Alignment
- Thread starter Brandon
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Negative on that.
You don't want negative castor, not even on a jeep.
With or without a provision for adjustment, 7 degrees still sounds like a lot of caster. I still think this points towards looking for something that is worn. "Seems tight" isn't good enough - suspension components are subjected to 1000's of pounds of force and even a strong guy can only generate a few hundredd pounds.
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That's the prescribed caster for most D30 frontends. It's also the recommended caster for any custom axle that you put on a lifted jeep. (5-7+)
But, the assertion is correct that too much + caster can cause oscillations. Too little will mean that you have to make constant adjustments to the wheel to remain going straight. It wasn't a big problem when bias tires and no PS were common. You wanted lighter steering in that situation.
Lots of people who use Dana 44 front axles from Scout IIs put radials on them and wonder why the thing is all over the road. They came with 0° caster for easy steering. Eliminate the "squirm" ..and you're swinging in the breeze at any road speed. Towing one is aslo scary
I've run across a few threads about this over on the Diesel Truck resource forum and it seems like a not-uncommon ocurrance on some of these Dodge/Jeep front ends. The consensus seems to be there is no single cause. One poor fellow went blow-by-blow replacing literally the entire front end with multiple alignments along the way before it finally settled down and quit "wobbling." Hope you don't get that far into it!
I had my OME steering damper installed, tires balanced and rotated and alignment done Monday. Toe-in is set to .10....caster was already within factory specs and camber is not adjustable. I drove over a section of the highway that triggered death wobble previously and this time no death wobble. There is another section of road that I know of which triggered DW even worse and I plan to drive over it on my way home from work today. My mechanic also informed me that my track bar mount(bushing side) is tight but the bushing seemed to have a little play in it and I should replace it. He said that the entire track bar needs to be replaced because just the bushing is not replacable. Is this true?
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He said that the entire track bar needs to be replaced because just the bushing is not replacable. Is this true?
I dunno
A quick call to the jeep dealer asking for a front trackbar bushing would answer your question. I did a quick check in my 99 FSM ..and it doesn't address the trackbar being only servicable by replacement. Nor does it appear to suggest any procedure for bushing replacement in the two sections that mention the trackbar.
Some of the frontend parts on jeeps are relatively expensive. The swaybar links, normally just a shouldered bolt, a couple of castilated nuts, and some shock-like bushings, are $70 discounted. They have a socket/ball joint on them. I guess it's to help with offroad articulation to the limited degree this can be done with the swaybar connected. The trackbar may be relatively cheap due to just being a very simple piece of metal.
If, by chance, the trackbar is only servicable by replacement, and it comes to over $100 retail, get an adjustable one aftermarket. They're stronger and save a bit in installation effort. You've literally got to pry the frame/axle relationship into line to attach it. This was a bear when I installed my 2" lift. It wasn't rocket science, but the frustration level would have someone who had not experienced such challenges many times in the past throw in the towel prematurely.
I dunno
Some of the frontend parts on jeeps are relatively expensive. The swaybar links, normally just a shouldered bolt, a couple of castilated nuts, and some shock-like bushings, are $70 discounted. They have a socket/ball joint on them. I guess it's to help with offroad articulation to the limited degree this can be done with the swaybar connected. The trackbar may be relatively cheap due to just being a very simple piece of metal.
If, by chance, the trackbar is only servicable by replacement, and it comes to over $100 retail, get an adjustable one aftermarket. They're stronger and save a bit in installation effort. You've literally got to pry the frame/axle relationship into line to attach it. This was a bear when I installed my 2" lift. It wasn't rocket science, but the frustration level would have someone who had not experienced such challenges many times in the past throw in the towel prematurely.
There are a lot of things that could be causing your problem, including loose frame parts. It is going to take an experienced mechanic to resolve your issues. An alignment adjustment alone will not fix your problem, you definitely have some worn parts.
Just called the dealership. The bushing alone is not replacable, the entire OEM track bar needs to be replaced. Best price I was able to find so far is $127.00 at a dealership a friend of mine works for. I was looking at the adjustable track bar from Kevin's Offroad and that's $203.00. I don't plan on keeping the Jeep for more than another 2 years so maybe my best bet is to stick to OEM.quote:
Originally posted by Gary Allan:
He said that the entire track bar needs to be replaced because just the bushing is not replacable. Is this true?
