For a while there has been some mild vibration on the highway in my '98 TJ. I figure its time for a balance and rotation. But immediately following this I notice a pretty serious wobble at 55-60 mph. Not a vibration, but a 5.6 on the Richter scale! The steering column starts shaking. I go back to the tire shop and request a front end alignment, particularly since I now notice both cupping and outside wear on the tires. The good folks there say that I'd be waisting money on an alignment when what I really need is a new damper and/or tie rods. Now I'm a do-it-yourselfer. So here are my questions:
1) Are the tire guys right? How would they know if its a damper problem, a tie rod problem or both?2) How easy is it to replace a damper and/or tie rod? I've got the 'ol Haynes manual as my trusty guide.
3) I'm sure that if I replaced either the damper or tie rods that an alignment would be necessary. Would it be cheaper to have the tire guys do it all or would I save money replacing the front end parts myself and only having them do the alignment afterwards?