New Ball Joints - HUGE difference

[SwampSurvivor]

A few months ago, I did an alignment in my Cherokee and noticed that the left knuckle ball joints were tight. Not bad, but a bit on the tight side.

Over the last few months, it's been driving weirder and weider. Doesn't track straight, and I had to put a LOT of force to move the wheel - even going down the highway! Steering wasn't precise and if you hit a bump in a turn, it would take off in any random direction.

Since I was going to be putting a new front axle in, I did ball joints on the new front axle.

Swapped it in yesterday. It's a completely different vehicle.

The steering is feather light, it tracks straight as an arrow, and the steering is super precise. It drives just as nice as my car!

The other thing it was doing lately, was the power steering pump would ALWAYS whine when pulling into a parking spot. Not any more!

The left knuckle was SEIZED ... couldn't move it by hand at all. The right ball joints were lose (as in ready to fall out).

Glad I finally did my axle swap!

I'm all over the road now because I am so used to having to put so much pressure on the steering wheel. Minor adjustments (road changes, directin, etc) I end up putting wayyy too much pressure on the wheel and swerve over one way or another.

I can actually maneuver in parking spots with one hand! Before, it felt like there was no power steering!

 

[Colt45ws]

Yeah, my CVPI is the same way. Tracks wierd. Feels like loose steering. Like Im bumping the steering one way and then having to go through a dead spot to bump it the other way. If that makes sense. Steering really hard. Doesn't want to return to center. From lock it'll go around maybe one time, one and a half slowly then stops.

 

[GreeCguy]

Could you wiggle the wheel when the wheel was off the ground before you replaced the ball joints?

 

[Kool1]

What brand of ball joints did you use?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Yeah, my CVPI is the same way. Tracks wierd. Feels like loose steering. Like Im bumping the steering one way and then having to go through a dead spot to bump it the other way. If that makes sense. Steering really hard. Doesn't want to return to center. From lock it'll go around maybe one time, one and a half slowly then stops.



Could be a few things - ball joints seizing are definitely one of them. Your 2000 CVPI is going to drive a lot differently though - it has a different steering setup.

Your 03 has rack and pinion steering. The 2000 has a steering box setup. There's a lot of linkages in the steering box steering setup that could bind, get old ,wear out, etc.

Wheels from your 2000 won't work on your 2003, and vice versa oddly enough. The offset is way different!


Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
Could you wiggle the wheel when the wheel was off the ground before you replaced the ball joints?


Passenger side, yes. Drivers side, couldn't rotate the knuckle by hand, only by hammer!

Originally Posted By: Kool1
What brand of ball joints did you use?


Advance Auto in house brand. With the commercial discount I get, it was about $20 a ball joint. Can't complain.

Only problem I had is the zerks for the lower ball joint hit the axle shaft. So I had to use the upper zerks on the lower and the lower on the upper. To grease the lowers, I'll have to remove the axle shaft ... not fun, but won't hurt to do it once or twice a year.

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Yeah, my CVPI is the same way. Tracks wierd. Feels like loose steering. Like Im bumping the steering one way and then having to go through a dead spot to bump it the other way. If that makes sense. Steering really hard. Doesn't want to return to center. From lock it'll go around maybe one time, one and a half slowly then stops.



Could be a few things - ball joints seizing are definitely one of them. Your 2000 CVPI is going to drive a lot differently though - it has a different steering setup.

Your 03 has rack and pinion steering. The 2000 has a steering box setup. There's a lot of linkages in the steering box steering setup that could bind, get old ,wear out, etc.

Wheels from your 2000 won't work on your 2003, and vice versa oddly enough. The offset is way different!



Oh yeah, I know. Supposedly the 01-02 Police Steering boxes were the stiffest they made. Which its a 02 so I know some of it is that. Then not only is my 04 rack its also variable assist with civi programming. Ill never expect my CVPI to be on the level of it, but its gotta be better than where its at. Heck, when I bought it, You could turn it to lock and let go of the steering wheel. It would sit there and do a minimum radius circle and never come off lock on its own.
In other news, I think I found the wander and lame feel problem.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Sounds like the caster is WAY dorked on that one. My Marquis did that, and the caster was way out of whack.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

It's weird the symptoms that ball joints will cause. I chalked up not returning to center to having the caster off (3.5'' of lift will do that) , turns out it was the ball joints.