Offset balljoints: good, bad, and ugly?

[mrblaine]

I have a similar issue. My LJ pulls pretty hard to the left. Got new tires recently and it still pulls left (regardless of moving tires around). It's a firm pull regardless of road crown or completely level road. Alignment shop aldo recommended an adjustable ball joint. My LJ used to drive straight with no pull for 50K miles. Logic tells me something else must be the issue and an adjustible ball joint is just compensating. Have not figure it out yet, though.

Is your steering wheel perfectly centered?

 

[explorerlyon]

Is your steering wheel perfectly centered?

Not perfectly. This is the position letting the wheel find its natural place while driving and taking my hands off. At the time of alignment, the right ball joints had a little play. I since replace those but it had no affect on the pull to left. Alighment shop was recommending adjustable for the left side only, but logic told me to find the real issue first. I was thinking of just having it alligned again at another shop since I did replace the loose right ball joints.

 

[mrblaine]

Not perfectly. This is the position letting the wheel find its natural place while driving and taking my hands off. At the time of alignment, the right ball joints had a little play. I since replace those but it had no affect on the pull to left. Alighment shop was recommending adjustable for the left side only, but logic told me to find the real issue first. I was thinking of just having it alligned again at another shop since I did replace the loose right ball joints.

View attachment 666354

Again, there is no valid test that involves removing your hands from the steering wheel.
If the steering wheel is off to one side, that opens the steering valve to provide hydraulic assist to go that direction and typically causes a pull to that side. Center your steering wheel perfectly and report back.

 

[explorerlyon]

Again, there is no valid test that involves removing your hands from the steering wheel.
If the steering wheel is off to one side, that opens the steering valve to provide hydraulic assist to go that direction and typically causes a pull to that side. Center your steering wheel perfectly and report back.

Will do, I have another alignment scheduled. If I firmly hold the wheel perfectly straight, does that prevent the steering valve from opening? I ask because it still pulls a little left when I hold the wheel perfectly straight.

 

[mrblaine]

Will do, I have another alignment scheduled. If I firmly hold the wheel perfectly straight, does that prevent the steering valve from opening? I ask because it still pulls a little left when I hold the wheel perfectly straight.

Center the steering wheel and find out. You don't need an alignment shop to do that.

To clarify though, if you hold the steering wheel perfectly straight, it drifts left. Is that correct?

 

[explorerlyon]

Center the steering wheel and find out. You don't need an alignment shop to do that.

To clarify though, if you hold the steering wheel perfectly straight, it drifts left. Is that correct?

Correct. If I hold the wheel perfectly straight, drifts left. If I let the wheel "relax" as I pictured, it pulls harder left.

 

[Cumsterdump]

I have a similar issue. My LJ pulls pretty hard to the left. Got new tires recently and it still pulls left (regardless of moving tires around). It's a firm pull regardless of road crown or completely level road. Alignment shop aldo recommended an adjustable ball joint. My LJ used to drive straight with no pull for 50K miles. Logic tells me something else must be the issue and an adjustible ball joint is just compensating. Have not figure it out yet, though.

i was told i needed one because my axle is slightly bent. could be your axle is tweaked and needs to be put in a jig and straightened