89,auto,4.0,4x4. I had issues with my front end once before and a drop pitman arm fixed my problem. Today I replaced all four ball joints and front u-joints, and now my front end is kinda floaty? Left to right it kinda wanders one way then I turn the wheel and it wanders the other way??? All tie-rods and track bar bushings replaced, also control arm bushings are new. Why is this crap happening again. After all that money and work it just got worse. Any ideas??

 

how bad were the balljoints? may need to be aligned with the new ones

 

Bad enough they made my u-joints go. They moved up and down like an inch, so pretty bad. I will have to do that. I know I need a new steering stabilzer, you think that would be the issue???

 

That would be my guess replaced the stabilizer strut (cheap & easy), & get it aligned! Then see how she acts & go from there...

 

if the stabilizer is shot than that could be a lil bit of an issue. but you definitely need to get it aligned

 

cool thanks for the replies

 

no prob

 

Ok, replaced the stabilizer and got an alignment. Now I can take my hands off the wheel and it tracks nice and straight, but then it will feel like a big gust off wind pushes me sideways (only way I can explain it). It goes left and right but mostly it wanders to the right( Probly the crown in the rd.). Its pretty violent though when it happens. I have no play in any front end parts. I had someone turn the wheel back and forth while I looked. Could the rear end cause this if it was out of alignment??? Driving me nuts

 

the last time i had an alignment i went ahead and done a 4 wheel alignment. had a drop pitman arm installed and the same time. no more shakes for me

 

I don't have any shakes at all it just drifts. I have a bent rear axle shaft so I'm going to swap that and see if things get better. Can I use c clip style axle shafts from a dana 35 in a non c clip dana 35???

 

4 wheel alignment on an xj? thats new to me

 

4 wheel alignement aligns front wheels with back wheels. Even if rear isnt adj. It is the way 99 percent of shops do it, I don't event think they do front end alg. any more.

Second answer. When I first did bj, 15 years ago on my blazer it wandered like crazy. It was cause I over tighnended the nuts. If you over tighten the bj. castle nuts it will serverley impare return to center of the steering. I lossened the nuts to and retorqued to spec and it completely went away.

 

this may be a long shot, I replaced tie rod ends u-joints and ball joints due to death wobble. I tightened the track bar down at the axle two or three descent turns first and it kinda went away before I started replacing stuff. It turns out I wasn't getting a accurate torque reading cuz my track bar bolt at the axle was kinda rusty at the threads. I took it out wire wheeled the threads and reassembled with a little wheel bearing grease. I torqued to spec and no more death wobble or drifting...... I would try that, free and semi easy.

 

I did almost the exact thing as TI40 and if fixed my D wobble

 

how is it possible to adjust the rear wheel alignment? they never touch the rear during an alignment on an xj.