I have searched many old threads and have not found much information other than this is a very common problem on the JK.
This week I was on a very mild trail that did not require 4wd as it was really just a dirt road with a few trenches maybe about 10 inches deep. I was moving along at about 10 mph when my passenger front tire dropped down in one of these trenches.
Jeep took it fine and never slowed down and I thought nothing of it. I later reached the pavement and noticed my TCS light going crazy and the steering wheel was off center by about almost a half turn. I deactivated the tcs and limped home.
Next morning the alignment shop had it on a lift and I was watching him inspect the front end. Nothing bent or even scratched with zero signs of damage at all. The Jeep is new and has 14k miles with no off road action however I do have a 2.5 coil lift and 34 inch tires. The tie rod marks were still lined up and the draglink also showed it had not moved from the paint marks applied from the factory.....not sure if these paint marks were placed there by the shop after my lift or were factory align marks however it appeared the draglink was not moved at all.
Now my question is something had to move as the steering was off center and the toe was out. It aligned back to specs and the draglink was adjusted so 50 dollars later all is well. Is it possible the draglink was moved one complete revolution and just happened to land back up to the paint marks so it looked like it did not move?
This really kind of hurt my confidence with my Jeep as the trail was really mild and I had no idea the front suspension was so fragile. The shop checked all bolts and bushings with no play found and I asked the same question to the front end mechanic "can you tell me what happened". His reply was I have no idea but something had to shift or move but it seems fine now.
I read some old threads and think it is possible I was turning the wheel when the tire dropped down inside the trench. With the tire binding up the power steering could have shifted something however again no problems were found at all afterward.
So to sum up this long winded post what caused my steering wheel to be so far off center with no signs of draglink altered or anything else moved underneath and nothing bent or broken? Thanks for looking and if nothing else I may purchase a few upgraded front suspension parts just to feel better.
This week I was on a very mild trail that did not require 4wd as it was really just a dirt road with a few trenches maybe about 10 inches deep. I was moving along at about 10 mph when my passenger front tire dropped down in one of these trenches.
Jeep took it fine and never slowed down and I thought nothing of it. I later reached the pavement and noticed my TCS light going crazy and the steering wheel was off center by about almost a half turn. I deactivated the tcs and limped home.
Next morning the alignment shop had it on a lift and I was watching him inspect the front end. Nothing bent or even scratched with zero signs of damage at all. The Jeep is new and has 14k miles with no off road action however I do have a 2.5 coil lift and 34 inch tires. The tie rod marks were still lined up and the draglink also showed it had not moved from the paint marks applied from the factory.....not sure if these paint marks were placed there by the shop after my lift or were factory align marks however it appeared the draglink was not moved at all.
Now my question is something had to move as the steering was off center and the toe was out. It aligned back to specs and the draglink was adjusted so 50 dollars later all is well. Is it possible the draglink was moved one complete revolution and just happened to land back up to the paint marks so it looked like it did not move?
This really kind of hurt my confidence with my Jeep as the trail was really mild and I had no idea the front suspension was so fragile. The shop checked all bolts and bushings with no play found and I asked the same question to the front end mechanic "can you tell me what happened". His reply was I have no idea but something had to shift or move but it seems fine now.
I read some old threads and think it is possible I was turning the wheel when the tire dropped down inside the trench. With the tire binding up the power steering could have shifted something however again no problems were found at all afterward.
So to sum up this long winded post what caused my steering wheel to be so far off center with no signs of draglink altered or anything else moved underneath and nothing bent or broken? Thanks for looking and if nothing else I may purchase a few upgraded front suspension parts just to feel better.