Severe Handling Issue

[Shooting50]

1999 Jeep TJ Sahara 6 cyl.5 speed manual trans. is all over the road, if you look off the road when you look back you have crossed the center line or headed to the ditch. Let off the gas it goes to the right, accelerate and it goes to the left. (crazy huh)
Driving on a divided hi-way a big truck passing will almost push you off the road, then again there will be no effect. Nothing has helped!
We are lost as what to do next since it is all new.
The alignment shops are no help, Does anyone have a clue as to what to look for. Stated chasing rabbits and has progressively got worse!
Front End rebuilt
Tie rods, drag link
Ball Joints
upper and lower control arms front and rear
Track bar
Stock pitman arm
New 3.5 inch coil springs
no cracks or broken welds at pit man arms all are tight
Almost new BF Goodrich 33X12.50X15 Tires

 

[Deputy Dodge]

Start with the basics. Make sure your track bar is tight, tires at 25psi. Was the problem before or after the rebuild? What is your caster and toe setting?

 

[BlueC]

Let off the gas it goes to the right, accelerate and it goes to the left.

That sounds like the rear end is moving around.

 

[John Cooper]

I see you installed new upper and lower control arms. Double check and make sure everything is torqued to spec.

 

[Gilaguy23]

Locker?

 

[Jeepin'Ed]

Was everything torqued down with the weight of the Jeep on the suspension? It is hard to tell if the rear swaybar bushings have been replaced although the links appear to have been replaced.

 

[KennethS]

Let off the gas it goes to the right, accelerate and it goes to the left. (crazy huh)

Mine was doing that when the front lower control arm bushings were sloppy.

Are you certain the control arm bolts are a snug fit in the inner metal sleeves? I seem to recall reading that some brand bushing had a different inner diameter hole in the sleeve than the original bushings. Can't recall the details of that, though.

 

[mrblaine]

Are you certain the control arm bolts are a snug fit in the inner metal sleeves?

That is not now, never has been, and never will an issue and John Cooper knows better. That simply is not how bolts work.

I seem to recall reading that some brand bushing had a different inner diameter hole in the sleeve than the original bushings. Can't recall the details of that, though.

If that mattered, how do the slots in the control arm mounts work then?

 

[mrblaine]

1999 Jeep TJ Sahara 6 cyl.5 speed manual trans. is all over the road, if you look off the road when you look back you have crossed the center line or headed to the ditch. Let off the gas it goes to the right, accelerate and it goes to the left. (crazy huh)
Driving on a divided hi-way a big truck passing will almost push you off the road, then again there will be no effect. Nothing has helped!
We are lost as what to do next since it is all new.
The alignment shops are no help, Does anyone have a clue as to what to look for. Stated chasing rabbits and has progressively got worse!
Front End rebuilt
Tie rods, drag link
Ball Joints
upper and lower control arms front and rear
Track bar
Stock pitman arm
New 3.5 inch coil springs
no cracks or broken welds at pit man arms all are tight
Almost new BF Goodrich 33X12.50X15 Tires
View attachment 653814View attachment 653815View attachment 653816View attachment 653817View attachment 653818View attachment 653819

Please find the description of how to do the power steering test and do that.

 

[Shooting50]

Start with the basics. Make sure your track bar is tight, tires at 25psi. Was the problem before or after the rebuild? What is your caster and toe setting?

The problem was before the rebuild. Why else would you spend the money to rebuild.
Track Bar Is super tight. Tires are at 26 front and 24 rear.
Thanks for the reply

 

[Shooting50]

Please find the description of how to do the power steering test and do that.

I found this I hope this is the thread!

Post in thread 'How to test your power steering'

Sep 14, 2022

This is a simple and effective way to test your power steering and various associated components to address issues such as death wobble, shimmies, shakes, etc.

Get some light, get under the front of the rig, have someone start it up and turn the steering wheel back and forth from about 11-1 fairly rapidly.

You watch and touch every joint that moves when that is happening. Put a thumb on the ball joint or inner C, forefinger goes on the other part that is moving. Do that as well for the rest of the joints. Check the TRE's and make sure the body isn't popping up and down on the pin...

