Flighty when hitting certain bumps

toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
Ive been having the issue that when I hit a bump the jeep wants to veer off the road. I have the rk 2.5" kit with 1" spacers on top of that. I have adjustable mc upper arms in the front and stock front lowers. I knew the issue was with caster however after installing the Rancho geo correction brackets I still have the issue however not as often. I have had my ball joints replaced since they went bad on me with adjustable moog since they have a lifetime warranty, I have new tie rod and drag link ends, and also Im still running the stock tires which has been replaced in the last 3k miles. Does anyone have knowledge what my issue could be? Not enough caster (set the brackets for 2.5-3.5" lift), bad wheel bearing, something with the ball joints and chamber?

Thanks,
Justin
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
So, are you saying that you have 3.5" of lift? If so, is it safe to assume you only feel the "veer" when you hit the bump and then it goes back to normal? Or, does it veer and wants to keep you going that way unless you correct for it?
 
olram30

olram30

Not That Kind of Engineer
Could be caster, not sure what you have your uppers set at. Mixed with drop brackets. Could also be a candidate for a drag link flip. Those 2.5" coils are usually closer to 3 to 3.5" with a spacer on top.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
toxicwaste29 said:
Yes 3.5" total. I feel the veer and have to correct it.
Click to expand...

Okay, to be fair, do you know for a fact that you have 3.5" of lift over stock? Because MOST lift kits tend to have coils that offer a lot more than what is advertised and you may have closer to 4" or more. That being said, IF you have not installed a drag link flip/front track bar relocation kit, you are probably feeling the effects of your steering geometry being considerably off. At that steep of an angle, big bumps will cause a lot of side to side movement in your axle as it cycles up and down.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
My uppers are set at the factory length and since Im in college I put on the rancho brackets for the time being. I put the bolt in the proper hole for the 2.5"-3.5" lifts so I figured it might need more caster but I could see me having gained over 3.5" lift with my springs and spacers.

Correction the bolt went in the only hole provided yet the brackets are suppose to be for 2.5-4" of lift.
 
Last edited:
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
toxicwaste29 said:
My uppers are set at the factory length and since Im in college I put on the rancho brackets for the time being. I put the bolt in the proper hole for the 2.5"-3.5" lifts so I figured it might need more caster but I could see me having gained over 3.5" lift with my springs and spacers.

Correction the bolt went in the only hole provided yet the brackets are suppose to be for 2.5-4" of lift.
Click to expand...

Proper caster only helps prevent wandering. What you're describing sounds more like a bump steer kind of issue and that would be caused. Unless you have reason to have your Jeep sitting so sky high, I might recommend that you remove your spacers to get you back down to a more realistic height. I would bet that'll help your handling issues and it won't cost you a dime to do.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
Last time I had it at the mechanic for something I couldn't fix myself he supposedly adjusted the steering box settings to a lower setting. Is this something that can even be done and if so could it be the issue. Needless to say though I prefer not using one unless dire needs.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
toxicwaste29 said:
Last time I had it at the mechanic for something I couldn't fix myself he supposedly adjusted the steering box settings to a lower setting. Is this something that can even be done and if so could it be the issue. Needless to say though I prefer not using one unless dire needs.
Click to expand...

Ummm, yeah! Assuming he installed a dropped pitman arm, that would definitely explain what you're feeling as you NEED to relocate your track bar at the same time. Failure to do so will result in a track bar and drag link that are NOT parallel and that will cause a sever bump steer like condition just as you have described.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
The way he described it; it was like there was a nut on the steering box that can be turned one way or another to either may the steering looser or tighter. I was never charged for a drop pitman arm but Ill look more into everything being parallel.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
toxicwaste29 said:
The way he described it; it was like there was a nut on the steering box that can be turned one way or another to either may the steering looser or tighter. I was never charged for a drop pitman arm but Ill look more into everything being parallel.
Click to expand...

There is a tension adjustment nut on the steering box and if he tightened that, I would still say that your steering geometry is way off due to your sky high lift AND, now when you hit bumps, your steering will pull to the side and the tightened nut will hold it there longer. If it were my Jeep, I would lower it back down to a reasonable height OR, spend the money to correct my steering geometry but, that's just me.
 
sjd78

sjd78

New member
You're being given good solid advice. These guys know what their talking about. So I recomend saving yourself some time, money and frustration and apply the advice given to you.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
Im not trying not to do what is said Im just considering all possibilities of what might be be the issue. I will be checking to ensure the track bar and drag link are in parallel. If they are then I will take pictures and post them to ensure I am not overlooking anything. If they are parallel is it still possible they will need flipped?
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
toxicwaste29 said:
Im not trying not to do what is said Im just considering all possibilities of what might be be the issue. I will be checking to ensure the track bar and drag link are in parallel. If they are then I will take pictures and post them to ensure I am not overlooking anything.
Click to expand...

If you don't have a dropped pitman arm or drag link flip installed or a track bar relocation bracket installed without the other two mentioned parts, your track bar and drag link WILL BE parallel. They can't be off if nothing was done to them.

If they are parallel is it still possible they will need flipped?
Click to expand...

Ummm, that is what I have been saying for quite some time now :crazyeyes:

At stock height, your track bar and drag link are not only parallel to each other, they are relatively parallel to your axle as well. The taller you go, the steeper the angle they will be sitting at. This steep angle WILL cause handling issues and a drag link flip or dropped pitman arm WITH a track bar relocation bracket will help to correct this geometry issue. Maybe I miss read but, I was under the impression that money was an issue for you so I was trying to give you a FREE solution but, if I was wrong, this should help. You should also LOOSEN the tension nut on the steering box as it is probably on too tight now.

Just trying to help but it's you're Jeep.
 
Bacon

Bacon

Member
If you post a pic of your front axle from directly in front of your Jeep it will make it quite a bit easier for us to help you. There are a lot of variables when it comes to front end geometry. A pic will help.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
IMG_20150120_171307687.jpg IMG_20150120_171312976.jpg IMG_20150120_171315793.jpg


Money is tight however I can spend the money for it to be done right. I did close up pictures so you could see everything however also can do a far away picture showing everything at once if needed. Also can you please tell me where the tension nut is on the steering box and also is there any way of knowing if I set it back to factory settings (torque or number of threads showing)

I know I know dual SS it was a gift so it stays.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
srosario said:
Might be an illusion, but the tierod looks bent under the driver side stabilizer
Click to expand...

I went offroading and hit a sheet of ice and it bent the dual ss name plate backwards. Thats why that is bent. The tie rod bar however I inspected everything and also looking at online mopar pictures they looked like they had the identical bends. I may be completely wrong however and it actually is bent. I have been having the flighty issue even before all that offroading trip so I figured its not the bar.

I had a constant flight every time I hit a bump then I installed the geo correction brackets and it now only happens certain bumps. Could they not have provided enough caster?
 
Last edited:
srosario

srosario

New member
toxicwaste29 said:
I went offroading and hit a sheet of ice and it bent the dual ss name plate backwards. Thats why that is bent. The tie rod bar however I inspected everything and also looking at online mopar pictures they looked like they had the identical bends. I may be completely wrong however and it actually is bent. I have been having the flighty issue even before all that offroading trip so I figured its not the bar.

I had a constant flight every time I hit a bump then I installed the geo correction brackets and it now only happens certain bumps. Could they not have provided enough caster?
Click to expand...

Your right, I just google couple of pics, and they are bent, I have a 2wd and not use to see the bent in it. Sorry for confusing you, hope you figure it out, these guys are great here they'll help u out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom