Steering pulls to the left

There's a couple of more common things to start with. The first involves measuring how easily the steering knuckles can be turned. This front suspension system uses ball joints that have to be adjusted to achieve the specified turning force. Unlike other more common ball joints, these cannot be just pressed in and off you go. If the ball joints are too tight, it will cause "memory steer" which is when the steering system stays where you put it rather than freely returning to center on its own. With memory steer, you will be constantly correcting the direction of travel, and it makes for a very tiring vehicle to drive. Here's the procedure for checking the knuckles' turning forces. From my limited experience with this type of system, if a knuckle is tight, you'll feel it long before you have to dig out the torque wrench and other special tools. If you aren't sure if a knuckle it too hard to turn, it is likely okay.

BALL STUD PRELOAD MEASUREMENT
EXCEPT WRANGLER

Ball stud preload is measured when vehicle exhibits high steering effort or slow return of the steering mechanism after turns. If this condition occurs and all other items affecting steering effort are normal, ball stud preload should be checked.
1. Raise and support vehicle. Remove front wheels.
2. Disconnect steering damper at tie rod if equipped.
3. Unlock steering column. Disconnect steering connecting rod at right side of steering knuckle on CJ and Scrambler models; and on all other models, at right side of tie rod.
4. Remove cotter pin and nut attaching tie rod to right side steering knuckle.
5. Rotate both steering knuckles completely several times, working from right side of vehicle.
6. Assemble a socket and 0-50 ft. Lb. Torque wrench onto right tie rod attaching nut. Torque wrench must be positioned parallel with the steering knuckle arm on 1980 vehicles, or perpendicular to arm on 1981-87 vehicles.
7. Rotate steering knuckles slowly and steadily through a complete arc and measure torque required to rotate knuckles.
A. If reading is less than 25 ft. Lbs, turning effort at knuckles is normal. Check other steering components for defects or binding.
B. If reading is greater than 25 ft. Lbs, proceed to step 8.
8. Disconnect tie rod from both steering knuckles. Install a 1/2 x 1 inch bolt, flat washer and nut in tie rod mounting hole in each of the steering knuckles.
9. Measure torque required to rotate each steering knuckle as described previously.
A. If torque is less than 10 ft. Lbs, steering effort is within specifications.
B. If torque is more than 10 ft. Lbs, perform "Ball Stud Preload, Adjust" procedure.
10. If both steering knuckles are within specification, check for damaged or tight tie rod ends.

The next thing is "caster" which is one of the three main alignment angles. There's a lot of theory involved with caster, but the easiest way to describe it is to look at the fork of a bicycle, and how it angles rearward at the top. When you add your weight to the bicycle, that angle is what lets you ride no-handed. Positive caster is when the upper steering pivot, the upper ball joint in his case, is slightly rearward of the lower steering pivot, or lower ball joint on your vehicle. If they were straight above and below each other, that would be 0.00 degrees. The most common specification for caster since the mid 1960s has been around 3.00 degrees. That's not much, but it is enough that if you disconnected the steering linkages, then set the vehicle down on the tires, the car's weight would make each front wheel turn toward the center with so much force, you would not be able to pull them back straight by hand. The idea is both wheels should be tugging toward the centerline of the vehicle with exactly equal force, then those pulls offset each other when the steering linkage is connected between them.

If caster is not equal on both sides, the vehicle will pull toward the side with the lower reading. If you received a printout of the alignment, post the numbers for caster, camber, and toe for both front wheels.

Camber is another of the three main alignment angles. That one is easier to see. It is the inward or outward tilt of the wheel as viewed from in front of the vehicle. Positive camber is tilted out on top and is the most commonly specified for best tire wear. It is also critical that camber be equal on both sides. Each tire wants to roll in the direction it's leaning. When camber is equal on both sides, the two pulls offset each other and the car goes straight.

Two notes of value. First, camber pulls twice as hard as does caster. That means if you have a difference in camber of 0.25 degrees, lets say higher on the left, so it causes a very slight left-hand pull, that can be offset with a 0.50 degree caster pull to the right. On a lot of car models from this era, adjusting caster and camber to exactly the perfect settings was almost impossible. Instead, we had to shove a wheel, tighten it, take a reading to see what we got, loosen it, shove it again, tighten it, see if we made it better, and keep doing that over and over until we decided it was "good enough". These slight differences from side to side will not be noticed or cause a problem, but by the time you get to around a 0.50 degree camber pull one way offset with a 1.00 degree caster pull the other way, an alignment specialist such as myself can see that in how the steering wheel reacts to bumps during a test drive. By the time you get to a 1.00 degree camber difference offset by a 2.00 degree caster difference, many car owners will notice the odd handling.

That brings me to my second point. Your vehicle uses a solid front axle housing. On all other suspension systems ride height is a huge factor in the alignment, pulling, and tire wear. With your solid front axle, ride height is one variable we don't have to worry about.

