TJ moves left to right over bumps

Medali

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
May 11, 2018
Messages
125
Location
Tunis, Tunisia
Hello
can a damaged bumpstops damage the car when used in roads and highways ...?
I also have the impression that the car moves a lot to the right and left ( like a boat in the sea ) especially when the road is not flat and when there are curves and imperfections on the road ... can this be explained by damaged Bumpstops? or is it the sping spacers that are responsible ...?

Thank you in advance
 
Hello
can a damaged bumpstops damage the car when used in roads and highways ...?
I also have the impression that the car moves a lot to the right and left ( like a boat in the sea ) especially when the road is not flat and when there are curves and imperfections on the road ... can this be explained by damaged Bumpstops? or is it the sping spacers that are responsible ...?

Thank you in advance

What you're describing has nothing to do with bump stops, nor could it be caused by bump stops.

This sounds like typical bump steer. You need to check to see if you have a dropped pitman arm or a dropped track bar (if in question, post photos of the steering in the front and we'll tell you). It's possible that your toe-in alignment is also off.
 
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You are describing a side to side oscillation. Bump stops and spring spacers would mostly affect up and down.

Have somebody pull the week back and forth with the engine off while you watch the steering linkages. Use a flashlight and watch closely for horizontal movement at all of the tie rod ends and link bushings. There shouldn’t be any movement as the steering wheel is pulled tight in either direction. Anything that moves has to be replaced.

Next jack up the Jeep by the front axle until each wheel is just off the ground (do one side at a time, the idea is to keep the weight on the spring). Put a prybar under the tire and pull up hard. If either of the Ball joints move up and down they are bad and need replaced. Again, use a flashlight and look close at the joint.

Any ball and socket type joint shouldn’t have any play in the socket. They should only roll around smoothly. Also the tapered stud has to stay tight at all times. Retightening a loose stud on a tie rod end or ball joint will almost always guarantee a broken stud at a very bad time.

The Jeep is a short wheelbase vehicle with a high center of gravity. It’ll never handle great, especially if lifted and has bigger tires than stock. As long as all of the above are tight then it’s just a matter of getting used to driving a Jeep.
 
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Thank you everyone .
I think I did not speak well, (sorry but I often use google translation).
in fact, i think it's not the direction that's causing me a problem, but it's more like ups and downs swing going from one side to another ... I have the impression that the carcass swings right on the left and not the wheels that deviate from their direction.
it's as if there were huge springs under my car and every time I cross a broken road the carcass starts to vibrate from one side to the other but I do not feel at all that it's a direction problem.

In any case, I took several pictures of the bottom of my car (axles, arms, ressors, ... everything)
in the first place I must understand what the first owner had installed and what he forgot to replace ...
I will post the photos soon and hope for a helping hand from the members of this forum to try to understand and improve in the best possible way my TJ ...
Thank you all
 
Take a photograph of your Pitman arm from the side. We want to see if it is the original Pitman arm or if a "dropped" Pitman arm was installed which would cause the steering to be forced left/right when hitting bumps on the street. That problem is called Bump Steer as mentioned above.

These show where your PItman arm is located and the difference between the original Pitman arm and a "dropped" Pitman arm.

FrontEnd.jpg


Pitman arms.jpg
 
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Take a photograph of your Pitman arm from the side. We want to see if it is the original Pitman arm or if a "dropped" Pitman arm was installed which would cause the steering to be forced left/right when hitting bumps on the street. That problem is called Bump Steer as mentioned above.

These show where your PItman arm is located and the difference between the original Pitman arm and a "dropped" Pitman arm.

View attachment 67555

View attachment 67556
thank you Jerry
i will do it very soon.
 
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Hello
first here is the picture of the pitman arm
IMG_20181213_153751.jpg


IMG_20181213_153456.jpg

after that I took the opportunity to do lots of other photos to try to understand what are the parts installed in my tj and is this done in the right way or not.

IMG_20181213_153834.jpg


First of all I have to mention that my car is a 2002 TJ 4.0 L with 3 speed auto.
186,000 KM
33 '' tires
Dana 35/30
4.10 axle ratio (which i have regeared from 3.07 with G2 KIT)
IMG_20180808_134058.jpg


In my next comment I will insert the photos showing that the 1st owner had installed a 3 '' coil spring in the front and a 1.5 '' coil sprin in the rear but he did not change anything (neither the control arm nor the sway bar, track bar ...)

