On Road Stability??

[1 Bad CJ5]

Quick question about on road stability. I have a 79 CJ5 no lift with 33" Goodyear Wranglers. Single steering stabilizer. On a recent trip up the mountains my jeep gets a bad sway in it above 55-60mph. Any bump or dip in the road at highway speeds and the jeep swerves. I have a dual stabilizer to put on, but only after a 4" lift. I have read the debates over a shackle reversal and I dont want to do it if there is another option for me to try. The only problem I have had looking at power steering is that I am running a Chevy 400 under the hood and I havent found one that fits that engine in my space allowed. Should the dual stabilizer help this problem, or should I also be looking for other things?

 

[IOPort51]

How did you get 33s on a CJ5 with no lift??

have you considered new shocks?


How much weight were you carrying?

 

[Vick68]

My PO put 35's under my cj with bigger shackles on the front and back and I rub the hell out of them right now, trying to find me some 31's or 32's locally. I don't know how people do it but they do.

 

[1 Bad CJ5]

How did you get 33s on a CJ5 with no lift??

have you considered new shocks?


How much weight were you carrying?


I had no weight, only me in the jeep. And i bought the jeep with 33's. The rear wheel well only has a few inches of clearance in it, and the front are aftermarket fenders with more space. I will do shocks when i do the lift. 2 reasons for the spring lift...one, to get some room in the rear wheel wells, and two, to add the dual stabilizer.

 

[hole]

Check wheel bearings, ball joint's, tie rod ends.... Pretty much check everything in the front end for play because anything worn or loose in the front can cause what your experiencing. The PO may have not done springs, but did he use longer shackles?

 

[Old Dog]

Should the dual stabilizer help this problem, or should I also be looking for other things?

NO the stabilizer won't help at all.
Do you have a sway bar on it?

 

[AussieCJ7]

On a recent trip up the mountains my jeep gets a bad sway in it above 55-60mph. Any bump or dip in the road at highway speeds and the jeep swerves.

Every Bump and Dip in the road suggest to me bump steer Stabalizers will only mask the issue not fix it and even then there is a limit to how much they can mask. I run 4.5" lift on 33's with NO sway bar or stablizer but took me ages to get all of the geometry right

What is the angle of your drag link in relation to tie rod ??

Has it always done it or have you recently bought the Jeep ??

Check out the stickie thread http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f99/troubleshooting-correcting-your-steering-4106/ on making a CJ steer lots of good info but in a nutshell you need every joint (tie rod ends, ball joints, steering shaft, and shackles) working perfect and you need to get castor and the angles of your tie rod/drag link right

 

[jasonmark1993]

Im with the other guys.

If the suspension is stock, what you are describing is a common worn out shock situation.

Since you are doing a lift, I wouldn't do anything to address until you are done.

Most likely the problem will be gone.

 

[1 Bad CJ5]

Check wheel bearings, ball joint's, tie rod ends.... Pretty much check everything in the front end for play because anything worn or loose in the front can cause what your experiencing. The PO may have not done springs, but did he use longer shackles?

I dont believe so. It seems the only upgrades that the PO has done have been to the engine and drivetrain. I am currently upgrading the axles and I will take a look at the front components when I have the front tore apart.

 

[1 Bad CJ5]

Old Dog, I do not have a sway bar on it, but one is required to install the dual steering stabilizer so there will be one eventually, thats why I didnt bring it up. Aussie, I have had the jeep a few months and with my schedule in the oilfields it was the first chance I have had to get it out on the highway so I cannot say for sure how long this has been an issue. But I will investigate my angles and everything while I am upgrading my driveline. And Jason, that is exacly what I was thinking. I want to see how it does when I get everything I want to on it, because there is no point in fixing a problem if a current fix will bring new ones to the surface when I finish putting my current mods on. Thank you all for your input, and I look forward to hopefully being able to assist you in some way down the line.

 

[Sasquach]

I'm with Old Dog about the stabilizer and 2 of them is just something else to gather rocks with, waste of money but looks bling. Correct steering geometry and tight components is the answer to your steering woes.

 

[BusaDave9]

It could be the bushings. Try replacing them.

The shackle reversal and dual stabilizers won't fix a stability problem but they may mask and band aid the issue.

 

[Sasquach]

Go to the Technical Threads tab and open http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f99/troubleshooting-correcting-your-steering-4106/ and take a look.

 

[rlitavecz]

My 73 CJ had similar problems. I would not even consider driving on an Interstate because of the instability. I checked several things.
First, have someone turn the wheel in each direction while you watch the frontend and shackles for movement. Spring bushings may be shot and the thin original shackles move a lot. I installed polyurathane bushings and HD shackles with a bar connecting each pair.
Next, check toe in. You should have around 1/2" less distance at the front of the tires than the back.
Finally, check the caster. I had to shim the front end to set this.
My CJ now goes down the road just fine at any speed.
I also installed new tires...the old ones were worn so badly that they added to the problem.
Good Luck!