Steering Hello everyone Have a need for help

Steering Hello everyone Have a need for help
D

Dieago

Jeeper
Posts
26
Thanks
3
Location
North Texas
Vehicle(s)
1985 7
This is my first cry for advice Ive read all over google for answers to a steering issue and no help so far.
I have never own a jeep never drove a jeep until now although I have built many cars and trucks from ground up.
I bought this 85 CJ7 and it looked like and drove like :dung:. It kinda wants to wonder around the road. it has 33x12.50's Ive rebuilt whole front I mean everything and added power steering and a brace too new rotors tie rods all new bushings set toe and rechecked twice more. checked caster and its at 6 degrees. is it the big tires? There is not one bit of play or looseness at all. I have ball joints but not changed as I checked the old ones and they are tight. also the steering stabilizer is tight going in and out. Ive nothing to compare too. do they just drive like :dung: with big tires???
 
Dieago said:
This is my first cry for advice Ive read all over google for answers to a steering issue and no help so far.
I have never own a jeep never drove a jeep until now although I have built many cars and trucks from ground up.
I bought this 85 CJ7 and it looked like and drove like :dung:. It kinda wants to wonder around the road. it has 33x12.50's Ive rebuilt whole front I mean everything and added power steering and a brace too new rotors tie rods all new bushings set toe and rechecked twice more. checked caster and its at 6 degrees. is it the big tires? There is not one bit of play or looseness at all. I have ball joints but not changed as I checked the old ones and they are tight. also the steering stabilizer is tight going in and out. Ive nothing to compare too. do they just drive like :dung: with big tires???
Click to expand...

Dieago said:
This is my first cry for advice Ive read all over google for answers to a steering issue and no help so far.
I have never own a jeep never drove a jeep until now although I have built many cars and trucks from ground up.
I bought this 85 CJ7 and it looked like and drove like :dung:. It kinda wants to wonder around the road. it has 33x12.50's Ive rebuilt whole front I mean everything and added power steering and a brace too new rotors tie rods all new bushings set toe and rechecked twice more. checked caster and its at 6 degrees. is it the big tires? There is not one bit of play or looseness at all. I have ball joints but not changed as I checked the old ones and they are tight. also the steering stabilizer is tight going in and out. Ive nothing to compare too. do they just drive like :dung: with big tires???
Click to expand...

First off - Welcome aboard!! No, that size tire won’t make it drive like :dung:...... However, that size tire will amplify any issues up front. Appears you still have something going on that you haven’t found. I’m running 33’s without a stabilizer and it’s like it’s on rails - don’t give up. Other areas to check that you didn’t list but may have already looked at, would be your shackles, steering shaft and joints (very common source), and the steering box itself. To check these, have someone watch them for slop as you turn the wheel slowly left and right. Mine started to wander a bit, and I had a couple of the bolts loosen up that held the steering box to the frame.

Keep us posted


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I have changed the box and the shaft and I have had the wife rock the slack in steering (what ive always called it) while I looked and zero play or slack naturally because all parts are new every one. I have not done anything to shackles
 
Has the front parts been bastardized? By that I mean are the original to your ride? If non OEM parts have been used the geometry may not be square. My PO swapped in some parts from a Scout (Dana 44 axle assembly) making for a wild ride at times. Post up some pictures.
 
No not other than the steering box I added but its a bolt on and tried 2 different angle pitman's . I ordered all new spring and shackle bushings this AM to try wont hurt to have new ones. Both my steering rod and drag link are perfectly horizontal too no incline at all. what concerns me is Ive checked caster angle twice and at two locations and its 5.5-6 degrees and what buffalo's me is with two different boxes after a turn it doesn't want to return to straight? Im going to check caster angle one more time today. I did with the old manual box add some homemade temporary shims to axle just to drive and check and made no difference at all. didn't check but sure I added at least 4 degrees as shim was 3/8 inch in front
 
Well, bad news is that the hosting site that TD used is gone. I can never get back the images. Sorry.
 
Uhhhhhhh....is this Jeep lifted? I’m thinking it is a bit with 33’s.

I’m thinking pinion angle...?


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The pics are all back where they belong now. :)

Dieago, that Jeep should drive just fine, big tires or little tires, unless the tires are crazy soft or there's some sort of mechanical looseness in the suspension / steering. What pressure are you running in those tires? Also, are they all exactly identical (same brand, same model, same number of plies in both tread and sidewall, same ply material, same exact size)? A mismatch between tires can make it steer about like a herd of cats.

Just to rule that out, after you've stepped all the way through that troubleshooting list, would it be possible for you to borrow a matched set of "normal sized" wheels & tires just long enough for a test drive?
 
Nice job of getting those pictures back guys ! :chug:
 
I was thinking pressures also. I dropped my 33's down to 24 psi all around and that stopped the little wonder mine had.
 
CJ said:
It was nice to work with an old (not actually old) member. :)
Click to expand...
Oho, trust me... there's some "old" involved! :D
 
Good morning! All 4 are BFG all terrains nearly new I dropped the pressure to 22 psi for a while and now its around 30. I just received email suspension bushings have shipped. I drove it over to some friends last night and noticed if I let go off steering it tracks pretty straight it doesn't pull it wonders . now since I started its 60 % better than when I got it. trust me the front is NEW and tight. Ive rebuilt lots of 60s and 70's chevy's front ends especially C10's Nova's Camaro's and never had this issue. I have new ball joins but havent changed them yet I checked them with a 6' pry bar and no looseness. Also With caster around 5.5 I dont understand why when I turn and let go wheel dont want to return to center? the old manual box did this and this new box came of a pure bone stock looking 86 Cherokee from wrecking yard I pulled myself and was clean box. Ive checked all over my frame is straight and Ive did all the body work front to rear found no evidence of collision on jeep.
 
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