Alright heres my prob:
it runs fine and is about to get a face lift coming up. It has a full YJ conversion on it and the bed is cut to extend the rear shocks. I am currently running 31's on it. I drive it on the street and the steering is way off, I mean the wheel is sideways and the car is going straight and sometimes it goes all over the roads. I cant stay in a straight line, what could be the problem? Does it need to be aligned by a shop? these are brand new tires that were just bought and I dont think the guy I bought this samurai from even balanced them correctly. Im new to this whole off road thing and got this samurai for cheap so any help from you guys would be appreciated. Thank you.
:D

you need to post some pics or tell what kind of steering you have(stock,sidekick,yota,?????????)in the meantime check your tierod ends and make sure everythings tight.

you need to post some pics or tell what kind of steering you have(stock,sidekick,yota,?????????)in the meantime check your tierod ends and make sure everythings tight.

cool thanks man. I have z-link steering if that means anything, other than that Im pretty sure its stock. I know this is a dumb question but whats a tierod? My friend told me today it just needs to be aligned at the shop but I was just wondering if anyone knew anything.

Your friend is right. Take it to an alignment shop. Drive there slowly.

Your friend is right. Take it to an alignment shop. Drive there slowly.

I called the shop today and they said they cannot align it because its lifted.
Any other Ideas guys?

Call another shop, someone will align it.

My guess is that your caster is fucked. Get an angle finder and place it on the bottom of the king pin with the truck on level ground. You want somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 degrees positive (king-pin leaning back). Do a search for front end alignment on google or something and read up. You can correct it at home with shims or shackle length. You can also check your toe-in at home. Do some searchin and you should be able to find what you need.
Travis..

I'll second the advice about calling alignment shops until you find one that will do it, you can try calling a local jeep center and ask them who does it.

Now, for the sake of argument that you can't get an appointment for a month, or you won't have the dough for a month and need it to be a bit safer until you can get it there.

This will get you into the ballpark, but read it all through to the end:

First, park it on a level hard surface. I'd suggest concrete over asphalt.

Now, find the center of the steering. Do this by turning it lock to lock and count the turns, then go back 1/2 of the turns. Now the wheel is centered even if the tires are not.

Next, use a fine and strong string such as kite string, and cut 2 pieces the length of your sammy. Now use some duct tape and tape the end on the inside of the back tire that is facing the back. Bring the string around the outside or the tire and carry it forward to the front tire.

Pull the string tight, and position it so that it is touching both front and rear sidewalls of the back tire, and see where it is in relationship to the front tire sidewalls. You need to turn the tie rod adjustor so that the front tire sidewalls are parallel to to the rear tire sidewalls.

Do this to both sides. do one side then check the other to make sure it did not shift while on you.

Once both tires are parallel you need to set the toe angle. This is super important so don't skip it! Adjust each side so the front of the tire points in a little bit, as measured with your string. I'd say 3/8" toe in would be safe to drive on until you can take it in, but I'm sure someone else might have a more accurate distance for you. If while you are driving it straight ahead, it darts to one side then another increase the toe a little more.

That should be enough to get you going safely, but let me please stress that you should take this to a shop irregardless and make sure they will let you watch. Once you understand the relationship between caster, camber, and toe it is easier to visualize and you will be better able to tackle this stuff in the future.

O

thanks gys, I am just gonna keep calling shops until someone can do it. I think I know of a shop that can do it next week.

Ahh.. Does it dart around the road when you hit a bump? That is called bump steer and a known issue with a Z-linked tierod.

Alignment is of little use as I doubt it is off by much. An alignment shop can really only mess with the toe in setting and caster. If your caster is off it can really dart around. Alignment shop will want to use aluminum caster shims to fix the problem. These shims will last about 1 miles of trail use. You will need to locate steel shims if they are needed. Some vendors here sell them.

Most lifted Zuks suffer from crappy steering as their owners are too cheap to fix the issue.

-Wayne

Hey man i had that exact problem on my 87 sami i took it to a shop and got it aligned,did not fix it. replaced all my steering,did not fix it after six months of doin all sorts of things,it was loose u bolts.So i tighten the leaf springs and now im wheelin it and drivin it every where..just check ur u bolts its worth a shot.