jeep drives its self

Ok i had the 1975 cj5 lined up today it was in the shop for about 2 hours drives a little better than it did however the jeep still darts to the right and left at 40 mph or faster sometimes feels like the rear end is coming aroung the aliment shop said all nuckels and caster was good camber and toe end was adjusted the man said it could be my shakles causeing the darting is this a possibilty if not what do i need to look for thanks. The jeep has springs under axles about a 2 inch body lift nothin is broke or out of line as we both looked the jeep over from one end to the other all ball joints are tight We noticed the shakles would flex to the left and right when you turn the wheels alon with the fram is this normal in jeeps of this era this is my first jeep so im learning thanks again if any body got something for me to check

 

check the front end u joints if they are sticky itll do the same thing jack it up and turn the wheels ,should be smooth through the whole range of movement sounds like something binding also look at the steering shaft for binding would cause the same symptom....

 

no didnt get a print out but after reading caster on here i think my line up guy knows about as much as i do on jeeps correct me if im wrong i have what looks like a degree shims in and the thick part it toward the rear axel i thinking this is wrong my springs run under my axel if im right let me know going to take them out and turn the thick end toward front bumper and test drive it friday just trying to get the bugs out of this jeep thanks

 

The thick end goes to the front which tips the axle up on the front, relative to the spring, to give a positive angle setting.

 

i have only drove it in 2wd hubs unlocked havent got over the butt pucker in 2wd not ready to try it in 4wd at highway speed

 

thanks man .

 

if the knuckle turns and the u joint wont it WILL act goofy hubs locked or not the joint has to move when the knuckle does if the joint is seized it will bind.regardless of hub engagement...been there took a while to find....

 

that happend on my blazer. made for an intresting ride lol

 

yup kinda wants to turn by its self huh?

 

yup like somebody yanking on the wheel randomly even on a smooth flat road

 

Ask your alignment guy for the specs. It seems that a lot of Jeeps like more caster than factory specs. My 80 CJ-5 is spec'd at 3 degrees but drives a lot better with 6 degrees.

 

I put in around 6 on my '73 and it also tracks better. It did make the turning a little harder but you quickly adjust to that in short order.

 

Ok i took the shims out that was in backwards and turned them around bolt every thing back took her for a spin this help alot you can drive now with out crashing but i think i need some more degree on the shims they look to be 3/16 thick to nothing angle meter put me on 3-4 deg pos now. now to find some bigger shims and try them thanks for the help the bad steering was why i got this jeep for such a low price nice to see it coming together

 

CJ's seem to like 5-7 degrees positive caster. I set all mine and my customer's there and they drive nice. Any less and you generally have wandering or "death wobble" issues. Don't go any more than 7 degrees positive if you can avoid it as it can cause hard steering at slow speeds and accelerated tire wear on the edge of the tread.

 

your alignment shop should fix that for you. it was like 50 bucks for an alignment right? they should make it right for free... just my 2c

 

Wandering about can also be a symptom of toe out-------and of course, loose stuff in the front end.

 

I'm just going to throw this out there, could it be your springs? my buddy's 72 when he bought it was SCARY to ride/drive it would dart across the road whenever you step on or get off the gas. the springs were shot. we replaced them and it ran straight and true!