1989 Cherokee wanders

I was given a 1989 Cherokee 4X4 by my sister with 144k on it currently. Unfortunately, my sister's idea of maintenance is to change the oil when you think about it, which she does once every year or so, and to do the bare minimum to fix any problems that arise. The fact that the Jeep still runs with this care speaks pretty highly about them.

When she gave the Jeep to me, it was almost dangerous on the road. It would wander everywhere. I replaced the shocks and put new BF Goodrich tires on it and this helped tremendously but hasn't fixed the issue.

I have checked the steering and there is no play in any of the steering components (tie rods etc). The ball joints have been recently replaced and the alignment has been checked. What I do see is that the axle will move a bit from side to side when the steering wheel is turned. It appears to be coming from the control arms.

I'm pretty certain that the control arm bushings are my problem but really want to get some ideas from someone else. I have also read that the steering stabilizer can cause issues. I'm sure it is the original. Am I on the right track or is there something else I should do?

One other quick issue...........the rear brakes will not automatically adjust. I have to manually adjust them and in the snow, that is NO fun. Ideas?

HEY, how the heck did your sister get MY Jeep??????????

haha. My Jeep does the same thing, on all accounts. For the rear brakes, the adjuster levers can wear out over time, the star wheels seize and/or the return springs weaken with age..... or often, all of the above.
So, get a hardware kit, including new springs, adjuster cables and levers, and new star-wheel adjusters. Install all the new parts and they will adjust just fine.

For the front end..... the control arm bushings often cause too much side-to-side movement, as can a worn-out Track bar, or, probably a combination of the two. A small amount of movement has been engineered into the track bar, to allow for ride compliance. But the bushings are supposed to have zero movement.

It would not hurt to replace the stabilizer shock too, but this device is not responsible for controlling the side-to-side movement.

I just bought an 86 Comanche from my sister/hubby, that had a serious wandering problem. I imagine the Cherokee and Commanche steering and suspension are very similar. It needed & got a new track bar, but the wandering was also due to the steering box being out of adjustment; there was about 8 to 10 inches of play at the rim of the steering wheel before you would be correcting the direction of travel. In 24 years & 122,000 miles they had never had it adjusted. I found that a 1-1/8" socket would fit over the end of the steering shaft adjuster, but a regular ratchet or breaker bar wouldnt fit in there, between the nose end of the steering box and the front sheet metal. So I had a flat piece of bar stock welded onto the back of the cheap Chinese socket, and took up the slack. You have to first undo the lockring, and you -should- first loosen up the pitman arm adjuster (on top of the steering box). I tightened the steering shaft adjuster until I could feel some resistance to rotating the steering column by hand (down next to the steering box, not at the rim of the steering wheel). Then I adjusted the pitman arm (another locknut that had to be loosened), with a 7/16" allen wrench. I turned it in until I could see and feel no play between the movement of the steering column, and a corresponding tiny movement of the pitman arm.
Now the 'play' at the rim of the steering wheel is ZERO, and as long as I dont turn the wheel, the jeep stays right where I point it. Great 'lane keeping'.

I also unbolted the top of the steering box (where the pitman arm adjuster goes), and found its inside to be filled with crusty gunk. Its non-power steering, so is filled with old grease, and probably different from the power steering boxes. (The adjustments are the same though). But at 24 years, it needed new lube. I scooped out what I could and refilled the cavity with 90W differential oil.

I will give this a shot. I have quite a bit of steering wheel play. I know that the rest needs to be done too but this should make a big difference.

Thanks MagicRat. I was thinking that would be the issue. I think the combination of your answer and denisond3 should have my Jeep back on the road. I love my ugly old Jeep. The paint is bad and since my nephew tapped the back end of a pickup, the fenders are not the same color as the rest of the Jeep. I'm going to paint it but I want this other stuff fixed first. Thanks everyone. When I get this fixed, I'll let you know if these answers were the solution.

I can endorse what magicrat said about the rear brakes. The self-adjusters get stiff, and should probably get cleaned/lubed each ten years or less - or they wont 'adjust' And of course, its not likely they both stop working at the same tie or in the same way. On an 98, replacing the wheel cylinders would be a good 'pre-emptive repair'. If a wheel cylinder begins to stick in the 'applied' positoin, it will wear out a brake shoe without you knowing about it, and maybe score the brake drum when the metal of the shoe gets to the metal of the drum. I have done this kind of work on most all of my cars; they are all older and have rear drums. Its normal for them to give trouble after 20 years.

My 86 Cherokee wandered around quite a bit as well. I also was beginning to encounter "death wobble" something usually experienced more by lifted Jeeps.

I replaced my trackbar and have had no problems since. There should be no play on the axle side of the trackbar, and even if there is it will be hard to see with just the force of your hand. There should be a little circular play in the frame side of the trackbar, it is basically a tie-rod end so it will have play similar to one. But there should be no up and down play.

Not sure about the steering stuff but it sounds like the others are pointing you in the right direction.

I finally had a chance to work on the Jeep. I replaced the track bar and although the old one had nothing wrong with it visibly, it was obviously bad since it now drives good again, despite having one lower control arm I have to get to. I have the part, just not the time.

I replaced the rear drums, adjusters and all hardware on the back brakes as well as the shoes. The only difference between changing them this time and last time would be the new drums and adjusters. It works perfectly now. It also eliminated hitting the brakes and having to fight to hold the Jeep in a straight line. (Did this before changing the track bar)

Now, though, it won't start. I guess tomorrow I'll be tracking down that reason and replacing the lower control arm.

I am asked why I love my Jeep when I work on it all the time and I just tell them...."Hey, it's a Jeep thing". Own one and you'll understand.