lifted explorer problem

[caseysexplorer]

I ""think"" I got them from skyjacker or superlift..definitely one of the two.rear bar is just a stock 2nd gen..make sure you put it on right..

Front bar will make the biggest difference tho

OK sounds good I will do some looking online. I am hunting this weekend and so maybe next weekend I can gather part and make this thing drive able.

 

[Big Doug]

Superlift is just a relocation kit for the front sway bar . The rear are extended links.
http://m.summitracing.com/parts/slf-1018

 

[cloaked_chaos]

Superlift is just a relocation kit for the front sway bar . The rear are extended links.
http://m.summitracing.com/parts/slf-1018

I can confirm this. My 5.5" superlift came with these.

 

[jd4242]

I knew it was one or the other.

 

[4x4junkie]

I don't think it is a skyjacker, it came with the BDS lift that I took of my solid axle built. What is really weird to me is that all the same set up was on the four door explorer before I went to a solid axle build and it drove fine for a couple year, the longer wheel base maybe?

I suppose the wheelbase can affect it too... Once you are as far out of line with the steering as yours is, even the smallest things will make it unstable and wobbly (I'll bet your truck handles left turns extremely poorly as well huh..?).

Get the # FA600 Skyjacker arm or swap over to a custom steering setup. It'll greatly lessen the issues you're having, if not outright solve them.

Search for past threads about Superlift Superrunner steering, crossover steering, and of course the FA600 also. Together with the link I posted you should have all the info you need to get it under full control.
And FWIW, putting swaybars on might help it a little bit, but they aren't going to fix the issue, since this is a steering problem (the sway just aggravates it to some extent).

Good luck with it.

 

[boominXplorer]

Have you tried to re balance the tires? Could be a rear tire out of round or balance.

 

[caseysexplorer]

I suppose the wheelbase can affect it too... Once you are as far out of line with the steering as yours is, even the smallest things will make it unstable and wobbly (I'll bet your truck handles left turns extremely poorly as well huh..?).

It handle left and right turns about the same. I think it handle great other the wobble.

Get the # FA600 Skyjacker arm or swap over to a custom steering setup. It'll greatly lessen the issues you're having, if not outright solve them.

Search for past threads about Superlift Superrunner steering, crossover steering, and of course the FA600 also. Together with the link I posted you should have all the info you need to get it under full control.
And FWIW, putting swaybars on might help it a little bit, but they aren't going to fix the issue, since this is a steering problem (the sway just aggravates it to some extent).

Good luck with it.

OK, New info on my project. Friend came by today and he just got done tranfering all his skyjacker 6" lift from his ford ranger to a 4door explorer (growing family). He left his front sway bar on it but no sway bar in the rear. His ranger drove like it should I rode in it a few times. Now his explorer is doing the exact same thing mine is. Its like driving the same rig. Is start in the rear back and forth and the its like mine the hole rig does it. 4x4Junkie I am thinking that snot steering issue because mine handles great below 45 I have been driving mine every day in town but going straight out on a highway it starts its issue same with the 4door explorer. If it is a steering issue why does it start in the back and gives no wheel in put? No death wobble and looking out the window the tires are not moving side to side just going straight. please don't think I am judging your knowledge I will try the bigger drop arm if that's the issue just don't want to fork out any more money on this than I have to. Its my hunting rig not my wheeling rig


What about the FD600 arm from pro comp It is a lot cheaper just don't know if it has the same amount of drop?

 

[caseysexplorer]

Have you tried to re balance the tires? Could be a rear tire out of round or balance.

Tried a couple sets of tires same issues,

 

[Maniak]

Our explorer has no sway bars and hasn't for 200k+ miles and ours doesn't do this... I normally only drive 65mph but when I don't care about gas mileage I can take it to 75mph and it's still going straight, without any undo swaying.

We even have a locker in the rear that won't unlock on the driver side anymore... I will say, you have to drive where you are going and not what it feels like. When my sister in law drove the explorer while I was fixing her car it took her a while (day or so) to get used to driving without sway bars. In other words, she was introducing all kinds of steering input when she didn't need to so she was always behind the curve and could make it rock back/forth as she was driving straight down the road.

