JK Pulling

V

Voodoo Actual

New member
Does anyone else have the problem of their Jeep pulling one way or the other?

My 2014 has, from day 1 pulled hard to the right. If you let off the wheel you'll be into a ditch. You have to hold significantly left to go straight.

The dealer can't figure this out, and the alignment has been done many times.

Should I just adjust the turnbuckle? Can the steering dampener cause this?
 
Rebel JK said:
An over pressurized gas stabilzer will definitely push driver
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I thought it had something to do with the stabilizer - it makes sense. I've driven new and old Jeeps and when I let off the wheel, they go straight.

Even with a turnbuckle adjustment...that's just the steering wheel position.

What are some good dampeners that are reasonably priced?
 
Same problem here. I thought it was just my ignorance at driving a 4x4. Glad to know it is not me and that there is a fix.
 
Voodoo Actual said:
I thought it had something to do with the stabilizer - it makes sense. I've driven new and old Jeeps and when I let off the wheel, they go straight.

Even with a turnbuckle adjustment...that's just the steering wheel position.

What are some good dampeners that are reasonably priced?
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Take yours off and drive it around the block. You'll know immediately if the dampener is causing an issue.
If you take your time, it's a 3 minute job.
I destroyed my dampener on a rock and the steering felt really heavy. I took it off and back to normal. I'm just replacing with original equipment. $40 from the parts store.
 
I get that a charged SS will cause a pull to the left, but it OP says he is pulling right.

Just curious, do you have your alignment specs? Toe being out of whack really wouldn't cause a pull, rather it can cause the steering to follow the road a bit more. However, if somehow you have cross-caster issues, that could be contributing. The Jeep will pull to the side with the least caster.

I may have missed it, but has the dealer tried rotating the tires side to side? The stock BFG tires don't normally have pulling issues, however, I'm sure there are a few sets out there with issues.

Good luck!
 
Just a quick add, before you throw a part at it, just remove the factory SS and see if the pull goes away.
 
Hold on, I wouldnt run out and get a new stabilizer yet. I would pull the current one off to rule it out first. If it still pulls then its obviously something else.
 
Rebel JK said:
Hold on, I wouldnt run out and get a new stabilizer yet. I would pull the current one off to rule it out first. If it still pulls then its obviously something else.
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I don't have the specs on hand. I can tell you the alignment has been done many times and this has never gone away. It's been this way since day one.

I'll take the stabilizer off to see what happens.
 
if it still pulls without the SS, swap your tires - start with front only side to side, if no improvement then rear side to side.

If it changes anything you can swap tires from front to rear to isolate the faulty tire. It's possible you have a bad tire that may have separated and it's not showing any outer signs like bulging etc...
 
Voodoo Actual said:
I don't have the specs on hand. I can tell you the alignment has been done many times and this has never gone away. It's been this way since day one.

I'll take the stabilizer off to see what happens.
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Something to consider as well is there really isn't a whole lot to a Wrangler alignment. The only two things that can be adjusted are Toe and Steering Wheel Center. Other items such as Camber and Caster can only be read, not adjusted. So if one of those two items is out of whack, there is no adjusting it.

Also, as already mentioned, try swapping tires. Tires are often a culprit with issues like this and are usually a good place to start.
 
ERAUGrad04 said:
Something to consider as well is there really isn't a whole lot to a Wrangler alignment. The only two things that can be adjusted are Toe and Steering Wheel Center. Other items such as Camber and Caster can only be read, not adjusted. So if one of those two items is out of whack, there is no adjusting it.

Also, as already mentioned, try swapping tires. Tires are often a culprit with issues like this and are usually a good place to start.
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It was like this with the factory BFG's. I have Toyo M/T's now - the pull is the same.

Investigating the stabilizer sounds like a good idea.

No nicks or dents in it so I'll take it off and see how it drives.
 
Voodoo Actual said:
It was like this with the factory BFG's. I have Toyo M/T's now - the pull is the same.

Investigating the stabilizer sounds like a good idea.

No nicks or dents in it so I'll take it off and see how it drives.
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I have Toyo Mt's which pull to the right. Any solid axle truck I have driven with Toyo MTs always pull to the right. The last set of tires pulled to the left. The Toyo pull to the right. Tires make a difference. Especially in the larger sizes. Just 2cents for what its worth.
Do you have adjustable control arms. Setting one side longer than the other can offset a small amount of pull or cause pull. Like others have said, there isn't much adjustment with the solid axle.
 
kpig said:
I have Toyo Mt's which pull to the right. Any solid axle truck I have driven with Toyo MTs always pull to the right. The last set of tires pulled to the left. The Toyo pull to the right. Tires make a difference. Especially in the larger sizes. Just 2cents for what its worth.
Do you have adjustable control arms. Setting one side longer than the other can offset a small amount of pull or cause pull. Like others have said, there isn't much adjustment with the solid axle.
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In not looking for a ton of adjustment. I'm looking to not hold the wheel 30 degrees to the left to go straight and to not fight the wheel. You cannot drive this Jeep and relax.

It's been like this with the factory BFG M/T's, the Toyo A/T's, and the Toyo M/T's.

I drove a new JKR a few weeks ago and it drove straight as an arrow. I also spent a lot of time in a new 2500 which drive straight as an arrow.

The steering feels like you are fighting a hydraulic pre load which is why I suspect the stabilizer - but I'm not very smart.
 
A gas pressurized steering stabilizer will actually cause a pull to the left as set up from the factory. Sorry, I can't really help. Just throwing info out there in case something helps to make sense of it. Hopefully you will cure the issue. Unfortunately it sounds like something may be bent. Good luck. I hope you find a solution.
 
kpig said:
A gas pressurized steering stabilizer will actually cause a pull to the left as set up from the factory. Sorry, I can't really help. Just throwing info out there in case something helps to make sense of it. Hopefully you will cure the issue. Unfortunately it sounds like something may be bent. Good luck. I hope you find a solution.
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I wouldn't discount it - what are the odds something was bent from the factory?
 
Voodoo Actual said:
I wouldn't discount it - what are the odds something was bent from the factory?
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You just never know how it was driven during test drives. If it is under warrant, I would take it back to the dealer. Of course my experience with dealerships leads me to believe they will likely blame it on you. That being said, I would take it for an alignment reading only to see where I am at. Probably either too little caster on the right or more negative camber on the left. Only way to know is to take it in.
 
kpig said:
You just never know how it was driven during test drives. If it is under warrant, I would take it back to the dealer. Of course my experience with dealerships leads me to believe they will likely blame it on you. That being said, I would take it for an alignment reading only to see where I am at. Probably either too little caster on the right or more negative camber on the left. Only way to know is to take it in.
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The dealer has done a few alignments - every time this Jeep has come back exactly the same.

I'm not sure what else to look at.
 
Voodoo Actual said:
The dealer has done a few alignments - every time this Jeep has come back exactly the same.

I'm not sure what else to look at.
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Read up a few posts. Neither of the two adjustments that can be made on a Wrangler will correct for a pull. Camber and caster are fixed. I would think the dealer would tell you if camber or caster were off, but I've seen stranger things.

Ask for the readout from the alignment.
 
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