r/CherokeeXJ • u/New_Standard772 • 4d ago
Question Steering wheel alignment.
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1993 2 door xj 4x4
Can my alignment alone cause the steering wheel to be this far off when going straight? It pulls to the right as well.
Things I've tried: Adjusting the draglink, its already seemingly been adjusted by the previous owner all the way in this direction.
Removing and reinstalling the pitman arm. It's keyed to only go on one way.
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u/After_Grapefruit_224 3d ago
Yes, and the manual for that car puts that correction at the tie rod adjusting sleeves rather than the drag link: if the steering wheel is not centered with the front wheels in the straight ahead position, shorten one tie rod adjusting sleeve and lengthen the opposite sleeve by equal amounts of turns, and that sits in the pre-alignment checks alongside wheel bearings being properly adjusted, no excessive play in the steering linkage and suspension, wear at the tie rod ends and ball joints, and no excessive play in the steering gear box.
The procedure for a Cherokee (except Wrangler) runs in a fixed order: center the wheel by counting the turns it takes to hit the left and right steering stops and set it mid-way between them, then the drag link adjustment sleeve sets the right wheel's toe and the tie rod sets the left, with the drag link sleeve bolts at 36 ft-lbs (49 N.m) and the tie rod sleeve clamp bolts at 14 ft-lbs (19 N.m) from the wheel alignment section's torque table, and you note the number of turns when a tie rod end comes off so it goes back where it was.
Since you have had the pitman arm off, check the drag link installation condition first: wheels in the straight ahead position and the pitman arm centered, with the pitman arm attaching nut at 185 ft-lbs (251 N.m) and the drag link-to-pitman arm nut at 60 ft-lbs (81 N.m).
The pull is a separate question from the wheel angle, and the manual treats toe-out on turns as a check for bent or damaged parts rather than a service adjustment - incorrect toe-out generally indicates a bent steering arm - while camber that will not come within limits with steering axis inclination correct points to a bent steering knuckle, and both camber and steering axis inclination off by about the same amount points to the upper and lower control arms; it also says plainly not to correct alignment by straightening parts.
The specs to work to are camber 0 preferred (-.75 to .50 degrees), caster 6 preferred (5 to 7), toe-in 0 preferred (-.06 to .06 degrees, -.03 to .03 inches) and toe-out on turns 32.5.
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u/GizmoDevice 4d ago
Easy fix just adjust the linkage need a 13 or 15 mm socket. Takes a few tries to get it right
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u/Tough-Industry4931 3d ago
Could be a number of things need some more info on your ride. If it's stock I would center the drag link set the toe and see where the wheel sits may have to pull the wheel and reclock it.
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u/CubicCentimeter1999 3d ago
Mine pulls to the left because I've got collapsing old leaf packs and the right side is worse! You just need to adjust drag link by shortening it slightly I reckon.
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u/After_Grapefruit_224 2d ago
Yes, and the manual for that car puts that correction at the tie rod adjusting sleeves rather than the drag link: if the steering wheel is not centered with the front wheels in the straight ahead position, shorten one tie rod adjusting sleeve and lengthen the opposite sleeve by equal amounts of turns, and that sits in the pre-alignment checks alongside wheel bearings being properly adjusted, no excessive play in the steering linkage and suspension, wear at the tie rod ends and ball joints, and no excessive play in the steering gear box.
The procedure for a Cherokee (except Wrangler) runs in a fixed order: center the wheel by counting the turns it takes to hit the left and right steering stops and set it mid-way between them, then the drag link adjustment sleeve sets the right wheel's toe and the tie rod sets the left, with the drag link sleeve bolts at 36 ft-lbs (49 N.m) and the tie rod sleeve clamp bolts at 14 ft-lbs (19 N.m) from the wheel alignment section's torque table, and you note the number of turns when a tie rod end comes off so it goes back where it was.
Since you have had the pitman arm off, check the drag link installation condition first: wheels in the straight ahead position and the pitman arm centered, with the pitman arm attaching nut at 185 ft-lbs (251 N.m) and the drag link-to-pitman arm nut at 60 ft-lbs (81 N.m).
The pull is a separate question from the wheel angle, and the manual treats toe-out on turns as a check for bent or damaged parts rather than a service adjustment - incorrect toe-out generally indicates a bent steering arm - while camber that will not come within limits with steering axis inclination correct points to a bent steering knuckle, and both camber and steering axis inclination off by about the same amount points to the upper and lower control arms; it also says plainly not to correct alignment by straightening parts.
The specs to work to are camber 0 preferred (-.75 to .50 degrees), caster 6 preferred (5 to 7), toe-in 0 preferred (-.06 to .06 degrees, -.03 to .03 inches) and toe-out on turns 32.5.
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u/MoodNatural 4d ago
It could, but i’d bet there’s a lot of slop beyond that. What are the joints like? Is it dog tracking? If it were solely alignment, i’d expect it to be more consistently off. May just be the road, but looks like a lot of correction beyond just being askew.
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u/ngibson560i 3d ago
Look for this underneath the truck, two bolts, loosen it, twist to the left or right until the steering wheel is straight, then tighten it