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Wandering wrangler

I have a stock 98 Wrangler with 31x10.5 that my wife went off the road in and into a small ditch. No apparent damage, pulled/drove it out and drove it home. Went and had an alignment done to make sure things were good. An adjustment to the toe and was sent home. I have been driving it now for a few days and it feels like it drifts/ floats down the road at anything over 50mph. This floating seems to be more prevalent when it is windy, but not sure on this one yet. It does not feel jerky or popping to the left or right. It just feels like it gently floats to the left or right as I go down the road. I do the corrective steering thing, but a minute later, sometime seconds it happens again.

I have about 6.5 degrees of positive caster. The lower steering pump seems tight. The track bar does not appear to be bent. All linkage seems straight. All ball joints are greased and look good.

I even took it back to the alignment shop and talked to them about it. No luck, other then everything looks straight.

Does anyone have experience with this issue or know what things I need to be looking into. Can the steering stabilizer cause this? Don't think so, but would like to know.

Curious, can the caster be adjusted?

Thanks for your time and help.

Take care -Jim

Reply to
giunca
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Hard to tell without seeing it on an alignment machine, what may be causing it, BUT, check tire inflation too, and yes the caster can be adjusted on that one, it has "eccentric" bolts on the lower part of the front trailing arm at the axle. Yes, a bad steering stabilizer can make it worse, but not cause the problem. I know you said the ball joints are okay, but how about the tie rods?

Maybe someone else will have more ideas.

Spdloader

Reply to
Spdloader

Well, I have a feeling they adjusted your toe out too much so it now wanders.

If the tire pressures are even and nothing is broke. Ditches have a sneaky habit of packing rims with dirt so your tire goes flat maybe slowly, maybe fast.

You can check the toe yourself with a tape measure. I go from the tire seam to the seam on the other side as far up as I can reach. I then go to the back of the tire and do the same. I think you should have about

1/8" difference on a TJ at that height. Others might know for sure.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
Reply to
Mike Romain

Reply to
L.W.( ßill ) Hughes III

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

One other is the track bar bushing. If you can have someone pin the steering from side to side while you watch the ends of the track bar for movement. Any movement in the bushing will cause a wander.

Mike

Jerry Bransford wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

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