I'm counting on your experience and your kindness to help me analyze what needs to be installed in order not to have any more worries in the future.
 
here is the coil spring 3" (front)
IMG_20181212_155510.jpg

IMG_20181212_155510.jpg


What I just noticed is that the front springs are curved a little bit ...
and this despite the fact that the vehicle is on the lift bridge



here is the coil spring 1.5" (rear)

IMG_20181212_155346.jpg

here I wonder is having a front lift higher than the rear (the double) is it safe for the car?
I did not really understand For what reasons he do this...?

In my next comment I will insert the photos of control arms , sway bar and track bar
thank you in advance
 
Good news, your Pitman arm is the original factory design so it's not causing bump steer.

The spacers on top of the springs are safe but that much lift, especially being 3" in the front and 1" to 1.5" in the rear is unusual... the front and rear is normally lifted by the same amount.

What size tires are installed? Are you experiencing any vibrations from the drivetrain, the kind you would feel up through the seat?
 
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Good news, your Pitman arm is the original factory design so it's not causing bump steer.

The spacers on top of the springs are safe but that much lift, especially being 3" in the front and 1" to 1.5" in the rear is unusual... the front and rear is normally lifted by the same amount.

What size tires are installed? Are you experiencing any vibrations from the drivetrain, the kind you would feel up through the seat?

Thank you Jerry
I have 33 x 10.5 x 15 .

For vibrations I'm not sure ... It's more noises that I hear and squeaks...
Here is photos of control arms
IMG_20181212_154948.jpg


IMG_20181212_155250.jpg

IMG_20181212_160102.jpg


And again I realize that he did not change the control arms despite having installed a lift kit
 
Here is pictures of track bar.
IMG_20181212_154536.jpg
IMG_20181212_154837.jpg
IMG_20181212_154632.jpg


I recently read that when the car is raised (lift) and the track bar is not changed, it leads to a geometry problems...
 
Some pictures of the drive shaft...
IMG_20181212_155710.jpg
IMG_20181212_155008.jpg

I also read that after the installation of a lift kit, it is necessary to put a reinforced drive shift ... At the time of the inspection of the car, the mechanic had told me that the drive shift installed on my car is really reinforced (double braces) ... Can you confirm this information Jerry please... ?
IMG_20181212_160029.jpg
 
To conclude, according to my personal opinion (if I'm not mistaken) noises, swings and the unpleasant susspension of my car results from 2 main causes:

1 / the old coil spring installation without having made the necessary replacements (control arm, track bar, sway bar ...) which may have damaged several parts of the car.

2 / shoks that have become too old to absorb vibrations. So the vibrations directly affect the spring which in turn have become curved ... The direct result of these factors is poor susspension, poor handling and uncomfortable driving when the road is imperfect ...

I think the next step is to choose a good lift complete kit ... With which the problems of susspension, swings and grinding will be solved.

Do you agree with me or not...?
 
Raising the front reduces caster, in addition, the front right side control arm is fastened forward in the slot, which reduces caster further. I suggest moving that bolt & washer to the center position.
 
Everyone on here helped me a bunch when i was having bump steer. I did have a dropped pitman arm which I replaced. When I did i also had to replace the tie rod end it connected to. I only mention this as it could also be a problem and because that is the only spot of rust i see in all your pictures! Very jealous! Tunisia looks like a great climate for a Jeep!
 
Raising the front reduces caster, in addition, the front right side control arm is fastened forward in the slot, which reduces caster further. I suggest moving that bolt & washer to the center position.

Hello K-huevo
I thank you for answering me
the front right side control arm is fastened forward in the slot because the front owner had a total cut at this level before repairing it using solder .
I do not know if in the future it could cause me problems or not but he assured me that the repair was done well .
 
Everyone on here helped me a bunch when i was having bump steer. I did have a dropped pitman arm which I replaced. When I did i also had to replace the tie rod end it connected to. I only mention this as it could also be a problem and because that is the only spot of rust i see in all your pictures! Very jealous! Tunisia looks like a great climate for a Jeep!

Hello Hap337
I confirm that the climate in Tunisia is very pleasant and that there are beautiful landscapes to see absolutely
I hope that one day you will have the opportunity to discover this alone while visiting Tunisia
you are welcome