I've got to find out what my caster is. What is the best way to do this? I'm trying to take care of my death wobble.

<img src=http://www.autocolorado.com/caster/caster_angle.jpg>

this is the best explanation I can add to this.......simply a picture.
if you draw a line straight through the kingpin the line will be at some angle. directly verticle is 0 degrees, from there you can go either positive or negative. I know ideal is......help me out here.......between 7-13 degrees but I cank't remember whether that should be neg or pos....I thing neg.

I will add a question.......is there caster angle on a closed knuckle axle? If so, how do you measure it?

edit: fixed link.
edit: damned link...fixed now.

The picture don't show up.

the best way i have found with a ball joint equipped rig is to completely remove the outers from the housing and slide a dowl through the holes in the "C" on the housing ends where the ball joints go. you can then use a floating angle finder to tell you what the caster is set at. of coarse it needs to be in the vehicle and on level ground.

Make friends with someone that runs an alignment machine. cheapest and easiest way.

Next time you get an alignment, write down the castor angle and then check your pinion angle with a cheap magnetic angle finder and note the difference between the two angles. From then on, anytime you change pinion angle, your castor will change an equal, but opposite amount. :eek:

On my XJ, the castor is at 6 1/2° and piniion angle is 3°. If I change pinion angle to 4° then my castor would be 5 1/2°. Both change 1°.

BTW, castor is always positive. 5° to 8° is a reasonable range.

While caster angle has an influence on how easily a "death wobble" episode will initiate, the major culprit in this is worn steering and suspension components. Anything that influences wheel location is suspect: Wheel bearings, knuckle bearings/ball joints, tie rod ends, steering box, U bolts, spring bushings, spring hangers. Eliminate the worn components first.

Originally posted by Ropeburn
I've got to find out what my caster is. What is the best way to do this? I'm trying to take care of my death wobble.

Hey! This guy's reading my mind!! My question is why do some people use shims and others go to the trouble of cutting and turning knuckles? Is it ( the cutting) just an issue of proper pinion angle not giving you propler caster angle?

Thanks

Originally posted by frotoy


Hey! This guy's reading my mind!! My question is why do some people use shims and others go to the trouble of cutting and turning knuckles? Is it ( the cutting) just an issue of proper pinion angle not giving you propler caster angle?

Thanks
You want to keep your castor angle at a certain poin like everyone says, but when you put a big lift on a truck your pinion may not be pointing at the TC correctly. If you change the pinion then you change the castor, therefore to correct both problems you have to turn the knuckles
Rob

I agree with Pin Head.
Ihave a '98 Cherokee that had the 'wobble after a 5 inch lift.
Changing the stock rubber steer stabilizer bushings to urathane made the wobble go away.

All of the steering componets are new, I just swapped in the axle ands while it was out I put in all new stuff. A friend of mine suggested that I try some shims. So I had some sitting around and get them a try. It made it worse. Keep the ideas going.

Did you put the shims in w/ the fat end @ the front, so it tilts the axle back ?
What kind of front end is it ? Scout 44's were designed with no caster angle.

The taper is in the front the taller part is in the rear. It's a ford d44 that had to be retubed to get the large cast parts off.

CJ-J is right, the fat end of the shim faces forward. Even if the steering components are new, this leaves a bunch of other things like the wheel bearings, spring bushings, U bolts, spring hangers and frame cracks that could be the cause. Something needs to be lose to allow it to wobble, but bad caster can make it much worse.

Yea...that sounds about right.

The taper is in the front the taller part is in the rear. It's a ford d44 that had to be retubed to get the large cast parts off.

You shimmed the wrong way, that's why it got worse. :D

Yea...that sounds about right.


Just to let you know its almost 5 years since the posted this :D