Steering Wheel Vibration

[techno]

Just installed a Wrangler Rubicon D44 in my 1996 XJ. Now there is a vibration felt in the steering wheel. There is no shimmy ir bump steer, just an annoying vibration from 35MPH up.

New parts so far:
All new brackets that are needed including:
Brackets for the lower control arms,
New spring pad,
OTK trac bar, Cromoly one end and Johnny Joint the other,
Bored steering gear and power assist ram, all new brakes,
Slightly used Bilstein shocks,
Antirock sway bar and links.
Lower control arms have OEM rubber on one end and Cromoly Heim on the other end.

At this time the axle shafts and drive shaft have been removed. Everything is tightened to specs and then a little more for good measure.
Driveway alignment is acceptable. (the same thing I have been doing for 20+ years)
It is fitted with JK wheels and 265-70-17 tires. Tires date codes are 3619 which is translated to September 2019. The vibes do not feel like it is tire related.

This is a real head scratcher.

 

[phydeaux33]

Just installed a Wrangler Rubicon D44 in my 1996 XJ. Now there is a vibration felt in the steering wheel. There is no shimmy ir bump steer, just an annoying vibration from 35MPH up.

New parts so far:
All new brackets that are needed including:
Brackets for the lower control arms,
New spring pad,
OTK trac bar, Cromoly one end and Johnny Joint the other,
Bored steering gear and power assist ram, all new brakes,
Slightly used Bilstein shocks,
Antirock sway bar and links.
Lower control arms have OEM rubber on one end and Cromoly Heim on the other end.

At this time the axle shafts and drive shaft have been removed. Everything is tightened to specs and then a little more for good measure.
Driveway alignment is acceptable. (the same thing I have been doing for 20+ years)
It is fitted with JK wheels and 265-70-17 tires. Tires date codes are 3619 which is translated to September 2019. The vibes do not feel like it is tire related.

This is a real head scratcher.

Take the tires to a shop and have them balanced, I chased a front end vibration 62-70mph forever and a lot of money in parts. Turned out it was a broken belt on the tire, no visible signs. You could even rotate the tires to see if the front end vibration goes away.

 

[techno]

Actually, yesterday I changed the front tires to some I had on the garage floor complete and ready to go. I did have 2 sets of JK takeoffs in my possession. The steering shimmy is gone. Now, I have to add a few degrees of caster to bring it to specs and road test it again. Yes, there is a bit of left to right wandering.

With 3.5-inch spring lift which brings the XJ Country to 4.5 inches high, the rear seems a bit stiff after sitting for almost 4 years. It was fitted with 3.5-inch coils up front and Dakota main leaf under the XJ main leaf with a StinkyFab shackle in the rear.