Steering issue

[willtodo]

Ive goter lined up and new tires,,,, it feels extreamly squirrely, the slightest turn of the steering wheel and the thing feals like its going to dart off the road.( say 40mph and above faster the worst it is). Front end shop said it felt like the return in the gear box was sticking or dampner was bent( checked dampner , not it). He also said that someone might have tightend up the gear box and its too tight at center,,or a ball joint could be sticking. It gos straight down the road ,, doesnt pull one way or the other.
side note: ive heard theres an orface somewhere in the powersteering that can be drilled out for better results.
:crazy:whatchathink

[4.3LXJ]

Two things. Is it really lined up. I had that happen and the toe was in too far. Needs to be redone. Do you have your sway bar hooked up?

[willtodo]

sway bar yes,,, i took it to alignment shop ive used over the years,,,,are there special specs they would go off of for the specific lift?

[4.3LXJ]

I am not sure, but I am having a hard time finding someone who can align mine correctly.

[willtodo]

i see on an old post were there was mention of steering pump needing some ajustments

[4.3LXJ]

I am not aware of any pump adjustments you can make. Only on the box.

[willtodo]

I am not aware of any pump adjustments you can make. Only on the box.

the best way i can describe it is ,, steering away from center is way more reactive than bringing back to center.

[4.3LXJ]

They usually are due to the design of the valving in the box

[willtodo]

They usually are due to the design of the valving in the box

so does it need to be rebuilt? or upgraded,,, ill double check on alignment

[4.3LXJ]

There is another issue that affects steering wheel return now that I think about it. Castor angle. Putting on a lift changes that. Did your alignment guy check that? Refresh my poor memory. What lift did you put on?

[willtodo]

6.5 RC w/dropbracket,pitman arm

[4.3LXJ]

Did you set your castor at around 6°?

[willtodo]

dont know degre,,,i expressed consern at the time,,, of there being specific specs, I ask RC and shop,,, niether mentioned any mod spec,,,,were did you pull this from

[willtodo]

I just reviewed the install sheet for lift and the last step was too"Take the vehicle to be aligned to factory specifications by a certified alignment shop".
What toodo

[4.3LXJ]

It is really the last step of the install. You can do it yourself. I can't access a pic I did of it on a friends rig. But take off the tire on the passenger side. Use a smartphone with a free leveler app or anglefinder available at tool stores. Lay either on the top of the ball joint and take the upper link loose if adjustable and set the correct length.

[bigjim350]

I would think that steering issue would be more of a toe in/out problem rather than caster. Did they give you a spec sheet of the alignment? Also if the adjuster on the steering box was adjusted too tight it could cause this problem. However if that was the problem you would notice that your steering wheel wouldn't center itself

[willtodo]

I would think that steering issue would be more of a toe in/out problem rather than caster. Did they give you a spec sheet of the alignment? Also if the adjuster on the steering box was adjusted too tight it could cause this problem. However if that was the problem you would notice that your steering wheel wouldn't center itself

No it will not center itself,,,just talked to align shop said caster was around 2 ,, didnt get into other specs. Once agin the best way i can describe it is going away from center it reacts very quickly ,, to the point it feels like the frontend is darting right out from under the truck,, and i feel slight tension bringing it back to center. most vehicles ive drivin when at slow speed , say turning through a parking lot ,when you take your hand off wheel it will come back to center, mine will come back a little but still remains in the turn. The way it reacts at highway speed seem very dangerous to me

[4.3LXJ]

Setting the castor properly will take care of some of that. That is one reason it is done. The tipping of the axle back a little makes the wheels want to center.

[xj4life2]

Sounds like Steve is correct...again. Castor is way off, factory settings will never work on 6.5 lift. castor needs to be between 4* and 6* and tow in set at 1/8 in. Lastly if you box has had an overcenter tightening there is a good chance it has been ruined by doing this.When/if you go back to alignment guys tell them the specs you would like and get a print out of them.

Castor at 2* will cause exactly what you have going on get it set at 4* plus .

[4.3LXJ]

Mark, your ex competitor across town, you know on Skyway, used to set them on his his alignment rack at 8°

[willtodo]

ok,,,,,I placed my degree wheel on top of ball J prior to adj it was neg .5 placed it on concrete slab got the same reading all the way around, drivers side pass side ect. I backed out lower CA .5in ,,now it its close to 1 degree,,,i drove it and it seems to be a bit better,may just be in my head.
Am i getting the correct measure of degree,, or is that just a redneck way of dooing it?
My other measurements in length are L C arm 16 1/8 both sides,,, U C arm driver side 15 3/8 Pass side 15 1/8 ,, I made no adustments to uppers should they be the same the lowers were before and still are.
Whats the next step,, should i keep going out on lower or split it between upper and lower?
is this going to mess up other aspects of the alignment?

[4.3LXJ]

I shouldn't have any major effect on the toe in. Undo one side, dial in the other side and then make the first match.

[willtodo]

I shouldn't have any major effect on the toe in. Undo one side, dial in the other side and then make the first match.

All with LCA or split it up? is my method correct

[4.3LXJ]

Leave the lower control arms alone, assuming it is the UCAs that are adjustable

[willtodo]

all are adjustable

[4.3LXJ]

I don't have any pics to go off of, but probably lengthen the lowers first then adjust in the uppers.

[willtodo]

I don't have any pics to go off of, but probably lengthen the lowers first then adjust in the uppers.

the lowers are a bit easier to get to,, but i didnt know if there was a method to the maddness ,,,,,Im convinced that the shop i took it too did absolutly nothing to the caster,, the lenghts were right were i had set them prior to taking it

[4.3LXJ]

If you can, take some pics with a front wheel off so I can see it. It is hard to second guess something I haven't seen.

[willtodo]

UPDATE,,,, I set it at what my instruments read,,, 5 degrees,,,took it out for a drive,,problem solved,,thanks for the help ,if i had listened to shop i would be buying a new gearbox only to find prob still there,,,now only thing left is to give shop a piece of my mind,, which wont be much as i need all i can keep.

[XJ Wheeler]

UPDATE,,,, I set it at what my instruments read,,, 5 degrees,,,took it out for a drive,,problem solved,,thanks for the help ,if i had listened to shop i would be buying a new gearbox only to find prob still there,,,now only thing left is to give shop a piece of my mind,, which wont be much as i need all i can keep.

Never trust a shop, at least unless you know the guys working on your rig can handle it.

[4.3LXJ]

Tell them some old fart suspension guy figured it out for ya :D

[willtodo]

Tell them some old fart suspension guy figured it out for ya :D

Will Do