Hi all,
I just replaced my lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends last night in my '96. The ball joints I used were the Seneki 555 from Napa. After we installed the parts we took it for a test run and the steering seems to be super tight. If im making a turn the steering wheel will not snap back all the way to the center position (without my assistance). After the alignment today it seems to be doing a little bit better but the alignment tech mentioned that the steering shouldn't be as tight as it is.

Is this normal for the first 50 or so miles? I did not grease them and I am hoping that is not the problem. They had a plugged fitting for a zerk but since there were no zerks I figured they came pre-greased.

Any insight would be appreciated!!

Happy holidays!

Check your tie rods. Did you just screw em all the way in or mark where the thread was at before, then screw em in? Could be your problem....
The zerks should be pregreased as it's a bolt-in replacement

In to see what's up.

I'll be doing my LBJs in a couple weeks.

When mine were done they mentioned that screwing in the OTRE'S further than their set point would produce that effect.

We marked the tie rods to make sure we had them as close to the same position as possible.

Plus I just got the alignment done this morning so everything should be in spec, no? the report showed the toe was off a bit. As I drove back from the shop the snap back response feels better but still a bit off.

Is it lifted?

Castor is what self centers the steering. Where is your castor within the range on the alignment sheet?

It's not lifted yet, I'll get around to that in march when my bonus comes.

castor is 1.8* on left and 2.4* on right. Cross castor -0.6*

I've been driving it a bit today for work and the issues seem to have cleared up mostly. The steering is now snapping back much better and its not as tight. I'm guessing it just needed to be broken in (more or less). Does this sound normal? I guess I'll pick up some zerks later this week and squeeze a few pumps into them for good measure...

Have you messed with anything else on your steering rack?

Cordrayj1,
We hassled around to get the OTRE's lose but other than that, no. I will be replacing the steering rack bushings this weekend.

At this point I'm going to say this problem is resolved unless there is any cause for concern that the steering was that tight when we put in the joints. The castor before the alignment is unknown so I'm guessing that may have been half the issue. The steering feels much better now and is much more responsive after each additional mile I drive.

Thanks everyone for your input!

New lbj's are gonna feel way different. No two ways about it.

Castor should be at 3.3 degrees. That is the midpoint. Castor is what self centers the steering when you let go of the wheel. So you are out of spec on both sides. This can also lead to a wandering feeling on the highway. There is some castor adjustment in the lower arms if the tech knows what they are doing. After you lift it, you will probably need (want) some aftermarket upper arms that have castor and camber adjustments in them. So factor that into your budget.

Not sure why the steering feels stiff.... But take it back to the alignment shop and see if they can get the numbers closer to where they should be.

Opie,
On my alignment report it shows the acceptable range for the castor is between 1.6 and 3.6. Do you have any advice for me to try to get them to readjust it to tighter spec?

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I just re-read your first post and noticed you have a 96. The spec I quoted is for a 2001, so thats my mistake. Looks like you are within spec....

But if it was mine... I would argue that you are close the the opposite limits on either side. Especially the driver side. Im anal like that.

THAT being said... If you are satisfied with the handling characteristics, leave it alone? Castor does not effect tire wear.

EDIT: Do get some grease in the BJ's. Better safe than to assume they came loaded up from the factory.