OK guys and gals, I finally got my buddy to test drive a jeep and the one we found was super clean but one thing was different than my jeep. The steering. It felt really washed out and delayed. Could this be as simple as the shocks (dual steering stabilizer unknown brand) leaking fluid? If not, what could it be? Thanks family! And also there is a delay with the "4wd" light on the dashboard when it's put into 4h or 4l. What would be the concern with that?

 

I'm guessing some worn out front tierod or drag link ends. If the ends are shot there will be a bunch of slop in the steering wheel.

 

Is it lifted? If so, has some action been taken to correct for the change in caster--preferably not camber bolts (because they can get loose and cause--well, the kinds of problems you're describing)? The fact that someone is running a dual steering stabilizer suggests to me that the previous owner was more interested in appearance over performance. There are lots of cheap lifts that don't take care of caster, giving the steering a "like driving on ice" feeling. Or they use camber bolts, which aren't really suitable for off-road because the vibrations cause that loosening I mentioned above.

 

God it could be a number of things including worn parts or caster like mentioned. We need more info, year, miles, is the jeep lifted , tire size and PSI?

 

Ok so the jeep is on its second owner, I'm guessing it's 3.5" long arm bds lift. 35's. Under 60k miles, it's an 07' Sahara. It has 35's. And driven most recently by a 18 yo kid. They just replaced the tie rod bc of a mishap when he was wheelin. The undercarriage is actually super clean ie no leaks not many scratches/damage to skids... Could this be potentially something to avoid when looking at purchasing? It's my buddies first jeep!! Don't want him starting it out bleeding his pockets bc lord knows he will down the line lol. I'll post link to the jeep here::: https://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/5285160090.html

 

Buying a lifted jeep is always a risk. I would say check the alignment. Too many things to go wrong with a long arm.

 

short of taking it to a shop what are other ways to check alignment

 

Well you can measure front pinion which will give you caster. That and toe in.
Look for any abnormal tire wear. That could be a indication of either too much toe or a axle(s) is not squared.
You can eyeball rear pinion angle. The diff should be inline or slightly below the DS.

 

Basic Do-it-Yourself Jeep JK Wrangler Front End Alignment

Jeepwire.Com Presents: Setting Your Pinion Angle