I dunnoA quick call to the jeep dealer asking for a front trackbar bushing would answer your question. I did a quick check in my 99 FSM ..and it doesn't address the trackbar being only servicable by replacement. Nor does it appear to suggest any procedure for bushing replacement in the two sections that mention the trackbar.
Some of the frontend parts on jeeps are relatively expensive. The swaybar links, normally just a shouldered bolt, a couple of castilated nuts, and some shock-like bushings, are $70 discounted. They have a socket/ball joint on them. I guess it's to help with offroad articulation to the limited degree this can be done with the swaybar connected. The trackbar may be relatively cheap due to just being a very simple piece of metal.
If, by chance, the trackbar is only servicable by replacement, and it comes to over $100 retail, get an adjustable one aftermarket. They're stronger and save a bit in installation effort. You've literally got to pry the frame/axle relationship into line to attach it. This was a bear when I installed my 2" lift. It wasn't rocket science, but the frustration level would have someone who had not experienced such challenges many times in the past throw in the towel prematurely.
I agree. I will be replacing the track bar next since the bushing is most likely worn. I have a quick question: If the ball joints or any of the joints where there are zerk fittings (total of 7 on the '98 ZJ) were to be worn, what type of noise will I hear and when?
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That's a lower loaded ball joint. Just jack the jeep up (hmm..I think in any manner except by the spindle
i.e. frame or axle - the axle requiring the lesser distance) and place a bar under the tire and pry up. You should have no play.
The rest ..just have someone turn the wheel slightly from left to right while you look at the tire. You should detect virtually no steering wheel motion without tire motion. If you do, then look at the suspension parts to see which one stays put when the others move. The interface of those two parts is the lame "joint".
As far as symptoms ..intermittent instability, sloppy steering response. Tire cupping (obviously an advanced condition and can also be shocks in some cases). Most of these would be more pronounced during load shifting in curves and whatnot
The rest ..just have someone turn the wheel slightly from left to right while you look at the tire. You should detect virtually no steering wheel motion without tire motion. If you do, then look at the suspension parts to see which one stays put when the others move. The interface of those two parts is the lame "joint".
As far as symptoms ..intermittent instability, sloppy steering response. Tire cupping (obviously an advanced condition and can also be shocks in some cases). Most of these would be more pronounced during load shifting in curves and whatnot
Well, it's been a week since and no DW. The new Old Man Emu steering damper seems to be doing it's job. I drove over area's of road that would have caused DW in the past and all is good now....cross my fingers. I still may go ahead and replace the track bar anyway.
One thing I noticed recently is that when I turn the wheel to the left, like pulling into a parking space, I hear a noise coming from the left tire area. The noise is like a rattle not a clunk. I also hear it sometimes with the windows up on the highway. Any idea's?
One thing I noticed recently is that when I turn the wheel to the left, like pulling into a parking space, I hear a noise coming from the left tire area. The noise is like a rattle not a clunk. I also hear it sometimes with the windows up on the highway. Any idea's?
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(I forget where we're at here)
Grab the swaybar and see if you can rattle it around. If you can move it side to side you need new links.
Grab the swaybar and see if you can rattle it around. If you can move it side to side you need new links.
Ding Ding Ding!
Have experienced your Death Wobble since I bought a '77 F150 back about '87. can be traced directly to trac bar. If trac bar wear is slight a new stabilizer will "hide" it for a while. Ford quit trac bar suspension in about '80 or 81. D@MM#d in Mopar/Jeep didn't pick it up in early 90's. I'd prefer a Moog "problem solver" replacement over OE. Because as the name suggests it will solve problems related to oe design. Plus Moog has lifetime warranty! If you could find a replacement bushing, it'd take some pretty special press setup to get it in without ruining it. Have run my own auto repair shop since 1975. Been doing frontend/wheel alignment since '98. For what it's worth.
Bob
Bob
It doesn't say "problem solver" but is this the Moog problem solver you are referring to?
http://store.summitracing.com/egnse...924677+4294906256+115+4294907043&autoview=sku
Yes. Not sure if lifetime warranty is actually from Moog, Or O'Reilly Auto parts where I usually buy them.
Bob
Bob
Not an engineer, so my observations are not rocket science. Last longer, more heavily built, improved internals. And LIFETIME WARRANTY.
Bob
Bob
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