XJwonders

So the other day, I replaced the center tie rod and outer tie rod end with the ZJ V8 upgrade, I also checked the ball joints via jacking up the axle and tried to wiggle the tire with pry bar under the tire method, it seem good.

I did the DIY toe-in and adjusted the sleeve between drag link and pitman arm so the steering wheel is centered.

Today I drove on both streets and highways, the jeep is still pulling to the right ever so slightly and the steering wheel is slightly off center.

I am wondering If there's anything else I should check?

Perhaps a better method of checking ball joints?

Thanks!

Potatowalker

since you've check most of the other stuff, wandering could be the control arm bushings maybe? I had those go bad on my old XJ and it definitely wandered more as they got looser, especially on uneven and off-angle pavement/roads.

XJwonders

Alright I didn't think of that. Both ends of the arms right?

Potatowalker

yea, 8 bushings total. My uppers were worse than the lowers since the lowers were newer and uppers original.

Xj88

Measure your castor.
All you have to do is adjust the drag link for straightening the steering wheel

XJwonders

How do I measure my castor?

The_ocho

your title says wandering, and your post says pulling. a slight pull to the right is normal from road crown. wandering is called by either not enough toe in/out or not enough castor, If you set your steering to toe in like you said you did then its not gonna be that part. Check your castor. find an angle finder and put it on the flat by the upper ball joint. your tire size will determine the castor you need. castor is effected by control arm bushings, control arm length and ball joints.

as far as your steering wheel still not centered, you didn't adjust it right. Its a ***** to get perfectly and usually takes me like 5 times. find an empty lot or road drive straight. get out center the wheel drive straight again and center the wheel again, repeat till its good enough for you

We need more info on the jeep.
what lift height
what tire size.
what all have you checked and replaced in the front end


FWIW Im at 4" lift on 33"s and I run 1/8th toe out with 6 degrees of castor and have no problem in any condition at any speed. As for why Its toe out and not toe in. I dont know my jeep just likes it better it always has. ALL of my components in the front are new except for axle housing and knuckles.

XJwonders

It's 1999 xj with 3 inch lift. On 235s. I have a set of 31s but Its still in storage and probably isn't gonna be using them until winter.

I replaced the left outer tie rod end and the zj tie rod to the drag link. Toed in to 1/16. The steering wheel ended up being not centered, so I adjusted the sleeve coming from pitman arm and centered the steering wheel.

Yes it wanders both ways occasionally, very slight, but when I go on straight stretch of roads, it tend to pull to the right.

95Cherokee

My XJ pulls slightly to the right also, I don't worry about it.

I've adjusted the toe to where it tracks straight down the road and I got that "tire grinding" noise when slowly pulling into a parking spot so I toed it out a little, no big deal, I don't notice any edge feathering on my tires from it.

The_ocho

You can try going to 1/8th toe in and see if that helps. I would be careful with too much toe in. I wouldn't go past 1/4. with tires that small i would suggest you stick with the factory 7 degrees of castor. when you installed your lift did it come with control arms? did you get an alignment afterwards? while you are down there i would check your control arm bushings and ball joints along with putting a wrench on every bolt. Its worth it for the piece of mind alone. once you have checked everything and you know its all good then the only thing left is to play with the alignment little by little until you are happy. Just remember every adjustment you make usually has a compromise. getting castor into spec makes the pinon angle worse. too much toe in/out makes for tire wear and what not

XJwonders

No it I didn't come with control arms. It was an AAL lift. I sent it to alignment and they got it aligned, and told me to come back in three months for a free check up. In three months I sent it back because it started to wander, and they told me that the camber was out and there was play in the steering box and the left tie rod was worn out.

I checked all ball joints, it looked fine and didn't move when I used pry bar to push it up and down.