98 cherokee ball joints?

[OhioMike]

ok so i have a 98 cherokee with a 4.5 in lift...and 31's

last week i hit a mound of ice and knocked the alignment off a bit...take it down and they tell me that the axle tube could be bent but they don;t know for sure...and that it needs a corrective lower ball joint or somethinging or other...

i;m not the most car savvy guy but i've torn up a few in my time and i've never heard of a corrective ball joint...

351 bucks and they can;t even be sure it will fix it...

this make sense?

 

[SteelHeadz]

I could understand if the Camber is out of the specified Value, then the UPPER ball joint would have to be replaced with a specific correction balljoint(Offset). This however is only determined by installing the Alignment Heads and Taking the Measurements of the Camber, Caster and Toe..The Factory Offset Balljoints are set to a specific amount of Angle, In other words, if the Camber is out by 0.5* then the Balljoint replacement will be a 0.5* Offset..i dont know if the aftermarket balljoints are Eccentric to where you can set it on a desired angle while performing the alighnment.. As far as the Axle tube being Bent, i would look at the upper and lower Lateral arms for being bent before i condemn the axle..The lateral arms are a lot weaker than the axle tube therefore they would tend to buckle up soooner than the axle on impact.

 

[OhioMike]

I could understand if the Camber is out of the specified Value, then the UPPER ball joint would have to be replaced with a specific correction balljoint(Offset). This however is only determined by installing the Alignment Heads and Taking the Measurements of the Camber, Caster and Toe..The Factory Offset Balljoints are set to a specific amount of Angle, In other words, if the Camber is out by 0.5* then the Balljoint replacement will be a 0.5* Offset..i dont know if the aftermarket balljoints are Eccentric to where you can set it on a desired angle while performing the alighnment.. As far as the Axle tube being Bent, i would look at the upper and lower Lateral arms for being bent before i condemn the axle..The lateral arms are a lot weaker than the axle tube therefore they would tend to buckle up soooner than the axle on impact.

thanks man...i just talked to a 4wd shop today and they said they'll look at it...i'm gonna go get the jeep this weekend...

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

It's common to use offset balljoints to correct camber.

Is the camber off enough that you notice it with the naked eye?

 

[OhioMike]

It's common to use offset balljoints to correct camber.

Is the camber off enough that you notice it with the naked eye?

no it;s not...no pulling...wandering...or shaking...

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

From what I've seen, I wouldn't bother correcting it unless the tire lean is visible with the naked eye. Or if an alignment shows it off enough to get bad tire wear on the inside edge.

 

[OhioMike]

update...

i got a second opinion this week...and they say the track bar bushings are worn out...i can believe this cause the jeep does have 105k miles on it mostly city driving...so i went ahead and ordered an adjustable track bar...i guess i could have gotten away with new bushings but hey...why not help the economy right?

anyhow...they tell me this could cause the alignment issue as far as not being able to align it...

make sense?

 

[SteelHeadz]

Absolutely not. if anything else, the adjustable Track Bar should be able to help whom ever is performing the alignment correct the discrepancy on the offset of the front axle to the rear axle..

 

[OhioMike]

well, i got it on tonight and it straightened the sterring weel, it does pull gently to the left however.

gonna throw it on the machine and see if it will line up in the next week or so.

just lost me job so it looks like i gotta run what i got until i find something else

 

[SteelHeadz]

Sorry to hear about your job.