Next is the method of adjustment for camber and caster designed in by the engineers. Solid axles provide the worst ride quality of all the different front suspension designs, but it is by far the strongest system. Alignment adjustments are made by installing sleeves around the upper ball joint's stud with an offset hole. The point of value is caster or camber can only change from what it left the factory with if something is bent or worn. That is most likely to be a worn and sloppy ball joint. Next most likely would be a bent ball joint stud from a sideways crash. The least common of the possibilities is the axle housing is bent from a really hard crash. In one case I became involved with, we found one tube running from the front differential housing to the left wheel was rotated from a hard crash. There's about a 1" hole on each side of the differential housing used to hook to a special tool when working on those gears. You can look through those holes and see the end of the two tubes. Once those tubes are pressed in, the assembly is painted black at the factory. With the one I was involved with, you could see the tube had rotated by the painted circle being offset, and some shiny unpainted part of the tube was exposed. We were looking for why caster was way too high on that side. We ended up pulling it back to its proper orientation with a pair ratchet straps, then we tack-welded it to be sure it stayed there. Check for that kind of damage only if caster is wildly different side to side, and only if the vehicle had been crashed previously.

The last thing to consider is while I mentioned that a real common caster specification is around 3.00 degrees, there are a few models that call for much more. Jeeps are some of those models. Yours calls for 6.00 caster. Some newer Jeep models call for even more. As late as the mid 1960s a lot of vehicles used negative caster, meaning the upper steering pivot was forward of the lower one; the opposite of the fork of a bicycle. Caster causes the front corners of the vehicle to raise or lower when the steering is turned. Negative caster made big heavy trucks easy to steer without power steering.

Caster is also responsible for steering stability. That wasn't a concern until the mid '60s when we started driving faster, often as fast as 60 to 65 mph. Steering wander became a problem, and that was solved by going to positive caster, but that made steering very difficult. That is why power steering became necessary. The point of this story is there are some alignment specialist who have heir own set of specifications they try to use on every model in an attempt to get the best possible tire wear. Some manufacturers don't care about tire wear because that doesn't show up until long after you bought their vehicle. They're more concerned with ride quality as that is what customers compare on test drives. For your model, there should be very little work required since caster and camber can't really change on their own, but if caster is too low, the mechanic may have been satisfied if it was simply equal on both sides. At only 3.00 degrees caster, you will have steering wander that requires constant correction. Also, caster is the only angle that causes the steering system to return to center after you go around a corner. With caster too low, the system will be lazy and not want to come back to center on its own.

One more thing to look at is the steering damper. Those are usually used on vehicles that call for such high caster settings. With caster that high, often the steering system comes back to center so fast that it overshoots and goes the other way. Road forces on the tires add energy which makes the steering oscillate back and forth rapidly until you slow down. That is the "death wobble" you may be familiar with. Steering dampers reduce that oscillation. They look like a regular shock absorber except they extend and retract with equal stiffness in both directions. One end is connected to the steering linkage and the other end bolts to the frame or cross member. Most steering damper failures involve the oil leaking out, then the death wobble starts occurring. In rare cases, if the damper gets hit during off-roading, the shaft could be bent. That will cause it to bind or stick, making the steering require more effort, and it could hold the steering off center creating what seems like a pull.

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Never experienced that situation. You make it sound like violent "airplane rudder engagements" maybe not as bad as it sounds. I would take it to a reputable alignment shop. Possible CAMBER and CASTER problems. Or brake/ brake hose hanging up----dragging one side, much like turning a tractor using L or R brakes

Love, Turddog

Really don't think power to rear axle is swapping from right axle to left (like those electric race cars from the late '70s that could pass each other)

Without putting it on a machine, you might put it on level ground and look at the welded spring mounts, on the axle, see if the front side is higher than the rear side (caster) This may not show you much difference, but you may see rear is noticably higher may be your problem. Machine at alignment shop is best bet, see my profile. Love, Turddog

PS See 1981 CJ5 SWAYING. In CJ5 section of forum

This is a different problem, so you should start a new question specific to your vehicle. This became a private conversation between just two people. As such, the other experts won't see your addition or have a chance to reply. That may not get you the help you need. We can pursue this here, but consider going here:

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/new

and reposting your question there.

When this torque steer occurs in two directions on a front-wheel-drive vehicle, it is often caused by the front tires. In fact, that is one observation I use to identify the cause of the pulls. It can be verified by switching the two front tires side-to-side. About half of the time the pulls will change direction, and about half of the time the pulls will be totally gone. Once the tires are identified as the cause, switch them front-to-rear and leave them there until one pair wears out. There really isn't a defect with the tires. It's a difference in rolling resistance.

Also related to front-wheel-drive vehicles, and full-time all-wheel-drive vehicles is a difference in half-shaft angles. That is caused by a collapsed engine mount that lets one side of the transmission sit lower.

