Alignment question

The previous owner of my Jeep lifted it 2 inches and used the factory trackbar, deciding to redrill the hole closer to center. I was having death wobbles issues due to the improper setup and went ahead and bought the trackbar listed below, a direct quote from @AndyG in post #4 in my thread about a similar issue.

Dare I say it, but rough country has one that is $129 now, mounts with no drilling and both ends can be rebuilt with off the shelf parts at most chain stores- a stock axle end bushing and an ES 3096L at the frame

This trackbar has been running solid for nearly 2 years now!

Arthurius said:

The previous owner of my Jeep lifted it 2 inches and used the factory trackbar, deciding to redrill the hole closer to center. I was having death wobbles issues due to the improper setup and went ahead and bought the trackbar listed below, a direct quote from @AndyG in post #4 in my thread about a similar issue.

Dare I say it, but rough country has one that is $129 now, mounts with no drilling and both ends can be rebuilt with off the shelf parts at most chain stores- a stock axle end bushing and an ES 3096L at the frame

This trackbar has been running solid for nearly 2 years now!

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If they have ever gotten anything correct I think it is that particular track bar- The fact that you can rebuild both ends with over-the-counter parts is really nice .

I have wondered if it would be good to get an extra nut to jam the adjustment lock nut.

Arthurius said:

Dare I say it, but rough country has one that is $129 now, mounts with no drilling and both ends can be rebuilt with off the shelf parts at most chain stores- a stock axle end bushing and an ES 3096L at the frame

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Not sure the legitimacy of this, but I saw somewhere that the Johnny Joints from Currie fit in most all RC bars/control arms..
If the RC joints fail, and you want a better option, might be worth a shot.

JeepGirl1013 said:

took a trip to get her inspected and pick up a kid. At starts and stops, I feel like I am pulling to the left or the right. No apparent reason/pattern to the direction.

I did check out the control arms again. And I can move them by hand. It takes some effort to do so.

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Both are common symptoms of either A) failed Control Arms or B) Loose Control Arms.
Given the fact that you can move them by hand, and the photo's you posted earlier in the thread, I would say that speaks volumes to the condition of your current arms.

Think of yourself moving them by hand, now think about how much force a 3000lb jeep on top of them is moving them.

Pulling left/right under braking/acceleration is caused by the axle shifting under load.
When you brake/accelerate , the axle needs to stay stationary, but instead it's allowing itself to shift around due to control arm bushings.
Which is why you're getting a pull/push feeling.

I would replace all 8 control arms and torque to spec if it were me.
It's not as daunting of a task as it may seem. Just do them 1 arm at a time.

With a 2" lift, I am almost positive you can make it out cheap/easy by just replacing with OEM control arms.
I'm fairly sure you'll be able to maintain geometry within spec, without spending money on an expensive adjustable kit.

Maybe @Jerry Bransford can chime in, as I figure he would know the for-sure answer to this.


Edit:
Best price for OEM control arms can be found here. About $200 for the complete set.

Front & Rear Lower (need 4) - https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3984051&cc=1386873&pt=10401&jsn=884
Front Upper (need 2) - https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3444594&cc=1386873&pt=10401
Rear Upper (need 2) - https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3444312&cc=1386873&pt=10401

JeepGirl1013 said:

so my new control areas are on the front. Haven’t been able to do rear yet.

The difference is amazing! She’s like a new vehicle. There is a ton less noise and vibration.

I also updated to an adjustable track bar.

I still feel like I’m getting some bump steer. Nothing like it was, but a bit of wandering when I hit a bump in the road, and the steering still seems a bit loose.

1. The new control arms and torqued to spec, but I can ever so slightly rock them side to side. Is this a problem?

2. Could my control arms in the rear be contributing to the bump steer? They are not as worn as the front were but they need to be replaced. Should I wait to replace them to start looking for other causes?

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I’m not gonna try to answer everything for the sake of not knowing all the details but your rear control arms can create something called rear steer - And it will make it feel like the rear end is loose and it doesn’t do anything to make things better in the front-

Really what I’m trying to say is everything under these is somewhat inter-dependent

I’m not telling you to replace the entire undercarriage but as you diagnose and replace/ torque/correct things you’re going to see it calm down in multiple ways sometimes.

JeepGirl1013 said:

so my new control areas are on the front. Haven’t been able to do rear yet.

The difference is amazing! She’s like a new vehicle. There is a ton less noise and vibration.

I also updated to an adjustable track bar.

I still feel like I’m getting some bump steer. Nothing like it was, but a bit of wandering when I hit a bump in the road, and the steering still seems a bit loose.

1. The new control arms and torqued to spec, but I can ever so slightly rock them side to side. Is this a problem?

2. Could my control arms in the rear be contributing to the bump steer? They are not as worn as the front were but they need to be replaced. Should I wait to replace them to start looking for other causes?

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Describe your idea of 'bump steer'.
Does it feel loose, or is it physically pulling you around the road.

As @AndyG said, worn rear arms can allow the rear axle to move slightly, which will in turn cause some weird handling characteristics.

Replace ALL of your arms, that way you KNOW you have a solid working foundation to start chasing other causes (if there are any).
It's pretty tough to chase other issues, if the literal foundation of your axles is out of wack.
(control arms are single-handedly the only component holding your axles in place. They're significantly more important than they may seem.)

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As far as the control arms moving, if you replaced with factory/oem style 'rubber bushing' arms, you can move them VERY slightly by hand.
Should NOT be able to fully move them by hand, just some slight compression of the rubber bushings, but I guess technically YES they can be rocked side to side slightly. As long as this definition of 'slightly' doesn't entail the arm being loose.

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Throw a straight-on photo of your front end in here.
Might be easy for someone to recognize something funky/wrong and point you in a direction for your loose steering.
(dropped pitman comes to mind, but unsure without seeing a photo)

JeepGirl1013 said:

so I do plan on replacing the rear control arms next month. It’s the next project on the list.

If I’m on smooth road I have no problems. If I hit a big enough pothole or the ground is suddenly uneven, it feels like I’m being thrown around. Not a huge amount, it’s a million times better after replacing the front control arms. I still get the slightest pull left or right when accelerating or slowing but again much better than before. So my limited educated guess is that it’s coming from the rear CAs

I also feel like I have more play in the steering wheel than I probably should but that’s just based off of driving much newer cars my whole life.

As far as the control arm movement- it’s very very slight so what you said makes sense.

View attachment 503260

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Just because it bit me recently... how centered is your steering wheel? In this pic, it looks like you might be steering a tad to the right?