Bump steer, alignment or suspension issue?

[Sweetlou602]

I swapped my dad for his 33s for my 31s. I wouldn't call it bad at all but I definitely have some wandering a little bit and a little slack in the steering wheel. I have a Jks 2.5 lift and I'm pretty sure it's the stock Pittman arm. I just got this jeep this weekend. I'm having new wheels put on tomorrow and I think it's more of an alignment issue than anything. Like I said it's not bad, but I noticed it more after the bigger tires. Tire pressure is 29 psi. Does everything look OK on my front suspension?

 

[andy29847]

Bump Steer is defined as the vehicle changing directions as the suspension moves. Bumpsteer is normally caused when the track bar and the drag link are NOT parallel to each other. Your Jeep's arrangement looks good.

Your Pittman Arm looks stock to me too. The most likely culprit for whatever driving changes your are feeling is the wheels/tires. The only easy adjustment regarding alignment is toe in. Toe in can be checked in the driveway. I run my 33 inch tires at 24 pounds.

 

[Sweetlou602]

OK good. I wanted somebody else to put eyes on it and make sure it was OK. I'm actually probably around 30 psi right now. I'll drop it to 26 after my new wheels are installed tomorrow and see how that handles. It's a 97 Sahara and I think the steering stabilizer may be stock. I have a new teraflex one on the way maybe that will help a little bit too.

 

[bobthetj03]

It looks like your jounce bumpers and the cups they reside in are missing on the upper spring perch.

 

[Sweetlou602]

It looks like your jounce bumpers and the cups they reside in are missing on the upper spring perch.

Not sure what that is, could you attach a picture of what I'm missing? And why would they be missing? Like I said I just got it Friday

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Check your toe-in. Are you up to doing that on your own with instructions? You only need a tape measure, wrench, and a big set of pliers. If you can measure as accurately down to 1/16" you can adjust your own toe-in as accurately as an alignment shop can. Really.

 

[rasband]

This won’t impact your current issue, the wandering feeling, but @bobthetj03 is referencing this

There should be an upside down cup there with a rubber insert. It’s to help bottoming out events Be softer. There are cases where that cup is missing and is instead replaced with something aftermarket to adjust your bump stops.

Anyway, my money is on what Jerry said for this specific issue - check your toe in.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-align-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.85/

 

[Sweetlou602]

Thanks guys. I'm going to just have them do an alignment while they have it in for the new wheels

 

[rasband]

Thanks guys. I'm going to just have them do an alignment while they have it in for the new wheels

If they’re going to charge you extra for it, I wouldn’t bother. All they can set is your toe, which is easy enough to do in your garage. After a time or two, it’ll take you under 5minutes.

 

[mrblaine]

There is an illusion or there is something wrong with the frame side trackbar mount. The bolt does not look vertical and the angle of the lower part should be parallel to the ground. It doesn't look that way.

 

[Sweetlou602]

It does look a little off, like the track bar is adjusted too long. I know that internal piece isn't rigid and that it kinda moves around, that could be it.

 

[mrblaine]

It does look a little off, like the track bar is adjusted too long. I know that internal piece isn't rigid and that it kinda moves around, that could be it.

Tighten the bolt.

 

[Sweetlou602]

Tighten the bolt.

I Google it and found several installs of the same track bar and it looks about the same as mine. It appears that's the way that ball in the track bar works, but this is all new to me guys!

 

[Sweetlou602]

Check your toe-in. Are you up to doing that on your own with instructions? You only need a tape measure, wrench, and a big set of pliers. If you can measure as accurately down to 1/16" you can adjust your own toe-in as accurately as an alignment shop can. Really.

I just checked out that post about it. It looks super simple. How much should I want them to toe in? Like 1/8th of an inch?

 

[rasband]

I just checked out that post about it. It looks super simple. How much should I want them to toe in? Like 1/8th of an inch?

Aiming for 1/16-1/8” (min and max)

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Aiming for 1/16-1/8” (min and max)

 

[Goatman]

Now you said you just got the Jeep. Are you saying the steering feels poor now, since you changed to 33s? Or was it poor from when you got it? I'd go through the entire steering system looking for any little bit of play or slop. Check the track bar joints and control arms. Ball joints and wheel bearings too. If you find any movement then it is a good time to upgrade some parts.
If this is a result of the new tires then its pretty safe to say that they are your problem. TJs are very fussy about having the rims and tires balanced well.

 

[Sweetlou602]

Now you said you just got the Jeep. Are you saying the steering feels poor now, since you changed to 33s? Or was it poor from when you got it? I'd go through the entire steering system looking for any little bit of play or slop. Check the track bar joints and control arms. Ball joints and wheel bearings too. If you find any movement then it is a good time to upgrade some parts.
If this is a result of the new tires then its pretty safe to say that they are your problem. TJs are very fussy about having the rims and tires balanced well.

I'm pretty sure it's just a balance issue on the tires. They were super over inflated so I corrected that and on the drive this morning it was significantly better.