??Bump Steer?? -Searched

[mrbill3]

Yesterday I started getting bump steer. I searched, but I didn't find any mention of one of the symptoms I have. About a week ago I noticed a clunking noise in the front end. I had my daughter yank the steering wheel from side-to-side and I noticed that is there play in the ball-stud on the upper end of the track bar. (I ordered a new Rusty's adjustable one and also the upper mount on Tues.) About 2 days after I started to hear the noise, the steering wheel started to go off center clockwise about 3/4 inch.(It's not pulling to either side) Then yesterday the bump steer started. I went over a bump in the freeway and no problems. About 2 hrs. later I went over the same bump again and that's when it started. Now seems to be happening on every bump, not on potholes, and the steering feels a bit sluggish. As for my rig, it's an 89 Laredo, 4.0 automatic with 3" full spring pack lift with new shocks, new steering stabilizer, bump stops and steering box brace, all from Rusty's. It also has new ProComp 31X10.5X15's on new 8" black steelies that were balanced and installed about 2 months ago. I installed all the gear myself (had the tires balanced and the alignment done at a local 4X4 shop). My question is would the bad track bar cause the steering wheel to go off center and the steering to feel sluggish? I know it can cause the bump steer.

[MagicRat]

IMO something has broken on the front end.
Normal wear does not explain a sudden deterioration in steering ability.
This is obvious I'm sure, but don't drive the jeep until you can fix it.

A bad track bar would explain problem, but IMO the bar would have to either fall off or break a mount to produce such an extreme and rapid deterioration.

Also, how do the control arm bushings look? Marginal bushings or loose/broken arm hardware can let go and produce similar results.

Finally, make sure the steering box and surrounding frame area is tight and free of looseness, cracks etc.

[vamc]

Have a same prob with our 95, thats normal, it will move approx 6mm up and down, should not affect anything though.

[mrbill3]

Update
My Rusty's adjustable track bar and mount arrived today. I installed them and when I removed the old ones I found that the castle nut had cracked and allowed the shaft to slip down about 3/16" . That also caused the hole to start wearing into an oval shape. It drives way better now and tomorrow I'll take it over the bump on the freeway that has caused it to shake since 11-25.

[mrbill3]

Well I hit that bump today at 75MPH and no vibes. or anything else. Smooth as a Caddy!

[vamc]

Great!!