Drag Link questions

This is in reference to an 89 xj, 4.0 with 206,000 miles.

1) Is the 89 xj drag link weaker/different from any other year? I have read both that it is and that it is not.

2) If it is weaker, what can I upgrade to?

3) What are the part numbers for the tie rod end on the passenger side knuckle attached to the drag link and the tie rod end attached to the pitman arm? I CANNOT find these!!

1 - same part number for all years. i believe it is the same for the TJ too. same strength.

2 - no need to upgrade if you are staying with the stock steering. tie rod is of more concern.

3 - most places dont call it a "drag link," and most parts store workers dont even know what that is. ask them for the "right outer" tie rod end. if they dont have pictures to verify, the higher price point should be enough to indicate that it is what you are looking for.

drag link:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...j96h5Z8oxky?itemIdentifier=24142_116815_3152_

if you want to upgrade your tie rod, the ZJ (V8) is a cheap and easy addition. you have to specify the "5.2L right inner":
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...8oxky?itemIdentifier=231278_116361_1906_21921

the adjusting sleeve and tie rod end you want for the ZJ upgrade are the exact same part numbers that the XJ uses at the pitman arm, that attach to the XJ drag link..

Ok, thanks VA

Ok upgraded my tie rod to a zj, new tie rod ends all the way around, new drag link and ends all new hardware. Now my driver side tire is straight and passenger side is pointed in towards the engine. How do I adjust this? I have moved the sleeve on the drag link and tie rod and it won't adjust it??

The sleave should have opposite theads, LH and RH. The function is like a turnbuckle. This is how toe is adjusted.

We are talking about the sleave with a TRE connected to the DS knuckle on one end and the Tie Rod with the TRE connected to the PS Knuckle, right?

sjx40250 said:

We are talking about the sleave with a TRE connected to the DS knuckle on one end and the Tie Rod with the TRE connected to the PS Knuckle, right?

Click to expand...

Yes

OK good. Well, is the sleave equally threaded on both ends? That is no more than one rotation more on one end then the other? You should be able to rotate it clockwise and bring the front of the tires together. If you run out of threads then I would suspect the longer TRE (tie rod with the TRE on it) is too long.

How far off are we talking, fractions of an inch or inches? Measure difference between tires, front compared to back. This is a challenge in that you can't measure exactly front to back due to the suspension and body being in the way but get as close to 180 degrees as possible (looking at one tire, 3:00[back measurement between tires on DS] to 9:00 [front measurement between tires on DS] as the measure points for front to back of tire.)

Yes thank you. So apparently when I lay upside down, my common sense leaks out.

It happens to the best of us