Ryan_AustinJKU

So about 2 weeks ago I got a 3in trail master lift put on with 33in MT tires. The installer told me just to get a alignment in the next few weeks. Drove a lot including a 2 hour drive no issues except coming back on a Texas state highway I hit a decent little bump with a curve going about 75-80mph and felt a little shake that scared the shit out of me and traction control light went on but this fixed itself in about a second. Thought nothing of it. Week later went to Christian Brothers automotive to get alignment done and they told me that I had a driver side ball joint that’s wearing out, also that to get the proper camber/ caster adjustments I’d need a adjustable caster link or something of that sorts? The camber was off that most affecting tire life with driver side at -.9 and passengers at -.2, caster both at 2.8 degrees. And toe at .18 drivers and .16 passenger. I have changed nothing front end wise besides 3 in lift brake line extensions and QD sway bar. In addition when I went home I started looking at sway bar because I know it is something that eventually needs to be upgraded then I noticed I could move my drag link bar up and down but took a moderate amount of force isn’t shaky seeming loose or anything just maybe rubber piece of joint needs to be replaced?, is this something that is causing alignment to be off and the possible tiny death wobble I may have experienced? Also opinions on if I replace left upper ball joint as they recommended as well as getting the “adjustable caster bolts and cams” which they said I’d need to make the alignment optimal (price quote for both with alignment is $921). And should I go ahead and replace stock track bar with adjustable track bar? I’ll attach video of the drag link Movemnt too, I know some movement in drag link and tie rod is suppose to occur but is this amount excessive? No issues driving minus that one bump I hit going very fast. VIDEO LINK

DiamondDan73

Is you steering wheel perfectly straight or is it kinda off? Your drag link is supposed to move like that.

Ryan_AustinJKU

my steering wheel is slightly turned to the right when going strait, i was like this before the lift was installed

DiamondDan73

That is probably why you had that issue. The same thing happened to me. My steering wheel was really off and I drove it. When I turned it felt like bare metal starting rubbing and my dashboard lit up. The reason is because if the Jeep senses you are turning too far it will go crazy. If the wheel is off center it will cause the issue when turning. The lift would have made it ever worse. I re-centered my steering wheel (YouTube it) and no more issues.

resharp001

Here's the short and skinny nighttime response....and if nobody elaborates further tonight I'll circle back round in the morning.

You lifted 3" and did not address correcting your caster. Caster from factory is 4.2*, and lifting 3" probably has you now close to 3* give or take. That will in itself give your steering a bit of a flightly feel. Also, 3" lift with DL in factory position, could be adding a bit of bump steer. I suspect the bigger problem is that ball joint. Bad ball joint would produce out of spec camber, and be the main culprit in the wobble....not helped at all by low caster and bump steer.

You can look up Planman's vids to see how to test your ball joint at home by yourself. Pretty easy if you have a floor jack and a shovel. DL will have misalignment, so movement like that is normal. Put someone in the jeep and have them turn the steering wheel back and forth. If the DL joint is bad, you'll see that popping up/down as they turn the wheel (not rotating...actually moving up/down a bit).

DO NOT let them put cam bolts in. Not a good idea. Best to look at some control arm brackets for $100 to give you some options to raise your caster back up. Sounds like they'd be a better quick/cheaper solution for you than going to adjustable control arms.

Also, if you're going to replace the ball joints, just do them all, and replace with something aftermarket. Factory BJs are POS and just gonna wear out again with larger tires. Google JK ball joint internals and you can compare what's inside those vs. the aftermarket options.

Oh y, recenter that steering wheel. It's 5 min job and 2 bolts on the DL turnbuckle. That however is not causing your wobble.

resharp001

$900 for an alignment, cam bolts, and replacing an upper BJ is robbery. Replacing BJs isn't the most fun job, but it's a DIY if you have basic tools and space to work. Control arm brackets are pretty basic bolt on item.

nthinuf

bah, resharp posted while I was typing ...


The Camber spec isn't nearly as bad as many people post, some when first driving off the dealers lot. I wouldn't worry much about that.

Caster is low. Get some opinions on Cam bolts!!!!! Cheap, but many people don't care for them. Look at drop brackets (AEV, Rancho, etc), or a set of lower control arms. (fixed if you want to save a little, adjustable if you can swing it.)

If the balljoints are bad, they're bad. Don't replace them 'just' to correct the camber. There are several aftermarket balljoints that may be worth looking at, but again, read some reviews. And replace both, doesn't make sense to replace just the lower when it's all torn apart anyway.

The up/down movement on the draglink does not seem normal. (I don't recall if those stock joints are both replaceable?) Maybe just hit craigslist and see if you can find another stock link from someone who has upgraded, should be dirt cheap or free. (you're in austin? I think I have my stock one sitting in a storage unit...) Or look at the aftermarket options.

Tiny deathwobble? You had deathwobble - and came almost to a complete stop to get rid of it - or you had a shimmy? Shimmy could be tires, balljoints, worn bushings, maybe flightyness from the low caster?

Rear trackbar, look for a raised bracket (this will center the axle, and help with roll center). Front trackbar, not mandatory, but an adjustable would probably be a good call at that height just to center the axle.

You bought swaybar disconnects, but you want to replace the swaybar itself as well?

Ryan_AustinJKU

The guy at the shop just said the left upper ball joint should be replaced to correct the camber of the drivers side tire, i just bought the JK about months ago used and the previous owner dint have it listed that any ball joints have been replaced on car fax report (they did nothing to vehicle didn't even tint the windows). its a 2014 JKU with 46,000 miles on it.
so based on my video you think that movement is irregular? and at that point should i go to upgraded tie rods and DL and nearly the whole front steering control? ( i am near Austin btw, in San Marcos)

about the death wobble, well luckily now its not sounding like it was, just a bad shimmy from possibly hitting a bump to fast as i only decelerated maybe 5mph after

I have sway bars and QDs for them, bad wording.

resharp001

Well, don't kid yourself. You have a problem. If you have any sort of shimmy/wobble, that is not normal. It's a sign of a worn joint. Bump steer is normal in situations, but that is just a single jolt of the steering wheel.......wobble and/or shimmy's are NOT normal. Again, I suspect the BJ really is bad. Factory TREs and DL joints don't take near the same beating. I'd suspect you'd bend the factory TR before the joint fails that early. Upgraded steering is always good to keep in mind in general. I'd test the BJ at home with jack and a shovel and confirm for yourself. If it is indeed bad, start deciding which BJs you want to go with. If you are a DIY kinda person, it's a good job to learn a lot about you jeep.

Ryan_AustinJKU

okay, i was planning on replacing the ball joint, makes sense to just go ahead and do them all at once, its a 2014 JKU i just bought used, carfax didnt show much of anything being replaces and it has 46,000 miles on it. so ill probably just go ahead and replace all of those in the coming weeks.
As far as the cam pin bolts the guy didn't really say it was necessary i just asked what he recommends to get my tire alignment perfect to save some tread life especially running muds do you think skipping adjusting my caster wouldnt kill me? their both sitting equal at 2.8 degrees
Also the guy mentioned track bars would help as well, i planned on going after market adjustable eventually he also mentioned replacing the rear track bar? any opinion on that, i haven't heard to many talk about rear track bars