I have an 1988 base model xj, I have really bad front end hop. I had a lot of work done last year to try to take care of the problem. tie rods, sway bar, excetera...
After putting that much money into it and still having the issue, anyone have any ideas?

 

when you say front end hop, what do you mean? are you referring to death wobble? when was your last alignment? have you checked your track bar?

 

Yeah, the death wobble. Had it an alignment when I was trying to get it fixed last year, had sway bar, track bar replaced, to perform the alignment, made it more predictable to what would cause it

 

Back before I knew how to wrench I took my jeep in for death wobble. The mechanic said he saw it a million times and it's always the steering stabilizer. Guess what? He was actually 100% right. 40k miles later still no death wibble

 

steering stabilizer masks death wobble. it does not fix it. you need to figure out what is actually wrong

 

Do you have stock steering components?

 

I wouldn't describe Death Wobble as a "hop".. it's a wobble, or a shake/shimmy. In other words - looseness, sloppy.

I would describe the feeling that you'd get by turning in 4wd on dry pavement as a "hop". In other words - binding, overly tight.

O.P. can you confirm which it feels like?

If it's shake/shimmy, you have a new track bar but the mounting hole could be wallowed out. Another common issue is the track bar bracket cracking. Of course, any other worn steering component can contribute to DW including but never entirely the stabilizer.
If it's a "hop" like the front end is binding, you want to look at the axle shaft u-joints, front driveshaft u-joints or possibly worn control arm bushings or broken/cracked mounts. Even sticking calipers might be in play.

While the front end stuff on the XJ is pretty basic and simple, there are still enough variables that the only REAL way to figure it out is to jack up the front end and do a thorough inspection of ALL the components and replace EVERYTHING that is worn, correct all the mounting points and replace any faulty brake components.

 

nothing aftermarket, all OEM steering

 

I respectfully disagree. I have no stabilizer, as do others on this forum. If everything is tight and all the geometry correct then you don't need one

 

Its a wobble, was pretty violent before I did the work last year. know that the stabilizer is only a mask of the problem. Can't find the repair order from last year, otherwise i'd post a list of what was replaced.

 

Ok, so the chief culprit of DW is the track bar. Start there, make sure the mounting points are tight and the bracket on the driver's side isn't cracked or loose.
With the wheels off the ground, wiggle the wheels at 12 and 6 - if there's any play the hubs are bad. Then wiggle at 3 and 9, if there's any movement the tie rods or ball joints are bad.
With the wheels off the ground have a helper turn the steering wheel lock to lock while you look for any slop in the movement. Don't discount a bad steering gear as a possible factor.
Check your control arm bushings for cracking or play.

​​​​​​​Everything should be tight enough that you can't move it by hand.