stultusmechanicus

Hey, everyone,

I have a question about wheel alignment and/or wheel track for my Cherokee XJ. My question is this: when doing an alignment, should the wheel track measurements be (for all intents and purposes) the same for the front and rear axles?

Here's what I've got:
1998 XJ Classic 4x4
4.0L, L6, four door
250,000 miles

Quick FYI, I have never worked on cars before. Aside from changing the oil in some of my previous cars, everything I'm doing to this Jeep is the first time I've done it to any vehicle. That said, I bought a Chilton's manual AND a 1998 factory service manual (pdf version from Pacific Coast Manuals) and recently replaced the following suspension/steering related items:
- All tie rod ends
- drag link
- Steering damper
- Shocks
- brakes & rotors

I then took it to a garage for an alignment. The mechanic advised that, even with the alignment, the steering may feel funny because the tires had worn unevenly because I had driven them for so long with crappy parts. He recommended new tires, even though the current tires have a decent amount of tread left. This sounded reasonable to me, but I didn't have enough money for new tires.

The mechanic was correct, the steering feels funny, especially as I drive through curves or turn left and right. When I say it feels funny, I mean it just doesn't feel right. It feels wild. So, I rechecked all of the work I did, and as far as I can tell everything is put together correctly, tightened/torqued correctly, tires are inflated properly, etc. What I did notice, however, is that the front tires/wheels now appear to be substantially further apart than the rear tires/wheels. (I haven't actually measured, and, yes, I realize that my eyes might be deceiving me).

Regardless of what the measurement actually is, my question is the same: for the purposes of a wheel alignment, should the wheel track measurements be the same for the front and rear axles?

The factory service manual lists the front and rear wheel track measurements as exactly the same: 58.0 inches, or 147.3 centimeters, but the manual does not mention wheel track in the alignment section. Should front and rear track both be very close to 58 inches when the alignment is complete?

Thanks for your help!

IJM

The only thing that's easily adjustable as far as wheel alignment on the XJ is the front toe.