• mrblaine

• 

This ha been done at least 6 times. if you look closely you will see the underside is new, even the rotors calipers bearings and hubs, The power steering sector/gear box is the only thing that hasn't been replaced.
Thaks for the reply mrblain

 

[Shooting50]

Was everything torqued down with the weight of the Jeep on the suspension? It is hard to tell if the rear swaybar bushings have been replaced although the links appear to have been replaced.

Torqued setting on the concrete.sway bar bushing replaced.

Locker?

Locker?

No locker


Thanks jeeping

 

[John Cooper]

Torqued setting on the concrete.sway bar bushing replaced.



No locker


Thanks jeeping

Where in Georgia are you? We have a great bunch of guys in the north Georgia area that could probably help you out.

 

[Deputy Dodge]

The problem was before the rebuild. Why else would you spend the money to rebuild.
Track Bar Is super tight. Tires are at 26 front and 24 rear.
Thanks for the reply

Why would you launch the entire parts cannon before diagnosing the problem? Was it jumpy from the day you bought it? Again, what are your caster, camber, and toe settings? Since parts didn't fix the problem it sounds like an adjustment issue. Unless your frame is cracked.

 

[Hopper]

Locker?

Why ask about a locker. Is that an issue with lockers at hwy speeds. My detroit auto has never been an issue on the hwy. Or has it

 

[Gilaguy23]

Ive had a few with old school mechanical lockers, CJ, a 59 F100 EX forest service truck that was terrible. On or off the gas, or in corners as expected was a pay attention to where its headed ride. Seems short wheel based rigs and lockers can be squirrely. Going back to your original post are you a first time jeep owner? I cant speak to how it handles, but they are different critters and trucks passing at times can make for some heavy pushing around of your rig. Shops can get lazy as well. Fire it up and have somebody turn the steering wheel back and forth 1/4 turn or so while you lay on the ground in front and watch every steering connection, tie,rods, trac bar, steering arm, steering box and frame where mounted etc. Hopefully somebody else catches this, but why does the drag link ends look like there is so much of their threads showing. It dont look normal does it, or am I imagining things. Also 3.5 or 4" coils with stock U & L control arms?

 

[GATORB8]

I know you said the tires are almost new, but as something to cross off, rotating in a new tire with a worn one on the rear axle can cause push under power. That's easy to prove out because you can simply swap the tires side to side.

Not necessarily a single direction push, but bad toe can make steering pretty erratic. As requested above, sharing an alignment printout may prove helpful.

I've seen a bad bushing on a front control arm cause directional pull under braking. I guess it makes sense that a bad rear could cause your push issue, but, since they are new have you checked to make sure there isn't any flex/cracked welds on the rear control arm brackets?

A couple spitballs:

I don't think it'd be the stabilizer, but did you confirm it's operating correctly? Would be an easy elimination check by pulling it and doing a test drive.

Are you seeing a ton of nose rise on acceleration? The track bar and drag link look relatively in line, but maybe bumpsteer induced by excessive rise during acceleration?

 

[mrblaine]

I still don't understand why we are making any suggestion until we know the results of the power steering test.

 

[GATORB8]

I still don't understand why we are making any suggestion until we know the results of the power steering test.

Unless I misread, I thought he said he did it 6 times in post 11.

 

[mrblaine]

Unless I misread, I thought he said he did it 6 times in post 11.

Unless I misread, the number of times it was done tells us squat. We also don't know how it was done. If the handling is that poor, then the slop will be easy and obvious. Did someone watch the steering shaft move to relate and reconcile the input and output movement? How much does the steering wheel move before steering effort is transmitted to the knuckles? Was it done with a very quick back and forth of the steering wheel between the two points where resistance is felt or some perversion of that which tells us exactly nothing? You can do it 6 or 600 times and if you do it wrong, you aren't going to learn anything. Who was in front of the rig and touching all the parts to see what was going on? Was it done first with the engine off and then running to put higher stresses on components so the wear/slop shows up?

I promise you, enough play in something where you wind up in the other lane if you take your eyes off the road is stupid easy to find and it isn't going to be something like a bad bushing.