Next is a worn control arm bushing. This is a much bigger issue again on front-wheel-drive vehicles. A worn bushing allows the ball joint to move forward and rearward, and / or front to rear, as the torque pulls on the suspension parts. This causes changes in two of the three main alignment angles directly, and in the third one indirectly. The first one that CJ mentioned is "camber". That is the direction the wheel is tipped in or out on top, as viewed from in front of the vehicle. Tires want to roll in the direction they're leaning. Besides being adjusted to specs for best tire wear, it is important it be the same on both sides so any pulls will offset each other and the vehicle will go straight.

There's at least five ways to describe caster, but it's easiest to visualize is if you look at how the fork of a bicycle is angled rearward at the top. The car's two steering pivots are set the same way, with the upper ball joint rearward relative to the lower ball joint. That makes each wheel want to turn toward the center of the vehicle when its weight is placed on it. (It is also what lets you ride a bicycle no-handed). When the two spindles are connected by the steering linkage, the two caster pulls also offset each other, as long as those angles are also adjusted equally.

When a sloppy control arm bushing allows a ball joint to move around, those caster and camber angles change and become unequal between the two sides. That is what leads to those pulls that change direction between accelerating and braking.

For older vehicles with the "short / long arm" (SLA) suspension system where the upper control arm is shorter than the lower, and it is angled downward at the ball joint, suspension ride height becomes a real big issue. As a former suspension and alignment specialist at a very nice family-owned Chrysler dealership, I had the owners' and the service manager's approval to refuse to align any vehicle with sagged ride height that the owner refused to address. That usually involved replacing aged coil spring, except on the Chrysler vehicles with torsion bar suspension. Those were easily adjustable during the alignment pre-check. The manager knew taking the customer's money for an alignment on a sagged vehicle would not give him the value he expected.

The two control arms, frame, and spindle form very specific geometric angles, and more importantly, they go through very carefully designed-in changes in angles as the vehicle moves up and down as it goes down the road. All of those angles change and are compromised when the springs sag, and it's much worse when a truck is raised or a car is lowered. The first concern is even if the vehicle is still level from side-to-side, but it is sitting too low, there is going to be miserable tire wear even though the numbers on the alignment computer's screen look perfect. Those numbers only apply to a car that's standing still. The dynamic changes taking place on the road are what leads to the tire wear.

Correct ride height is not much of a concern on vehicles with a solid front axle or an I-beam axle like was found on Ford two-wheel-drive trucks. With those designs, camber angles aren't affected by weak springs. Only the body might tilt to one side.

The brake system can be ruled out as a source of this pull. Any defect there would cause a pull to only one side, and it wouldn't change between braking and accelerating.

The last of the three alignment angles is "toe". That's the direction the wheels are steering when the steering wheel is perfectly straight. The steering linkage is attached by the outer tie rod end to the spindle, about halfway between the upper and lower ball joints. When camber is adjusted, which moves one end of the spindle in or out, that also moves the tie rod's attaching point. Since the length of the steering linkage didn't change, it causes the spindle to turn. That is corrected by readjusting toe which is always the last thing to be adjusted during the alignment.

Speaking of toe, a worn tie rod end can cause what appears to be a pull. The worn tie rod end will let that wheel turn left or right a little between braking and accelerating. That changes the direction the vehicle is traveling. The clue here is the steering wheel will change position when you correct that change in direction.

There's one more thing that is worth mentioning. That is a big mismatch between camber and caster from side-to-side. With the solid front axles most Jeeps used, this may not apply because both camber and caster are set at the factory and really can't be readjusted without going through a lot of work. For vehicles where caster and camber can be adjusted easily during the alignment, if a camber pull is not corrected, it can be offset with a caster pull the other way. Caster has exactly half the effect on a pull. That means if you have a 1.00 degree camber difference, or pull, to the left, and a 2.00 degree caster pull to the right, the vehicle should go straight. On many vehicles it is very difficult to coax out the exact perfect adjustments, so we set the first wheel to whatever we get, then we spend all our effort into matching that on the other side. We can live with a little camber pull one way with twice as much caster pull the other, as a compromise. To try to make both sides perfectly matched could take hours of frustration. The issue is when those differences get too big, it will start to show up in the handling. Specifically, what you'll see is when the car bounces over a big bump, such as at a railroad crossing, as the body bounces up and down, the steering wheel will oscillate left and right. If you hold the steering wheel tightly centered and go over that bump, the car will dart lightly to one side, then come back to straight ahead.

For my last comment of value, a lot of this caster story doesn't apply to the majority of front-wheel-drive car models. On most of them, a caster difference side-to-side, no matter how big, will not cause a pull. I've had cars with as high as a 3.00 caster difference, which is a real lot, and it still went straight. For some reason most front-wheel-cars are immune to the effects of mismatched caster. That means camber has to be set more carefully to be sure it is equal on both sides, and any mismatch can't be offset by an opposite caster mismatch. In fact, partly for that reason, caster is not even adjustable on most front-wheel-drive cars.