Worn Track Bar Symptoms

After replacing my lower control arm bushings I took my ’97 XJ for an alignment. The shop refused to do the alignment saying that there was too much play at the ball stud end of the track bar.

What are the symptoms of a worn track bar? The XJ seems to handle OK, except for a little drifting under hard braking.

Would tightening the castle nut take up the slack or should I just have the track bar replaced?

The quote I got seems OK ($228 out the door), it includes a new track bar and four wheel alignment. Thanks for any input.

Buy the track bar yourself and install it then have them do just the alignment. Track bar only has two bolts and only sits one way(if you still stock). You can probably save yourself some money that way. It's not like the track bar is hard to change.

As far as symptoms go it can wonder bad. The bar centers the axle under the keep. If it's bad the axle will move side to side.

Thanks for the quick reply, and the confirmation. My bad back is kickin' my butt right now so I'll probably just bite the bullet and have it done. The shop just called and the new track bar is in. Thanks again.