wonky xj steering

[Wade]

My girlfriends xj has really loose wandering steering. Is this common for xjs? It has 3" procomp lift. but that should not have changed the caster angle. Any help is very much apreciated. thanks

 

[dingus]

did you get it aligned? i had had a 3" rusty's kit on my '90 XJ and had no problems (even without an alignment... although the tires wore funny...)

 

[mujaman]

a 3" lift actually can really screw up an XJ's steering. your caster may be off and you should definitely get an alignment (it should be about +6.5 for both sides). its not necessarily a castor problem though... you could just have a loose connection somewhere or may need to adjust your steering box. if you noticed it as a direct result of the lift... it is likely caster.

 

[Wade]

i bought the jeep for my g/f. it came with the lift on it. how would you adjust the steering box?

P.S. thanks

 

[TwistedCU]

I doubt the caster is out of spec on 3" of lift.

How old is the XJ?

 

[CherokeeGuy42]

Yea both my XJ's gained alot of play in the steering wheel when i lifted 3.5in. Now my stock 01 XJ is getting some play so I dunno. My friends also had alot of play. So in all my cases it's a normal XJ thing. I'm not sure if thats what is supposed to happen though. Good luck. I just get used to it and drive like it is

 

[sloppyjoe]

I doubt the caster is out of spec on 3" of lift.

How old is the XJ?

I agree, I have had 4 xjs, and lifted 3 of them all 3in. or more , and never had a caster problem. My friend bought the last one I had sitting on 33's with 5in. of lift still no caster problem. Thats just me though. JOE>

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Check for worn steering linkage, and have an alignment. Could be a toe-in issue as well.

 

[Wade]

The toe is fine, and the camber appears to be normal. There is no worn linkage. I was wondering if it is common for steering boxes on xjs to become loose over time/use. The jeep does have 175,000 miles on it. Its a 1992 and it's steering wheel is as crooked as the SOB i bought it from. Actually it runs great, has no dents or rust, everything works. The only problem is the darn steering and a very slightly bent axel shaft. i just want the steering to be safe for my girlfriend to drive. thanks again for the help.

 

[sloppyjoe]

If I remember right, there is a spacer in between the steering box and the frame/unibody. I think it is made of alluminum, this might be the problem. I really don't remember,but it is worth checking into. JOE>