How to align your Jeep Wrangler TJ

I’m going to start doing these at home going forward.

I bought the Firestone lifetime alignment and got wicked shakes this week (not even 2 weeks after my second usage). After thinking it’s a million other things since I just got an alignment, I found they forgot to tighten every single clamp bolt. Potentially incredibly dangerous. No thanks...
plus if you go wheelin and you drive home and find your steering wheel is a little off it is something you can adjust quickly while doing your oil change. No need to figure out how to drop it off at the shop. I bought some longacre plates so I can do it in minutes and don't even have to lift the Jeep. The hardest part is centering the steering wheel. I usually take a few times to get it right. Still looking for that magic touch, but I usually get it on the third drive. I feel I will get better at it soon. Especially if I recheck my alignment at least every oil change, and or after wheeling trips that change the clock of my steering wheel.

Welcome to the club!
 
  • Like
Reactions: rasband and Boinked
I bought some longacre plates so I can do it in minutes

Those look great, especially with the lower notches for the tape measures - I keep running into my LCAs trying to measure the rear. I think I can fashion those out of some old car ramps in my garage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ac_
Those look great, especially with the lower notches for the tape measures - I keep running into my LCAs trying to measure the rear. I think I can fashion those out of some old car ramps in my garage.
Agreed, and also it doesn't have to be brain surgery precise. Even if you took it to the shop, and they were to accurately get it perfectly precise. The first time you ran off of a curb it would be out again. My suggestion is get it as close as you can and rotate your tires often. You will be good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rasband
Hello all!

I am running into trouble with regards to centering the steering wheel. After the ZJ tie rod upgrade I did the alignment and what should be the top of the steering wheel was at about a 10 o'clock angle. I made the adjustment to center it and took it for a ride. The top went back to the 10 o'clock spot. I re-read some threads that night and the next evening tried again with the same results, 10 o'clock. Tonight I moved the top to about 1 o'clock thinking it would settle at the top. It did not. It is now at about 2 o'clock. Being the novice that I am.... what am I missing?

Thanks in advance!!
 
Hello all!

I am running into trouble with regards to centering the steering wheel. After the ZJ tie rod upgrade I did the alignment and what should be the top of the steering wheel was at about a 10 o'clock angle. I made the adjustment to center it and took it for a ride. The top went back to the 10 o'clock spot. I re-read some threads that night and the next evening tried again with the same results, 10 o'clock. Tonight I moved the top to about 1 o'clock thinking it would settle at the top. It did not. It is now at about 2 o'clock. Being the novice that I am.... what am I missing?

Thanks in advance!!
Trial and error. I have to adjust mine several times to get it perfect. As you adjust the drag link it can also turn the tires a bit and you think you are good. Untill you drive and have to adjust some more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ac_
Trial and error. I have to adjust mine several times to get it perfect. As you adjust the drag link it can also turn the tires a bit and you think you are good. Untill you drive and have to adjust some more.
Agreed, I have to adjust mine at least three times. Get the alignment right, and you are golden. Next align the wheel. You are only aligning the wheel at that point, so it takes a few times.

Here is something that might help.

I drive with the socket and wrench, and go drive around and make small adjustments. Something to think about road crown can throw you off too. Sometimes I drive it a little off to find good roads where I can really get a feel for it being off or where its at. Sometimes I drive it for a couple days in between adjustments to get a feel for the different road crowns.

Another thing I do is when I do get it close, I try and make a mark where the pitman arm is to the box. Then the next time I have a close starting point. Make sense? It won't always be the same spot as things wear and bend, but it will give you a good reference point to start then make final adjustments from there. Make a couple dimples with a punch
 
Here's how to check and adjust your own toe-in that also includes how to center the steering wheel. Using the info at http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html, set your toe-in so the fronts of the tires are 1/16" to 3/16" 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.

View attachment 116

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.

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.

View attachment 115

The above two photos are courtesy of Mrblaine, a true guru of all things jeep.
Thanks for sharing this How-To. I just used this method to align and it worked great. Hardest part was breaking tie rod free. I also installed lug nuts to hold rotors in place against hubs
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford
According to this page, toe-in is 0.15° each front wheel. So to find the correct distance for any tire diameter use the sine of 0.15°. For example, a 33 inch tire would be:
sine(0.15) * 33.0 * 2.0
0.002618 * 33.0 * 2.0
0.1728"
or just under 3/16"

IMG_0296.jpeg
 
Gotcha . So how do I make sure my control arms are set right?

You want to make sure the jounce bumpers on the top are aligned with the bump stop pads on the bottom (on the axle). That's where you start, and from there you would want to adjust the upper rears to dial in the pinion angle, and the front ones to make sure the caster is correct.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ac_
Here's how to check and adjust your own toe-in that also includes how to center the steering wheel. Using the info at http://www.4x4xplor.com/alignment.html, set your toe-in so the fronts of the tires are 1/16" to 3/16" 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 ...
Priceless info. Gonna save a lot of Jeepers a lot of money.
Thanks a ton, Jerry.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jerry Bransford
From my old school sport trucks days, I would Jack up one wheel at a time, spin the tire and scribe a line in the center of the tire. I still have my spring loaded tire scribe. Then measure mid point the front of the tire and measure backside of the tire, works every time. Same idea as the photos without removing the wheel, except I needed someone to hold the other end of the tape,,,gregg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kenneth G Zinis
One thing I didn’t see anybody mention in this thread; make sure the stock you buy is straight. Don’t assume they are straight. Eyeball them, or go grab a level off of the shelf.

I bought mine at Lowe’s. I found two pieces of 3 foot aluminum angle, out of a dozen, that were straight to the naked eye. The rest were all warped to some degree. The square tube and c-channel they had was even worse.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kenneth G Zinis
One thing I didn’t see anybody mention in this thread; make sure the stock you buy is straight. Don’t assume they are straight. Eyeball them, or go grab a level off of the shelf.

I bought mine at Lowe’s. I found two pieces of 3 foot aluminum angle, out of a dozen, that were straight to the naked eye. The rest were all warped to some degree. The square tube and c-channel they had was even worse.
I just used two 4' carpenter levels clamped to the hubs and marked at the proper distance to simulate the tire diameter.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kenneth G Zinis