Check your caster. More than likely, with the lift, it's off. Same problem I just corrected on my jeep.

 

?

 

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/why-your-steering-wanders-seems-loose-445430/

 

... brand new leaf springs front and rear, and some sort of aftermarket steering gear box brace. ... The passenger side tie rod has a good bit of play in it, the rest look good... but could 1 bad tie rod cause it to drive that bad? If not then where else should I look?

Yes. A single tie rod on the passenger side could cause the problem but it would probably be related more closely to wobble than wander.

Insufficient positive caster is more likely the problem.

This article explains why caster is important and how your lift may have changed it. The effect of lifts on your steering, drivetrain, etc.

You want about 6* positive caster with radial tires.

 

a friend had a 81 cj5 and it did the same thing when he bought it. it turned out to be a loose steering box bracket and he was missing his front sway bar. plus it also had a lift and tall tires but i cant remember how much.

 

might look in to steering dampers as well

 

Dampers mute sudden movements like bump-steer but don't affect wander which is generally not sudden direction change.

mine was caused by no sway bar and a too high shackle lift when i got mine it was undriveble because of wander

Sure... if you have a high angle on the drag link and no sway bar, it will allow torque or body roll steering input. The shackle lift most likely reduced your positive caster... both will cause wander.

x2 on the steering box.Check the lower pittman shaft for play.Remove the pittman arm an check side to side or front to back movement.In and out movement is ok but very little...

Pitman shaft? Do you mean drag link? If so, yes... the tie rod ends on it need to be in good working condition.

... Also check the steering shaft,when I took ours apart I found the 2 lower "square" bearings wernt even in the Cup...Very hard to drive with the steering wheel wandering and this seems to be very common with these Cjs'.

I think you're talking about the bell coupler at the end of the steering shaft. Yes... that's an often overlooked place for steering problems. Most of us concentrate on the components from the Pitman arm on down.

The best cours of action for wander is to check the caster angle first.

 

mine was caused by no sway bar and a too high shackle lift when i got mine it was undriveble because of wander

 

x2 on the steering box.Check the lower pittman shaft for play.Remove the pittman arm an check side to side or front to back movement.In and out movement is ok but very little.Also check the steering shaft,when I took ours apart I found the 2 lower "square" bearings wernt even in the Cup...Very hard to drive with the steering wheel wandering and this seems to be very common with these Cjs'.

 

This thing has no front sway bar at all.

 

That's not necessarily a problem. It depends on your drag link angle (the further from parallel the more impact) and if the body/frame flexes much.

Have you measured your caster angle yet?

 

check u-bolt nuts! after 500 - 600 miles since installing my lift my CJ was wandering badly. the u-bolt nuts were VERY loose. after i get the u-bolts and the spring packs straightened like they should be and retightened the bolts to spec it made a HUGE difference. the jeep had been rocking back and forth on both front and rear axles every time i would hit a bump or turn the wheel. since the PO did the lift you never know...

 

Alright, I replaced the bad tie rod end. I fixed the caster with degree shims. I retorqued all the u-bolts and all the shackles and spring hanger bolts. I set the toe to spec. It still darts pretty bad. If it starts to drift to the right and you correct it to the left it doesn't take a smooth turn to the left it darts left harder than it should. Oh and it's also got a brand new steering shaft and an aftermarket heavy duty steering box brace. I don't know what else to do really.

 

I set the toe to spec.

With brand new 33" tires "spec" is not necessarily stock. If you are doing these adjustments yourself then do it in small increments and test drive after each adjustment.
Tall tires flex and store energy when a side load is applied(eg, excessive toe in) and tend to spring back when turned exaggerating steering input. This can cause twitchy steering.

From the angle this picture was taken it is hard to tell, but it looks to me like your pinion turns up towards the transfer case. This could roll you caster angle forward and cause horrible handling issues.

This shows your drag link at a much higher angle than I would prefer. A high drag link angle contributes to bump steer. A sway bar and steering stabilizer will help to control bump steer but aren't a complete remedy especially as things begin to wear. I'd look into methods to make the drag link more parallel to the tie rod.

 

 

You definately need a dropped pitman arm. Super sensitive steering is usually a caster issue. Where is your caster at now? In the pics, your front axle looks like it tips forward quite a bit. Are the shims installed with the thick end forward? My steering was similar to riding a go-cart before I installed my shims.

 

I just installed a dropped pitman arm, no difference. I'm going to recheck the caster again, the thick end of the shim is at the rear to point the pinion up more toward the transfer case, before it was near 0.

 

Turn the shims. You want to lower the pinion. Proper caster puts the upper balljoint further back than the lower. Turn them and you will see a big difference. Thick side forward.

 

I'm an idiot!

 

Even the best make mistakes.

 

I just swapped the shims around but it's too cold to drive it with a bikini top on. I'll report back tomorrow.

 

oh wow that was a steep angle. good job on drop pitman. yes i think you will be good now i had to do both the things you just did. mine was the same way and i did drop pitman arm and caster shims and it drives like a caddy now.

 

well there is your problem you need a drop pitman arm!!!! that is to steep an angle it needs to be as close to straight as possible.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/cj7-wanders-all-road-1169614/index2.html#post11133679

 

Thanks for everyones help, I can't wait to drive it tomorrow. It's going in for paint soon, will come out olive drab green.

 

The spring in post #15 (3rd picture) looks like it's bent. Do both front springs look like that?

 

Yeah both are like that, it's a brand new 4" kit, but I'm not sure what brand. It was just installed before I got it.

 

I'm betting flipping those shims (so the wedge is facing forwards) will be the solution to your problem.

 

I hope so, the upper ball joint is behind the lower one now, it wasn't like that before.

 

I am also really curios if this fixes the problem. Before I tore mine down for the frame off, I just drove it a mile or two and it was the same way. Looking forward to knowing if it fixed it.