having a wrench party to throw the kitchen sink at it. Its either that, or it will be on Craigslist before October.

 

[Philprof]

it was a cracked track bar bolt that didn't show itself until it was uninstalled and snapped on reinstallation.

 

[Andy Steiner]

it was a cracked track bar bolt that didn't show itself until it was uninstalled and snapped on reinstallation.

More often than not, the cause of DW is the track bar or its mount.

Congrats on finding the problem.