Just when i thought my steering wouldn't get any worse, it did.
I installed a 3.5" RC lift a couple months back and recently the jeep has begun drifting side to side while driving down the road and randomly setting off the traction control (Sticky makes it sound like improper caster up front). Several shops have said it is in need of an alignment to fix this, my dad believes it is my shocks. I'm welcome to any and all suggestions.
Also whenever I turn the steering wheel from side to side (even on flat pavement) I can hear and feel a pop and the center of the steering wheel will shift. This use to only occur when I would hit a bump driving down the road but now will occur all the time. I'm just going to assume whatever is causing this problem is the reason that my wheel will never stay centered.

Any ideas on what is wrong and what I need to do, upgrade, or replace? I would like to fix this as soon as possible.

 

Sounds like your track bar is loose or one of the mounting holes are wollowed out. Have your dad sit in the Jeep amd shake the wheel back and forth with you under the front looking for loose parts. Look for play in any of the four rod ends (drag link and tie rod) and any movement on the trackbar axle or frame ends. Shocks have nothing to do with it...

 

Call some local alignment shops and see if any offer free checks. Not paying for and doing an alignment, just putting it on the rack and printing a sheet with the current numbers so you know where you're at.

Which specific components came with the lift?
Fixed lower control arms in front? These are not adjustable, an alignment will do nothing to adjust the caster.
Cam bolts? Small amount of caster adjustment, they may have slipped.
Drop pitman arm and trackbar bracket? Were they both installed, or just one? If both, is the pitman torqued?

Have you checked the torque on both ends of the trackbar, drag link, tie rod? The joints?

For the pop, have someone sit in the jeep and turn the wheel while you are watching/touching the steering components.

 

It is a rough country 3.5" kit that came with everything needed.
The only parts that are different than what is in the kit is an adjustable track bar from RC and a Crown automotive pitman arm.
It came with new front lower control arms, but they are not adjustable.

 

What component's came with the lift ?. I agree with Yamaha90 definitely check all that.
If your steering wheel keeps getting off center when going into a turn the jeep may think it's in a skid
Causing ESC to come on. You should get some alinement numbers, Toe and castor.

 

They have re-done their kits over the years, and people have been known to not install everything, so needed to ask which specific components 'yours' has. With the fixed arms, your caster is set for the lift height, and probably not the issue.

Was the trackbar bracket installed, or just the adjustable trackbar? Is the pitman arm a drop, or a factory replacement? The trackbar and drag link need to stay roughly parallel to each other to prevent steering issues. RC uses a drop pitman in conjunction with a trackbar relo bracket to keep them in alignment. So if you used one without the other, that could be the issue.

 

I used the adjustable track bar instead of the drop pitman arm and bracket that came with the kit.
While the pitman arm is not mopar, Crown automotive claims it to be a direct replacement.