Squirrely Steering After 2" Coil Spring Lift - 2003 WJ

I installed a 2" coil spring lift on my 2003 WJ. I also installed extended sway bar links and extended shocks to accommodate the lift. I also replaced the spring isolators all the way around. It looks good! Installation wasn't terrible and everything seemed to go pretty well.
However, now when I drive it, it is very squirrely over 45-50 MPH. Like, to the point that if you had to jerk the wheel to avoid something or simply weren't paying attention and had to quickly correct, you very much might lose control.
It wasn't like that before the lift. Before the lift it rode and drove very nice. I have replaced everything related to the steering and suspension within the last 6 months. New ball joints, new tie rod ends, new control arms all the way around, new steering gear box, new stabilizer, new wheel hubs, new wheels & tires (245/75/16), alignment, etc. About the only things I have not replaced are the engine, tranny, and TC.
I also have not replaced the track bar, the drag link bar or the front sway bar mount bushings, but could any of these things be the culprit or at least a contributing factor to the squirrely steering?
Everything else seems good as far as no DW and no issues going over bums and dips.

Thanks for any insight.

 

Are the new CA adjustable? Are they available from the lift kit manufacturer?

 

None of this was happening before the springs so I would say it’s the springs or sway bar

 

Thanks for the reply, aggrex. The new CA's are stock replacements, done 7 or 8 months before the lift. Everything I read before doing the lift suggested that adjustable CA's were not necessary for a 2" lift.
I got the springs and SBL's from Fat Bob's and the shocks from Skyjacker.
The ride itself is pretty close to how it was before the lift, maybe a little stiffer, but barely noticeable, the steering is another story altogether.
I checked the track bar today removing one side at a time to see if there was any play in the bushings and everything seemed to be solid with no detectable slop.
I'm guessing I have something out of position with the axel itself.
After everything was installed and before tightening everything down I measured from the center of the bump stop to the inside edge of the rim until there was an equal distance on both sides. then I torqued everything down.
Could it be that my measurements were off or that I used an improper method for measuring? I did order a new adjustable track bar today and some new front sway bar mount bushing.
I really don't understand how a simple two inch lift would make the steering so much different.

 

It sounds like an alignment issue to me. With that many changes, even the slightest incremental change will accumulate, and will have an impact. Getting it back to spec should correct everything. It should handle like a new Jeep with all those new parts. Let us know how you make out. Btw, take your Jeep to a good 4x4 shop, or a real alignment shop, that has good equipment, and a trained tech who cares. The human factor makes a big difference with alignments.

 

I agree with @Justanotherjeeper . Sounds like an alignment issue. Also when you lift any vechile it throws so many things out of wack. Your axles aren't centered under the Jeep any longer. Track bar is half the issue there. If the Jeep feels "flighty" like it wants to take off on ya. That's the issue. Tie rod is your toe in and out. It's more of a tire wear issue. And will contribute to the issue your experiencing. But not as much as a track bar issue. Also control arms will be an issues too. If you feel like your slamming into bumps, rather then just rolling over them. Your caster camber is out. All issues when you lift a Jeep.
A quick check. Pick a point on the frame and measure straight across to the outside of the tires. Making sure you measure to the same point on each tire. Left and right tires should be the same distance. If not. The track bar adjustment is off.

 

Thanks for the feedback friends. Just to update on what I've discovered since the initial post. It turns out that the coils spring mount brackets were farther gone than I realized. I knew they were rusted out at the top, but stupidly I did not realize/investigate how badly they were rusted from the bottom up. The passenger side bracket post (what was left of it) actually broke loose all the down to the weld at the top of the bracket plate. This caused my spring to shift inward toward the center of the jeep and apparently caused the whole axle to shift due to the tension, as far as I can tell anyway. Yesterday we removed the old rusted brackets and welded on new doorman replacement coil spring brackets for both sides. We double checked our measurements and while I still need to get an alignment, the "squirrely" steering issue has subsided for the most part. there's still a little bit but nothing like before the new brackets were installed.
I'll post an update on how it handles after the alignment.

In case anyone is interested, the part numbers for the brackets are Dorman 926083 for driver's side and Dorman 926082 for the passenger side. not sure what years other than 2003 they fit, but there they are. I could only find the driver's side available through O'Reilly's. Every where else was out of stock or charging double.