I do know our tie rod to beam angles are about as perfect as they can get so we don't get bump steer but as was stated above, if the angles aren't right your tires turn as the go up/down... I'm also running barely any toe in (1/8") and I have my Camber set at 0 and I have quite a bit of caster which helps keeps the wheel going straight.

With that said, the only other thing I can think of besides what people posted above is thrust angle. In other words, the rear axle isn't push the truck in a straight line. You can get away with this on most vehicles but when you put on a lift and/or softer springs and I'm assuming you have some kind of traction aider in the rear (limited slip or locker) you can setup an oscillation.

~Mark

 

[boominXplorer]

What about a bent rear axle shaft? Not enough to notice a low speeds but at higher it will cause a rhythmic shimmy.

On a side note my lifted ranger has similar symptoms from 45-50 and 60-65. I do not run any sway bars, I aligned it the old fashioned way myself and am running 6oz of balance beads in each 35" tire so I just chalked it up to the nature of the beast. I can actually see the cab and the bed shimmy opposite of each other in the side mirror at the worst of it. My suspension is tight and my rear axle is completely rebuilt with new axles so its not that.

 

[caseysexplorer]

Our explorer has no sway bars and hasn't for 200k+ miles and ours doesn't do this... I normally only drive 65mph but when I don't care about gas mileage I can take it to 75mph and it's still going straight, without any undo swaying.

We even have a locker in the rear that won't unlock on the driver side anymore... I will say, you have to drive where you are going and not what it feels like. When my sister in law drove the explorer while I was fixing her car it took her a while (day or so) to get used to driving without sway bars. In other words, she was introducing all kinds of steering input when she didn't need to so she was always behind the curve and could make it rock back/forth as she was driving straight down the road.

I do know our tie rod to beam angles are about as perfect as they can get so we don't get bump steer but as was stated above, if the angles aren't right your tires turn as the go up/down... I'm also running barely any toe in (1/8") and I have my Camber set at 0 and I have quite a bit of caster which helps keeps the wheel going straight.

With that said, the only other thing I can think of besides what people posted above is thrust angle. In other words, the rear axle isn't push the truck in a straight line. You can get away with this on most vehicles but when you put on a lift and/or softer springs and I'm assuming you have some kind of traction aider in the rear (limited slip or locker) you can setup an oscillation.

~Mark

I have built and drove lots of lift rig over the years from ranger, explorers, jeep and 1ton pickups. Pretty much everything I have owned, has been lifted some what. I have never drove anything like this. It isn't a little shimy. it get s bad enough that it would put you in the ditch if you didn't know how to handle it. I would not let anybody drive it out of town right now. It starts the rocking back and fourth whenever, bumpy roads or new road that was just overlayed and just going straight out. I am hoping to get swaybars on it this weekend. Then I will go from there, I guess. I will try the bigger drop pitman arm after that just don't want to spend 200 on a pitman arm right now. I have the sway bars.

 

[caseysexplorer]

OK sounds good I will do some looking online. I am hunting this weekend and so maybe next weekend I can gather part and make this thing drive able.

Is there a difference between the 1 gen and second gen sway bars? I do have a 1997 or 98 explorer v8 I am parting out so I have both.

 

[jd4242]

Is there a difference between the 1 gen and second gen sway bars? I do have a 1997 or 98 explorer v8 I am parting out so I have both.

The rear there is for sure..I believe the front is different also..if I recall one is hollow or one is thicker or something. .

Back to steering arm though, what arm are you using?? You DEFINITELY should have the fa 600...I have not seen a FD 600 or know amount it gives you but would bet its a copy of the FA 600..hell idk pro-comp even made them..

 

[caseysexplorer]

The rear there is for sure..I believe the front is different also..if I recall one is hollow or one is thicker or something. .

I bet the 2nd gen is heavier after all the rollover bs on the explorer 1st gen and the firestone tire recall.

Back to steering arm though, what arm are you using?? You DEFINITELY should have the fa 600...I have not seen a FD 600 or know amount it gives you but would bet its a copy of the FA 600..hell idk pro-comp even made them..

