TJ Tiebar Rodend Rubs Swaybar Disconnect

[Nutz]

'04 TJ with a RE 4.5" SF lift and JKS disconnects...lately I've noticed a noise in the front suspension when turning right. Turns out that the RH tiebar rodend is rubbing on the bottom of the JKS disconnect. Tiebar and Drag link are stock and don't appear to be bent but this problem seems to be new. Is this typical and what are my options to fix it?

 

[Badger]

do you have a drop pitman arm on with 4.5" of lift?if not it might help in bring the drag link back down

 

[Nutz]

Currently I don't have a drop pitman arm (RE kit doesn't come with one). I considered this but currently the heights of the drag-link and track-bar are very close to the same and I really don't want end up with a bunch of bump-steer? I haven't tried a drop arm so I'm only speculating that I'll end up with bump-steer.

 

[BCGPER]

4.5" lift, and no dropped arm? I think Badger nailed it.

 

[Badger]

bump-steer could happen

an chance to get a picture of the front end and post it so we could look at it more closely.i have never heard of this happening with any of the Jeeps.Xj,Zj,or Tj they all use the same front end as well as suspension set up.

honestly i can't see how it could be happening without something being bent or out of place

 

[Nutz]

First I did a quick search and didn't come up with anyone else with this problem...seems that something may be bent or out of place? I've attached a few photo's. Thanks Badger.

 

[BCGPER]

Ah, mucho better. Drag link is hitting, not tie rod. Again. Badger nailed it, you need a dropped pitman. Also, rolling your pinion angle down will help.

 

[Badger]

nope you r drag link is about as straight as you can get it so thats not bent.

now on to the fix.i can only see two solutions .

A.drop pitman arm
B.relocate the swaybar mount up

as for the track bar and drag link being lined up .they aren't they are close but they are off.if you were to pull a string from bolt location to bolt location you would see that the track bar is landing a few degrees down from the drag link.

looking at the pic it looks like the axle could possibly be twist up slightly.might want to look at the upper axle bushings to see if they are wasted and allowing the axle to turn up slightly.looking at the pinion yoke it looks to be pointing slightly upward.

also whats going on with the upper ball joint on the passenger side might want to check that for play as well

 

[Badger]

Ah, mucho better. Drag link is hitting, not tie rod. Again. Badger nailed it, you need a dropped pitman. Also, rolling your pinion angle down will help.

hey i was busy typing and you beat me to it

 

[Nutz]

Below there's a better picture of the pinion angle. Upper bushings seem to be ok ...upper arms have some adjustment left and could be made a little shorter...as close as it is I'm not sure I'll change it unless someone points out something that I've completly missed.

Of the two options I'm inclined to relocate the mount...it's relatively easy for me to design a new mount and water-jet it...I'll just have to get a friend to weld it on

Good eye regarding the upper ball joint. Just noticed it for the first time earlier today when I changed the oil and greased the front end. I've jacked up the axle to take the load off the passenger side and can't detect any play? I checked this because I've noticed an occasional 'clunk' and another strange thing is the RF tire is starting to show a different wear pattern. What is the best way to inspect this?

 

[Badger]

if you are hearing a clunk and some odd wear check the unit bearing as well.as to checking either .take the weight off the front end put a hand at 12 and 6 push with one hand pull with the other.then switch pull with the one hand and pull with the other.have somebody else watch the ball joint to see if there is play in it or the unit bearing.

in this last pic the pinion does appear to be high .as far as i know you want it to be just the like the rear.you want it to point down 2 or 3 degrees so under load it comes up.

as for checking the bushings .the only way is to pull the upper arms and take a look

 

[Nutz]

Badger, thanks for the advice. Tomorrow I'll pull the upper arms, check the bushings and shorten the arms while removed. I'll also check for play in RF when I can get some help...thanks again.

 

[Nutz]

It just hit me that I haven't thought much about front pinion angle because it seems that caster is more important...set the caster and live with the pinion angle?

Also, after some quick checking it looks like Nth Degree has a front trackbar with adjustable bracket...looks like a potential method to relocate the trackbar (without it falling apart) then use a drop pitman arm.

 

[Devel]

with ur steering i would just buy the tera knuckle and forget abouth the drop pitman arm, it also replaces all ur steering components if u buy the full kit.

 

[Badger]

with ur steering i would just buy the tera knuckle and forget abouth the drop pitman arm, it also replaces all ur steering components if u buy the full kit.

actually i wouldn't recommend that knuckle and kit combo.it does nothing but create bump steer unless you go all out and move the track bar above the axle to match the drag link.

i mean really the best solution is an adjustable track bar and moving the mount above the axle tube where it should have been placed from the factory

 

[Nutz]

Hey Devel...do you work at Checker...seems that I met you at the Clinton store about 8 months ago or so. I considered the Tera knuckle and kit but it seems useless without considerable fabwork...moving trackbar to a correct position and moving the swaybar connect points. Not to mention $550 for a knuckle and some aluminum hex rods...doesn't really seem worth it.

Badger, having had some more time to think about the options I'm currently planning on a drop pitman arm, Nth Degree track-bar and adj bracket (crossmember rather than typical cantilever looks like one of the better designs) and maybe a Currie HD tie rod system. At a minimum I should probably replace the rod end that has been beating against the disconnect...just thinking as long as it's tore apart and I need to realign anyway maybe it's a good time to upgrade. Any experience with the Currie tie rod system? Also, is there a particular pitman arm that stands out or all the all pretty much the same?

 

[Badger]

a pitman arm is a pitman arm.they are all the same as far as i know.i have no idea about Currie HD tie rod kit,never used it.

 

[GOAT]

'04 TJ with a RE 4.5" SF lift and JKS disconnects...lately I've noticed a noise in the front suspension when turning right. Turns out that the RH tiebar rodend is rubbing on the bottom of the JKS disconnect. Tiebar and Drag link are stock and don't appear to be bent but this problem seems to be new. Is this typical and what are my options to fix it?

If this is a new problem and you are noticing tire wear then something is probably bent. I have run 4.5 SF without a DPA and did not run into this. I suspect the draglink is bent inward towards the housing. If it is bent, strap the DL to a tree and pull in reverse until you can buy a new one (done this many times):greg:

HTH -Marcus

 

[GOAT]

Any experience with the Currie tie rod system? Also, is there a particular pitman arm that stands out or all the all pretty much the same?

Just installed a currie system on my TJ. It is a tight fit but is the best option for the money. I used the RockKrawler DPA (40.00) and trackbar with bracket (155.00) bought from DC4WD.com.

 

[Nutz]

Goat, thanks for the great photo, much appreciated. The Currie system looks great...think I'll move forward with it. One question: you mentioned that the fit is tight...in what way?