[Guest]

Hello Ive replaced my leaf spring bushings with the poly bushings, new steering box, 4" drop pitman arm, new tie rods(greased) and I still have white knuckle steering. My roads in the area that I live are all crowned and my narrow track does have wandering problems with that, but even on the normal road it is still loose. I cannot afford a hydralic steering setup(unless you know a cheap way), and does a shackle reversal really help?...I did do a search but did not come up with any answers.thanks.

 

[Dirt Dog]

It doesn't by chance have longer than stock front shackles on it does it? That might be the answer right there. (that throws the caster out the window and gives the instant white knuckle)

 

[Guest]

there heavy duty 3/8" longer only, because of lift laws Im all ready illegal with the 4" lift. I was thinking of cutting off the shoulder of the bushings and installing predrilled metal that would take up the space of the bushing to shakle area and having the nylock bolt stopping just before they rub and bind during normal flex.

 

[Aaron871]

I would do 3 things.

1. I'd jack up one front tire and see if it had any play in it. Jack up both front tires and check for play.

2. Check for play in the steering shaft.

3. Check where the spring mount, mounts to the frame. (all suspension for that matter)
I am a novice at best. So take it for what it's worth, nothing.

 

[Dirt Dog]

Right on the money Aaron. Since you really don't have "long" shackles it's time to look for play.
1" = 1 mile in a lifted swb jeep. Something has got to be loose. And it can be hard to find too. Just remember it doesn't take much. So time to start looking and ALL steering parts, then move on to all bushings.

 

[Guest]

Ill give that a try and check for playin everything just did all the wheel bearings 4 months ago...but you never know. Still no word on the shackle reversal swap-if its worth it?!

 

[1757]

I run a shackle reversal and it's one of my top 5 favorite mods in a long list of them that I've done on my CJ.

That being said, it will NOT cure the white knuckle steering problem you're describing, so follow the advice you've already been given to search for your problems.

Once you've gotten it fixed and you're ready, the shackle reversal will help with (in my case, eliminate) bump steer and will greatly improve the ride.

Clay

 

[Aaron871]

Fix your steering problem before modifying it. Otherwise you wont know weather you did the reversal correctly or compounded the problem. If you compound the problem it gets very difficult to find.

 

[Dirt Dog]

Shackle reversal has pros and cons. It will make a slight improvement on the road as far as driveabality, but not night and day. Fix the real problem first. Then if you want to make it a little better, then you can do it. Besides if you have looked into it you know about the nose diving issues under braking.

 

[1757]

I want to clarify quickly that I mean shackle reversal will improve the ride on the street. I don't believe there's a big advantage off road when you're crawling, but my rig is my DD and I like it to work well on and off road.

Clay

 

[Dirt Dog]

WOW..............lol
4 posts, about the same time, same answer.
I think I'd go with it.

 

[CJ7Taz]

Have you checked the front axle u-joints?

 

[Caver Dave]

Since you've seemed to have covered the bases (near stock shackles, steering box, draglink/TR, TREs....
Maybe the toe in is way out? You eluded that the TREs were new(fairly recent) and greased. Also, check the balljoints! If their OK, then go to HomeDepot and buy an angle finder. Then check to see if the lift springs affected the pinion angle or not. All else is speculation...

 

[WILL]

When you lifted it, did you put degree shims between the axle and springs? If so, did you put the thick end to the front or rear?

 

[Drury]

Lots of good suggestions and you should check them all out. I just wanted to second the steering shaft. If it has any play in it at all, it translates to alot of wander on the road.

 

[GoldToyBox]

Everyone seems to have hit all the bases, check for play in the steering componetes (usually this is the problem), wheel bearing, etc .... but tire wear can be a problem indicator for you. Notice any?
Any time you lift you can ascent any problems in the steering geometery. Same goes for oversized tires.
You seem to understand the pro/con of shackel reversal.
Find the problem before making changes or just throwing parts at it. If your geometry was screwed up by the lift (shimed too much or not enought) any good alignment shop will spot it immediately. We all assume the problem is in the front end and probably is but don't forget in a short wheel base rig the problem could the in the rear! Good luck!

 

[RRich]

Just a thought - check the back end too. A loose rear can act like a front problem. Check U-bolts, spring ends etc.

Do you have a Panhard or trac bar? Front or rear?
Lifting it 4" puts that at an angle, just like your steering drag link can. Then when it bounces, the trac bar or drag link pushes the axle side to side, putting the vehicle into a slight turn, then back - called bumpsteer.

Most lift kits that use trac bars have a bracket to lower the trac bar end - the preferred position is the trac bar, or Panhard is parallel to the ground, but often that's just not practical.
Same goes with the steering drag link - a dropped Pitman arm tries to get it more horizontal.

Have a good look at it, imagine when the front end bounces down a bit - what pushes what? Sometimes the cure is an adjustable track bar or dropped Pitman.
Same goes for the rear, an often overlooked place.

 

[1101]

One more thought about things to check - or rather how to check it. I remember reading about someone who had been chasing steering problems for quite a while, including checking the flex of the steering box mounts. He tried moving it with a crowbar and couldn't get it to flinch. After being at wit's end for a while, he finally watched the steering box from underneath while someone cranked the wheel. Basically his eyes popped out and jaw dropped as he saw the steering box flexing all over the place.

It is suprising how much torque the steering system can put on the mounts for the box. The guy I'm remembering put some substantial bracing on the box and it fixed his problem.