How to align your Jeep Wrangler TJ

Jerry Bransford

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Here's how to check and adjust your own toe-in that also includes how to center the steering wheel as well as re-center the axle if necessary. With just a little care on your part with nothing more than a tape measure, a big set of pliers, and a wrench, you can easily set your toe-in with as much accuracy as an alignment shop can. Really.

Start after making sure the front axle is properly centered. That may involve adjusting its length if there's an aftermarket adjustable length track bar installed. Or if the original OEM track bar is still installed and you have installed more than about a 2" suspension lift, that means the axle is off-center enough so it needs an adjustable length track bar.

The trackbar's relationship to the frame and axle is like the diagonal line in the letter Z. Raising the frame with a suspension lift causes the diagonally mounted track bar to pull the axle to the side. The taller the suspension lift the more the front axle is pulled toward the driver's side. The rear axle moves opposite toward the passenger side. Adjusting the aftermarket adjustable length track bar to a longer length will re-center the axle.

Track Bar Z Geometry.JPG


Using the basic information at http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html, set your toe-in so the fronts of the tires are 1/16" to 1/8" (3/16" for 35's) closer together in front than in the rear. This is done by loosening the clamps that hold the tie rod to the tie rod ends, then rotating the tie rod until you get the desired amount of toe-in. Use a tape measure to measure the distance between the tires at the front and rear.

FrontEnd.jpg


If the tie rod is too tight to turn using pliers or vise grips, spray the ends with a penetrant like Kroil, Break-Free, or Liquid Wrench. No, WD-40 is not a suitable substitute. Give it some time to work its way into the threads. Then use a pipe wrench on the tie rod to break it loose from where it was seized to the tie rod ends. Better yet, entirely remove the tie rod and dab a little Antiseize on its threads so it will never seize again.

For an easier and more repeatable way of measuring your toe-in than measuring between the tires, use a pair of 1" square aluminum tubes as in the below photos and use them to measure between. Center and hold the square tubes to the rotors with spring steel clamps after marking them at points equal to the diameter of your tires.

Using just a little care, your toe-in setting will be just as accurate as an alignment specialist can produce using an alignment rack. Plus you can be done in 5-15 minutes from start to finish, quicker than you can even drive to the alignment shop. Not to mention you can do this on your own for free vs. the $70-90 an alignment shop charges for something that is far easier to do than most people would ever guess.

This is all that an alignment shop can do to your TJ, this is the sum extent of an alignment where a TJ is concerned. Neither your caster angle nor your camber angle is adjustable without aftermarket parts so without those, only your toe-in is adjustable. There is no real need to waste your money by paying an alignment shop for an alignment since all they're going to do is set your toe-in and center your steering wheel. Both of which are too easy to do for anyone here to pay for.

Re-centering the steering wheel is required whenever the toe-in is adjusted or when the suspension height changes. That is easily done by rotating the short adjustment link on the drag link after loosening its two clamps. Rotating the adjustment link upwards in front will shorten the drag link and rotate the steering wheel CCW and visa-versa.

Make sure the front of your TJ is supported by jack stands placed under the front axle. The front axle must be supporting the weight of the vehicle, the Jeep cannot be supported from the frame during the toe-in check and adjustment.

AlignmentCombinedVertical.jpg


The above two photos are courtesy of Mrblaine, a true guru of all things Jeep.
 
Thanks for this info. After the zj tierod conversion I was able to align with ease. The hardest part was finding aluminum tubing.

Glad to hear it! I found my aluminum pieces very easily at Home Depot.

Very good to have around since I'm constantly checking my toe-in and alignment anytime I do suspension work. I've got it down to a habit!
 
Wow.....I can't believe I haven't seen this before. I've been following stu olsen's method for years but this seems to be way easier and I don't have to cut slits into the tread (I do it alone so something has to hold the other end of tape measure) or make accurate lines in the middle of the tire.

Jerry for President!!!! (FOR REAL)
 
I use this method all the time. It's really, really easy and spot on in terms of accuracy. Don't waste money paying an alignment shop to align your TJ when it's this simple.
 
The only problem though, is that in the picture (courtesy of @mrblaine), it doesn't seem like having your tape measure's at the end of the tubes is an accurate method?

Wouldn't you have to have your tape measure RIGHT up against your rotors, to have the least amount of discrepancy?
 
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The only problem though, is that in the picture (courtesy of @mrblaine), it doesn't seem like having your tape measure's at the end of the tubes is an accurate method?

Wouldn't you have to have your tape measure RIGHT up against your rotors, to have the least amount of discrepancy?

Which picture by @mrblaine? Did you mean to say @Jerry Bransford?
 
Oh, missed that!

Well you wouldn't want to measure from the rotors unless you were running 12" (or however large the rotors are) wheels / tires :D

Oh ok, I understand now. You measure from the simulated front and back points of your tire. So, in the picture, he has 33" tires and is measuring from 33" in between his tape measures.
 
Oh ok, I understand now. You measure from the simulated front and back points of your tire. So, in the picture, he has 33" tires and is measuring from 33" in between his tape measures.

Exactly! I do this every time, and it works like a charm.
 
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Exactly! I do this every time, and it works like a charm.

I was debating on whether or not to buy Firestone's lifetime alignment service - however I have a hard time letting Joe Blow work on my Jeep while i'm in the waiting room and not watching him. So, I shall be performing alignment's this way too! Thank you!
 
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It's so easy to align a TJ that I would never give someone a dime to align it for me. I'll say that much!
 
It's so easy to align a TJ that I would never give someone a dime to align it for me. I'll say that much!

This. I do the jeep alignment myself but I take my 4runner in to NTB. I got a 3 year unlimited plan for $148.
 
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Some vehicles are easier to align than others. The TJ is a walk in the park to align yourself, but other vehicles it's sometimes easier to just take it to the pros.
 
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I just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly? Tape measures are on the outside edge of 33"; both bars are at the exact same pitch, and are centered on my axle.

42f165f61af16afaeb02e1e85aa88fad.jpg


Currently they are .5" off. Will soon adjust them to 3/16" off.
 
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I just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly? Tape measures are on the outside edge of 33"; both bars are at the exact same pitch, and are centered on my axle.

View attachment 9991

Currently they are .5" off. Will soon adjust them to 3/16" off.

Yes, you're doing it right. You want the front to be 1/16" to 1/8" closer together than the rear (hence the term "toe in").
 
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I found the factory paint line that is put on the tire by the manufacturer down in between the treads and stuck a thumb tack on the lug next to it front and rear of passenger tire so I could hook my tape to it and then measured to the paint line on the driver side tire. When I bought my TJ, it was toed in 3/4 of an inch. I brought it to 3/16 and my tires show no strange wear after 5,000 miles. When I was done with toe in, I put a piece of tape on the top center of the steering wheel so I could see it from in front of the Jeep to get the steering wheel centered without help too. I turned the drag link adjustment tube until the tape was at the top. I didn't even need to remove wheels or clamp bars to the rotors.

K eep
I t
S imple
S tupid
 
I have a 1999 TJ 4.0 sport with a 3.5 lift on 31x10.50.15 wheels. What figures should I be looking to set the tracking (toe in and out etc).