Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Steering Geometry Help

ItWasn'tAPhaseMom

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Jun 18, 2024
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Ohio, USA
Looking for some advice/help.
New to Jeeps and having some steering issues with my 01 TJ. Best guess is that it is lifted 5". Now onto the issue, it seems to wander a bit while driving and is worse on long/sweeping turns. I had a bad leak in the steering box and swapped it for a used/salvage reman from a local part out, once the new box went in, the wander was amplified. I did a quick check of all the front end components and found the heim joint on the end of my track bar has some slop. Posted to FB about the findings and a few questions and got some responses about the drop pitman arm, caster angle, and basically every single possible front end component.

My question is, what can I do to help with the wandering? how can I check angles for accuracy and what are the angles I am looking for? I've read you either have both a drop pitman and dropped track bar mount or neither but not just one or the other?

Thanks in advance. New to jeeps and lifted suspension setups but not new to mechanics, just unfamiliar with steering angles/geometry.

Side Quest: I have a joint in the rear that needs replaced too, PO told me about it when he sold it to me, called it a crawler joint? Google turns up results that do NOT look like what I have. Mine is a "U" shaped bar that connects both frame rails to a central point on the rear axle. Connection on the axle is a heim joint as well.

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First thing, do you have a dropped pitman arm? It looks like you do, so get rid of that first. The second thing, I don't like heim joints, especially on a street vehicle, so I recommend losing that too. Have you checked the condition of your ball joints, tie rod ends and basic alignment?

Side Quest: I have a joint in the rear that needs replaced too, PO told me about it when he sold it to me, called it a crawler joint? Google turns up results that do NOT look like what I have. Mine is a "U" shaped bar that connects both frame rails to a central point on the rear axle. Connection on the axle is a heim joint as well.

You need to post a pic. What you described is not a stock setup, and likely some custom stuff. #1 giveaway will be the use of heim joints since no factory vehicle will use those.
 
First thing, do you have a dropped pitman arm? It looks like you do, so get rid of that first. The second thing, I don't like heim joints, especially on a street vehicle, so I recommend losing that too. Have you checked the condition of your ball joints, tie rod ends and basic alignment?
It is a drop pitman, was like that when I bought it. I do have a stock one I can throw on it...assuming that'll require some adjustment of the drag link to keep the steering wheel straight? Also, the heim joints are just what is already on it. I'm neither here nor there with them but replacing a heim is much cheaper than a whole new track bar.

You need to post a pic. What you described is not a stock setup, and likely some custom stuff. #1 giveaway will be the use of heim joints since no factory vehicle will use those.
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I see a factory track bar bracket and a dropped pitman. That is a recipe for poor steering, so fix that first.

Yea, I'm gathering that needs to happen. Fortunately I have a stock one I can throw on it. I'm assuming that would also require some adjustment of the drag link to keep the steering wheel straight? Which I assume would be done just to the left of where the pitman arm mounts?
 
I'm neither here nor there with them but replacing a heim is much cheaper than a whole new track bar.

Until you replace enough of them since they generally don't last long. That rear upper is not factory and looks homemade to me. That leaves you with 2 options; rebuild what is there and hope it works, or cut all of that off and return to factory.
 
So quick update:

I replaced the drop pitman with a stock one and that took care of most of my issue. My guess now is that due to both front and rear heims being bad, I won't fully get rid of the shimmy until I replace both heims.
 
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My guess now is that due to both front and rear heims being bad, I won't fully get rid of the shimmy until I replace both heims.

Likely, but I'd still check other things like ball joints, tie rod ends and bushings. When one thing lets go, it tends to put extra load on other things.
 
Likely, but I'd still check other things like ball joints, tie rod ends and bushings. When one thing lets go, it tends to put extra load on other things.
Those seem OK and seem like they're operating as they should. Once I replace the heims I'll keep checking other stuff for issues.
 
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So quick update:

I replaced the drop pitman with a stock one and that took care of most of my issue. My guess now is that due to both front and rear heims being bad, I won't fully get rid of the shimmy until I replace both heims.

Important distinction: shimmy is a light oscillation of the tires and steering wheel and is caused by tire imbalance, and you will not get rid of it by replacing loose suspension components if the root cause (unbalanced tires) is still present. Death wobble is a violent oscillation of the front end and can be triggered by a number of things, but its root cause is loose suspension components.

It’s the principle of Death Wobble Waiting to Happen (DWWTH): death wobble will occur if allowed by loose suspension components, whether triggered by a bump, tire shimmy, or otherwise. The converse is true as well: death wobble will not occur when suspension components are tight and do not allow it, even when a bump is driven over or a tire imbalance is present.
 
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Important distinction: shimmy is a light oscillation of the tires and steering wheel and is caused by tire imbalance, and you will not get rid of it by replacing loose suspension components if the root cause (unbalanced tires) is still present. Death wobble is a violent oscillation of the front end and can be triggered by a number of things, but its root cause is loose suspension components.

It’s the principle of Death Wobble Waiting to Happen (DWWTH): death wobble will occur if allowed by loose suspension components, whether triggered by a bump, tire shimmy, or otherwise. The converse is true as well: death wobble will not occur when suspension components are tight and do not allow it, even when a bump is driven over or a tire imbalance is present.

I guess shimmy was a bad descriptor, however it does not death wobble. Nothing about what it's doing is violent. It simply wanders on it's own and has slight changes in steering on bumps, changes in road pitch, and long/sweeping turns. It's like something in the steering moves until it catches.
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts