Eagle

You have an adjustable track bar. That's what you use to center your axle. After the axle has been centered, you then have to adjust the toe-in and then center the steering wheel. To be honest, the shop that did the alignment should have centered the axle first, before doing anything else.

I don't know why I even bother to post here any more. In your opening post you wrote:

The problem is, too often the discussion of death wobble conflates cause with effect. Things like sloppy tie rod ends and loose track bar brackets certainly are less effective at combating death wobble than new, tight parts -- but they can't cause death wobble. Death wobble is, after all, wobble. More to the point, it's wobble that starts in one wheel and is then transmitted to the other wheel in a constantly self-reinforcing harmonic reaction, which is why once it begins the amplitude escalates and the only way to stop it is to stop the vehicle. But something has to start the wheel(s) wobbling in the first place. That's the "cause." I commuted to and from work for an entire winter in my '88 Cherokee with a track bar that was so bad I had nearly a quarter of a turn of free play in the steering wheel. Keeping it in one lane took a lot of concentration, but there was never even a hint of death wobble. A track bar can't make a wheel wobble, therefore it can't cause death wobble.

Disagree all you want, but tire imbalance is what causes death wobble. In fact (as I have posted here many times in the past, I HAVE done what you suggest. When I experienced death wobble in my '88 MJ, I swapped to a different set of tires ... and the death wobble went away. Obviously tire balance will not fix a wallowed out track bar bracket, but a wallowed out track bar bracket also does not cause death wobble. It cause loose, sloppy steering.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible. That's why I said to use 2" spacers. 1" spacer would be like 3/4 - 1/2 inch of actual lift which is hardly noticeable unless you're really looking. It all depends on how much rake he has. If a rear SOA lifts the back 5-1/2 inches and he used 4-1/2 inch coils in front, then he doesn't need to lift the front 2 inches (or 1-3/4") to level it out. That would be too much. A 1-inch spacer adds 1 inch. A 3/4-inch spacer adds 3/4 of an inch. How you conclude that a 1-inch spacer would only lift the front by a half inch is a mystery to me.

I would add front spacers, but I would not use 2" spacers. I would use 1" to level it out, unless you have a VERY severe rake.

An XJ is identical to an MJ in the engine compartment. To accomplish this swap, you would move everything over from the XJ into the MJ. There is no need to fabricate a "cradle" for the 4.0L engine -- the engine mounts will bolt directly to the MJ frame rails. You will use the XJ radiator, and the sheet metal surrounding the radiator. It's very different from the MJ radiator.

'87 is a GM Delco alternator with the voltage regulator built in. Check cables and connections. If they're good, pull the alternator and have it bench tested.

Well, that's not right. I asked about caster, not camber. Camber is not adjustable on the MJ. He didn't change the caster. It was 9.4 degrees before and 9.4 degrees after. On both sides. His chart says the acceptable range is 5 degrees to 9 degrees. The factory service manual says the acceptable range is 7 degrees to 8 degrees, with 7-1/2 preferred. And removing shims from behind the LCAs would reduce caster, not increase it. Despite all that, a lift often creates death wobble due to not enough caster angle. It's unlikely that too much caster would result in death wobble (although it certainly isn't good for the front driveshaft u-joints). That's why I think you should be looking at tire balance. If the same shop that did this alignment also did the tire balance, I'd suggest finding a different shop.

I have repaired the factory brackets by drilling out the broken studs, tapping for a 6mm bolt, inserting new 6mm bolts, and adding a very light tack weld to hold the new "studs" in place. The originals are 5mm, IIRC, so going to 6mm is a slight upgrade, as well as getting you into solid metal for the new threads. Use anti-seize when reinstalling.

What year? If it's an older MJ with the GM alternator, the voltage regulator is built into the alternator. The newer Chrysler alternators may be the same, but I'm not familiar with them. How are your battery cables and connections? How's the water (electrolyte) level in the battery?

Are your new lower control arms stock length, or custom length? I don't trust your alignment guy. How did he manage to adjust the camber on a vehicle that doesn't have any adjustment for camber? And how did you get caster that's MORE than the maximum desired range after lifting 4-1/2"? Lift reduces caster, which is one of the reasons for using adjustable lower control arms. That said, with that much caster (if it's true) your alignment shouldn't be the problem. It's too LITTLE caster that sometimes contributes to death wobble. I know that many people don't agree with me, but IMHO the only thing that causes death wobble is out of balance tires/wheels. Other stuff like track bars and tie rod ends may be less effective at masking death wobble when they're worn, but they don't "cause" death wobble. Poorly balanced tires DO cause death wobble. And just because you paid big bucks to have your tires balanced on the latest equipment doesn't mean they are balanced. Too many "technicians" today took a 45 minute class on how to run the machine and they think the machine can do it all, with no thought on the part of the operator. Not true. The operator has to know what he's doing.

Exhaust manifold leak? That usually makes a tick. As it warms up the metal expands and the gap closes.

I would do some more investigating. Think about how an engine works. A lifter does not know whether or not the engine is under load. The only thing a lifter knows is that there's a cam lobe pushing up on the bottom, and a pushrod pushing down on the top. And there's some oil being pumped into it. The oil pressure varies with engine RPM and oil temperature but it, too, doesn't know if the engine is under load. So if your noise is really only there under load, I'd say it probably is not a lifter. I would also say that Jeep engines often have some valve "tick" on cold start-up, especially as the mileage increases. I think if it were mine I'd be inclined to leave it alone.

The longbed and shortbed MJs all used the same length springs. There is no need to check anything.

The front "frame" ears of the MJ unibody are NOT -- repeat NOT -- adequate by themselves for attaching tow hooks. Go to the Custom 4x4 web site and look at the tow hook kit they sell. It's basically a copy of the factory kit.

Check the classified area of the forum.

You must be talking to guys with small lifts. Most of the Jeepers around here ditch the 242 for thr 231 for the easy SYE conversion. That, and we only get one snow day every five years 'round here. :) If you call 6 to 8 inches of lift with 35-inch tires "small," then I guess I'm talking about small lifts.

If your new MJ is a 4-wheel drive I hope the rear axle you bought has the same gear ratio as the old one, so it'll match the front axle.

I disagree. I've had a factory Trac-Lok in my '88 Cherokee since I bought it new, and I run a True Trac in my '88 Comanche. The True Trac engages much more positively than the Trac-Lok. So comparing a worn out factory limited slip to a brand new helical isn't a very fair comparison. Who is comparing a worn-out Trac-Lok to a new TrueTrac? Not me. The '88 Cherokee now has 287,000 miles on it. The original Trac-Lok lasted about 125,000, then it was rebuilt. That took it to about 200,000. The next time it got wimpy I replaced it with a new one, and that was about the same time I bought the '88 MJ and put the TrueTrac in it. So I can compare new to new. The TrueTrac is much more positive than even a new Trac-Lok.

Get a set of factory MJ spring plates.

I disagree. I've had a factory Trac-Lok in my '88 Cherokee since I bought it new, and I run a True Trac in my '88 Comanche. The True Trac engages much more positively than the Trac-Lok.

MJ axles do not have shock mounts welded to them. XJ axles do. Look again at the photo I posted above. Look at the lower shock mount. It's an eye that goes onto a horizontal stud that is attached to the spring retainer plate. The spring plate is not flat, its turned down on the end and to one side. The side "flange" is where the shock mount stud goes. The mount in that photo appears to be a stock setup -- the photo was to show mounting a DIY rear sway bar, but the shock mounting and spring mounting are stock.

Are you sure the shock mounts are missing? Upper or lower? It sounds from your post like it's the lowers, and if you are looking for brackets on the axle, that's not how MJ shocks mount. The lower mount is a stud on the spring plate. The simplest solution would be if someone can fix you up with a pair of stock spring plates with the studs - if yours aren't there and just not being used. Here's a photo I borrowed from a current thread about rear sway bars: Image Not Found

This may help: http://www.olypen.com/craigh/skid.htm IMHO everyone should bookmark Craig's site. Craig was one of the very early members of NAXJA, and I'm pleased to see that he is still maintaining his site.