conwaylale

I just got a 96' cherokee with 3.5 inch rough country lift. Its 2wd but i still like it. I want to add a steering stabilizer to try and fix the little wobble i get at 45-50 mph. Which ones are recommended on a 2wd and how is it installed? Also the previous owner said that the transmition needed some spacers put in to fix the vibration felt at 25-30 mph. whats he talking about? lowering the whole crossmember or raising the tranny? i think raising the tranny would put the drive shaft in more of a bind thus causing more vibration. Thanks in advance.

Donnie_K

Steering stabilizers do NOT fix wobble. Not now, not ever. They may make it go away for a little while, but it's just a temporary bandaid, covering up whatever the real problem is. You have something worn out or out of alignment. NEVER put a stabilizer on there without fixing the problem first. Check your ball joints, your tie rod ends, your track bar bushing and end, your control arm bushings, your caster angle and your tire balance... something is not right. If all that's good, you don't have to run a stabilizer at all, it's just an added creature comfort.

Tom95YJ

^ True Statement !

conwaylale

Great answer and thank you. What on the ball joints should I be looking for specifically? Excess grease? I can check for worn bushings myself. I really think its the pass. Front side. Possibly the tire balance. It is worn a little more on the outside than inside but I know on a solid axle there no camber so what could cause that? Thanks again.

Donnie_K

Bad ball joints would cause that. So would a bad wheel bearing. Get the wheel off the ground with a jack, grab ahold of it at 12 and 6, see if you can get any wiggle at all out of it, if you do, look behind it and see where the wiggle is. Upper ball joint, lower ball joint, or wheel bearing. Try again at 9 and 3 to check your tie rod end.

To check your bushings, you don't just look at em, get a pry bar between the end of the control arms and the axle or unibody (depending which of end of each control arm you're checking) and see how much it moves. rubbing bushings allow for a little movement but if one's tearing it'll show itself under pressure.

Also a good idea to have someone get inside and saw back and forth on the steering wheel hard and fast, just enough to turn the wheels a little bit left and right, not alot. While you watch under the front and see if anything is loose.