I found that pitman arm the other day and it is way cheaper than the skyjacker, just not sure if it has enough drop http://www.summitracing.com/parts/exp-fd600

 

[cloaked_chaos]

The Pro Comp FD500 and FD600 pitman arms will not work on first gen explorers. The FD400 will work but it is for 4 inch lifts.

I have stock, Skyjacker FA400 and FA600 pitman arms.

 

[4x4junkie]

I have built and drove lots of lift rig over the years from ranger, explorers, jeep and 1ton pickups. Pretty much everything I have owned, has been lifted some what. I have never drove anything like this. It isn't a little shimy. it get s bad enough that it would put you in the ditch if you didn't know how to handle it. I would not let anybody drive it out of town right now. It starts the rocking back and fourth whenever, bumpy roads or new road that was just overlayed and just going straight out. I am hoping to get swaybars on it this weekend. Then I will go from there, I guess. I will try the bigger drop pitman arm after that just don't want to spend 200 on a pitman arm right now. I have the sway bars.

$200 spent on a pitman arm could save you quadruple that or more in tires alone... even if nothing else. Just so you know.


I can't swear that you don't have another issue present, though it's hard to know for sure when the steering is off-kilter. I've experienced it myself and it no doubt it feels very much like a wobbling sensation and gets worse with speed (I had a close call driving a buddy's truck one time because it had 6" lift and the same too-short drop pitman arm you have... He warned me that it was scary to drive, but I didn't expect it being near as bad as it was). Another noteworthy phenomenon is the truck's extreme tendency to be blown out of the lane by even a mild wind gust from the side (a passing big rig, etc.).

How do you have the rear set up? (spring-over?)
Maybe you might post some pictures of your setup and I or someone might be able to spot something if there's another issue with it besides the steering.

 

[caseysexplorer]

The Pro Comp FD500 and FD600 pitman arms will not work on first gen explorers. The FD400 will work but it is for 4 inch lifts.

I have stock, Skyjacker FA400 and FA600 pitman arms.

WOW that is a huge difference in drop, If it needs that much it would make me think that I need it. I don't want to put the swaybars back but am thinking it will need both. You want to sell me the fa600 arm lol

 

[jd4242]

WOW that is a huge difference in drop, If it needs that much it would make me think that I need it. I don't want to put the swaybars back but am thinking it will need both. You want to sell me the fa600 arm lol

You DEFINITELY need it. ..never asked, why do you even need that much lift for 35?? Just 6" should do it. .

 

[Maniak]

WOW that is a huge difference in drop, If it needs that much it would make me think that I need it. I don't want to put the swaybars back but am thinking it will need both. You want to sell me the fa600 arm lol

You need at least some and the fa600 might be enough but you may possibly need more.

Do you have a pictures of the front suspension at ride height? Basically, a picture from the front at the axle height so we can see the angles of the tie rods versus the other suspension parts..

If the angles are off as much as I think they are, any suspension movement (up/down) is going to make the the tires turn left/right and setup some really weird driving and even some oscillation.

~Mark

 

[caseysexplorer]

$200 spent on a pitman arm could save you quadruple that or more in tires alone... even if nothing else. Just so you know.


I can't swear that you don't have another issue present, though it's hard to know for sure when the steering is off-kilter. I've experienced it myself and it no doubt it feels very much like a wobbling sensation and gets worse with speed (I had a close call driving a buddy's truck one time because it had 6" lift and the same too-short drop pitman arm you have... He warned me that it was scary to drive, but I didn't expect it being near as bad as it was). Another noteworthy phenomenon is the truck's extreme tendency to be blown out of the lane by even a mild wind gust from the side (a passing big rig, etc.).

How do you have the rear set up? (spring-over?)
Maybe you might post some pictures of your setup and I or someone might be able to spot something if there's another issue with it besides the steering.

It is a spring over with the shocks moved to the axle tube, it had new perches welded on the axle and 2"shackles. The front is just a basic 6" lift bds lift and it came with 2" spacers with it. It was all on my 91 explorer 4 door (I bought it with the lift already installed). I just transferred it axles and all, when I did my SAS on it to my 93. That has been my hole issue is the 1991 drove perfect with the same set up on it from pitman arm shocks springs it all the same. My pitman arm is for sure not that big of drop as the on pictured!! I am working on picture right know