alignment

[mtnbkr76]

I have a 98 TJ SE and i recently put on AR767 with bfg at's and i have been having trouble with my alignment. I had it in to the dealer before the new rubber and got an alignment done, it still seemed to pull to the right. after i got the tires i took it back to the dealer and had the alignment done again, still pulled to the right and now pulled when braking hard. I was in to the dealer yesterday and they said that the alignment is to manufacture specs, guess what, it still pulls to the right while driving and braking. what else besides alignment would cause it to pull to the right?

[Tiffster]

Stop taking it to the dealer and find a shop that deals with 4x4s. Have a reputable shop look at everything and if they find something, and you are still under warranty (is that why you are taking it to the dealer?) then take it back and let the dealer know what you found.

My dealer is good at fixing basic stuff, but alignments go to a specialist shop.

[Scorpion]

Tiffster is right, dealerships don't always have the most qualified people doing alignments (it has been my experience anyway) and in some cases, they actually send it out to another shop to have it done. Take it to a place that specializes...

It is possible that the pulling is happening because you have a bad caliper on one side or the other and they are no longer putting equal pressure on the rotors. The difference between disk brakes and drum breaks is that the disks always have a little resistance going on even when your foot isn't on the breaks and the drums don't. You can take both front wheels off and compare the pads to determine if the wear is equal. The other thing to look at is if the boots around the caliper pistons are torn. When this happens, crap can get inside and cause more friction than usual and alter the breaking performance on just that one side.

Have you bled your brakes lately (or know the last time it was done)? The side it is pulling to happens to have the longer distance from the master cylinder. It might not hurt to blead it a couple of times just to make sure the brake fluid is clear and unobstructed. If you are unsure of how to blead your brakes, check with someone that knows how first as you could easily cause much more serious problems for yourself if you don't.

Just some food for thought, good luck with the fix!

Matt

[mtnbkr76]

thanks for the feedback, There is a 4wheel parts store near me, is that a good place to take my jeep, if not what would you recomend.

[Tiffster]

As far as locally here in CO, 4WPW does a pretty good job on its alignments.

I would take it there and see what they have to say unless someone more local to you has a suggestion. Where in OH are you at? I have a bunch of friends there and someone may be able to help you with a shop name.

[mtnbkr76]

I am in Columbus! Very, very flat! I miss Colorado!

[Colo.TJ]

If it is pulling while braking there is definitly a problem other than the alignment.

[Tiffster]

Originally posted by mtnbkr76
I am in Columbus! Very, very flat! I miss Colorado!

One of my best friends lives in Columbus, almost moved there myself. I also know a guy there named Bryan who is part of the Ohio 4x4 club. I can ask him for names of a shop and will post them.

[Nuke]

Pulling to left or right does not mean that the alignment is wrong. I have never had a car that did not pull to the left when I first had it (the way of the road camber - we drive on the left here!).

Some tyres just do not roll in the direction they are pointing, but a fraction of a degree one to one side or the other.The net result of all 4 tyres doing this maybe that they add up to a steering bias, especially if the rears are rolling off one way anfd the fronts to the other. You have to swap the wheels around until you neutralise the bias.

If you think about it, swapping between sides will make no difference, but swapping front and back does . So I suggest you try a front-to-rear swap, first on the driver's side and then on the passenger side, and see if the bias gets better or worse. If this does not find a cure, bring the spare into it.

I don't know the TJ, but the XJ is meant to have zero toe-in (the UK Jeep import office told me this - Haynes says nothing). This is easy to check - I put a straight plank of timber touching alongside each front tyre, each standing on a couple of litre paint cans. I then measure the distance between the planks in front and behind the tyres. Obviously (for the XJ) they should be parallel and so measure the same.

Brakes pulling to one side has nothing to do with alignment - it is caliper piston binding. Cure this first, and it may stop the pull when driving as well.

[D_Roc]

My vote is on the sticky caliper...very common.
Cord