Skippy rear end....

[Gohot]

When I'm shifting from first to second and second to third I notice what feels like a slight rear jerk or sideway-like skip. It all happens in a fluid motion, with no bangs or metal to metal noises or anything in that way, it just has this swerve skip to the right feel. It feels like it's moving maybe a couple inches if that. I first thought that it was how I was holding the steering wheel when shifting and when releasing the clutch a tendency to jerk the steering wheel ever so slightly. Well I then tries resting my arm on the half door and with my wrist twisted and whatever fingers I could hold the wheel with..... try shifting... and trying to make it so the steering wheel didn't deviate from where I pointed before as well as after the shift.
I believe I'm running around 4"s of lift between the shackles and the ( I believe after market ) springs. What I'v noticed is that it appears that the cross-bar tower has been heighthened an inch or two as there is weld on it and the through bolt 'panhard bar'.
I'm guessing the torque is causing lift or drop on the rear axle, and as the axle lifts or drops...( I believe lifts ) that the panhard bar is pulling it to the passenger side minutely as it travels its ark.

Has anyone noticed this or had similar peculiarities with lifted YJ's. Mine is a 95 with a 4.0 and of course the 5 speed. Again, I believe with probably 4 inches of lift. Also it has 15x8 American Racing 'Pythons' and Falken 31 10.50's

 

[Gohot]

PS. also the standard longer after market shocks with bellows.

 

[PoliceMonkey161]

First off welcome.... I read your other posts. I too am a Vet and just retired from the Police Dept. although I still work full time.

With any amount of lift, there will be some instablity. 4" shackles works out to about 1" actual lift compared to the factory. If the "jerking" or "swaying" only occurs while shifting through lower gear (which is better than some alternatives), start small, work bigger. Check that your all your shackles are tight, but not over tightened nor should they be bent at the tops (signs of over tightening, if so that is another problem waiting for you ). I set mine at 30-35 ft. lbs range. Second, I would look under my Jeep at the trans/transfer case cross member. You will at a minium have a transmission mount and I'm not about that (your) particular year, but next too it (drivers side) may be a torque arm bushing set up. In the CJ's and earlier YJ's (only have experience with these) the torque arm was designed to assist the transmission mount to take up the rotational force/slack from the engine and transmission while shifting.


Another possiblity, have you had the alignment checked? Changes from factory caster angle (which is greatly affected by lifting the suspension) will cause handling issues. You can easily ckeck you caster angle at home with a simple magnetic protractor or "angleometer" (spelling?, correct term?) placed on top of the upper ball joint.

 

[BUTTY]

Do you have some type of locker? Mine does that too but it's due to the detroit locker in the rear.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

If it feels more like a power skip than a hop and you do not have a locker then it could be the rear-end going out.