Hey guys I have a 2000 xj8. I just put new tires and balanced, driving the other day at like 65 and got a bad shake thru the steering wheel and when hit brakes got worse. I pulled over and when I started again it went away now coming back more frequently any help would be appreciated. Did alignment twice and rebalanced twice.

 

When you jack the car up check the steering components. To do so start by grabbing the wheel at the 3 o clock position and 9 o clock position and try to move back and forth about the vertical axis. There should be no play. If there is play then tie rods are suspect. To check tie rods simply grab the tie rod and move back and forth while watching the bushing that goes into the a arm. It should have very little to no play. If no problem there then move further back and inspect the boot and inner tie rod. If you see any grease or rips in the boot then it is time to replace. Those are the most likely problems. You can also check ball joints by grabbing at 12 o clock and 6 o clock and try moving the wheel about the horizontal axis. There should be no play. Do you feel any play in your brake pedal when you slow down? Steering wheel play is front brake rotors, brake pedal play is rear brake rotors.

 

here is a good video showing how to diagnose your steering problem. It's a S type but same idea.

 

Thanks for the video. I am going to throw it on the lift Monday and check it. My Indy said it needs all four ball joints and I'm not 100% sure thats correct, I've read that its a little un likely that they would all go bad at once.