Should I remove my drop pitman arm?

1998WranglerTJ

1998WranglerTJ

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Joined
Mar 9, 2023
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23
Location
Phoenix Arizona
Just picked up a 1998 Wrangler and I do have slight bump steer, really not that bad. Jeep wanders a bit above 60 on the highway. But nothing major, replaced the sway bar links as the bushings on the old one were completely gone on the bottom. Drag link and track bar seem aligned well even with the drop pitman arm, should I still remove? I also am unsure of the lift. Measuring the springs it seems to be around a 3-4 inch lift.

Wheels are 15x10 33’s. Swapping to 15x8 black steel wheels later this month.

First post, but looooong time user.
https://imgur.com/a/sM1mqlM
 
Yes swap in a stock pitman arm. Your pics show the trackbar is mounted in the factory locations.the steering should be also.
 
Is your front axle centered left to right? Going off the bump stops it looks shifted to the passenger side

For lift height its 12" and 8" f/r stock. Add or subtract to get new height
 
1998WranglerTJ said:
Remove Drop pitman arm? I do have slight bump steer, really not that bad.
Click to expand...

Remove it, and bump steer will go away.
Keep it if you like it. i always had a giggle watching someone else drive my Jeep and then shit their pants when steering wheel went swinging over a bump.
As far as wondering above 60, check all the bushings (including control arms) and make sure bolts are tight. Test for ball joint play.
 
Rickyd said:
Is your front axle centered left to right? Going off the bump stops it looks shifted to the passenger side

For lift height its 12" and 8" f/r stock. Add or subtract to get new height
Click to expand...

I believe it to be pretty centered, could just be the angles of the photo, definitely something worth checking though. Appreciate the insight on checking lift height as well. 🤘🏼
 
eastbloc said:
Remove it, and bump steer will go away.
Keep it if you like it. i always had a giggle watching someone else drive my Jeep and then shit their pants when steering wheel went swinging over a bump.
As far as wondering above 60, check all the bushings (including control arms) and make sure bolts are tight. Test for ball joint play.
Click to expand...

It’s always fun having someone drive a Jeep, especially one with its quirks, who is used to the smooth new car feel. Haha.

Good points though, I was going to have them check out the ball joints while my wheels are off swapping in the new 15x8’s just to be sure.
 
Appreciate everyone’s help. Looking to make it a daily + fun Arizona weekend jeep. Any decent upgrades one could make to make it more trail ready? I think the current setup is Frankenstein’d together as I can’t find much info on the stamps on the backside of the shocks, and from what I can tell the rest of the front suspension other then DP, shocks and springs look stock
 
1998WranglerTJ said:
Appreciate it. My only thought about not swapping the DP was the current drag link and track bar being parallel and lined up well.
Click to expand...

All you care about on your axle is using the factory positioning for the track bar and drag link. Jeep already figured this out and their answer wasn't to have the links parallel and lined up however you think they are.
 
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Never noticed it before? Very often, for any topic there are a few threads on same topic resurface from the past.
Its like everyone has an eager desire to ask but afraid to be the 1st one to ask.
 
Just so we're 100% correct on the suggestion to remove the dropped Pitman arm, show us a photo of the driver's side track bar mount to see if it is still at the factory mounting location or if it has been dropped. It's actually more common to see its mount dropped on the driver's side than it is on the passenger side.

And yes the visual angles of the drag link and track bar can be deceiving since they are bent and the visual angles are not the same as their operating planes which only depends on their mounting points. Like if you stretched red and yellow strings between their respective mounting points.

Front-endGeometryExample.jpg
 
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Why is there such a thing a a dropped pitman arm in the first place? Is there some application where it is needed?
 
TRevs said:
Why is there such a thing a a dropped pitman arm in the first place? Is there some application where it is needed?
Click to expand...
A DPA was usually needed for older Jeep CJs and Wrangler YJs whose steering geometry wasn't as good as the TJ's is. A DPA is only rarely required on a TJ.
 
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TRevs said:
Why is there such a thing a a dropped pitman arm in the first place? Is there some application where it is needed?
Click to expand...

Vehicles that do not use a track bar where the axle doesn't shift side to side. A goal with the steering after a suspension lift is to keep the drag link somewhat flat. That can be accomplished with a dropped pitman arm. Doing so reduces steering input through the drag link as the suspension cycles.

The dropped pitman arm isn't even an inherent problem. In our case with a TJ, the problem or lack of desirability comes from packaging concerns. Or its use when the track bar mounting isn't also changed to fit the drag link. This causes steering input because the drag link and the track bar are not moving in synch with the cycling suspension.
 
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jjvw said:
Vehicles that do not use a track bar where the axle doesn't shift side to side. A goal with the steering after a suspension lift is to keep the drag link somewhat flat. That can be accomplished with a dropped pitman arm. Doing so reduces steering input through the drag link as the suspension cycles.

The dropped pitman arm isn't even an inherent problem. In our case with a TJ, the problem or lack of desirability comes from packaging concerns. Or its use when the track bar mounting isn't also changed to fit the drag link. This causes steering input because the drag link and the track bar are not moving in synch with the cycling suspension.
Click to expand...

Maybe I’ll try one on my YJ someday!
 
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